Ivor Broom

Air Marshal Sir Ivor Gordon Broom, KCB, CBE, DSO, DFC & Two Bars, AFC (2 June 1920 – 24 January 2003) was a senior Royal Air Force commander, and a decorated bomber pilot of the Second World War.^[1][2]

Ivor Gordon Broom was born on 2 June 1920 in Cardiff, Wales, to parents Albert and Janet Broom. He had 2 siblings: an older sister, Eva Cameron Broom, who died aged 16 of Tuberculosis, and an older brother, Godfrey Kitchener Broom. They all grew up together in Cardiff.

Ivor joined the Royal Air Force as a trainee pilot in early 1940 at the age of 19. Eleven months later, he was a sergeant pilot on 114 Squadron undertaking low-level daylight bombing raids in Blenheim aircraft. He flew similar operations from Malta in 1941 with Nos 105 and 107 Squadrons and while there was commissioned after No.107 Squadron had lost all their officers.

In July 1942, Broom returned home to marry Jessie Cooper. Together they had a son, David Broom, born on 18 March 1944, and a daughter Diane Broom, born on 8 July 1945.

In 1943, he became a instructor on Mosquitos and by the time World War Two had ended was a 24 year-old wing commander in charge of No.163 Mosquito bomber squadron in the Pathfinder Force. He completed over 100 bombing missions, was awarded the distinguished flying cross and two bars and also made a member of the distinguish service order. After victory in Europe he moved to the east while his wife was pregnant with their third child. Sadly Ivor lost his rank of commander and was fortunate enough to become the commanding officer of No.28 squadron. One of the only two spitfire squadrons still in the RAF. He continued to keep close to flying and in the early 50s became the commanding officer of No.57 squadron the third jet bomber squadrons to form in the RAF. In 1956 he was awarded the Air Force cross for a record breaking flight in a Canberra from Ottawa to London.

His various movements are too many to catalogue and include C.O of bomber command development unit, C.O. Of RAF Bruggen, and commandant of the central flying school. In the early 70s he was, for three years in charge of the UK’s air defence group. Ivor was then placed in charge of the National Air Traffic services and became the first serving officer to become a member of the board of the civil aviation authority. He was then knighted in 1975 and retired as an Air Marshal in 1977. Since leaving the RAF he was actively engaged in civil aviation. He retired from being chairman of two major aviation companies. Ivor died on 24 January 2003, in the company of his wife of 61 years.