Air Officer Commanding, No. 10 Group
Air Vice Marshal Sir Christopher Joseph Quintin Brand K.B.E., D.S.O., M.C., D.F.C.

Born in South Africa, 1893, Brand had a distinguished career with the Royal Flying Corps during World War One and also with the Royal Air Force. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (D.S.O.), Military Cross (M.C.) and the Distinguished Flying Cross (D.F.C.) He was involved in the attack and shooting down of the last raid by a Gotha bomber on England.

It was with General Sir Pierre van Ryneveld that he made the first flight from England to the Cape in 1920 in a Vickers Vimy bomber, which took 109 hours flying time. For their achievement, after many problems and a crash near Bulawayo, they received a telegram from the King and were both Knighted. During the 1930’s Brand became Director General of Aviation in Egypt and Director of Repair & Maintenance at the Air Ministry before becoming Air Officer Commanding of No: 10 Group, Fighter Command, between 1939 and 1941.

He retired from the RAF in 1943 and died in Rhodesia, 1968, aged 74