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 |