A two-man Mosquito crew with the same surname who made a fantastic team: Sir Ivor Broom Squadron Leader Tommy Broom I G Broom Amazon.co.uk: Clean Sweep: The Life of Air Marshal Sir Ivor Broom (Bomber Crews): Books: Tony Spooner Amazon.co.uk: Squadron Leader Tommy Broom DFC: The Legendary Pathfinder Mosquito Navigator: Books: Tom Parry Evans In May 1944 Ivor Broom joined No. 571, a Mosquito XV1 squadron of the Light Night Striking Force, (LNSF). His navigator was Flt Lt. Tommy Broom. They were thereafter called “the flying brooms” and had the emblem of crossed broomsticks painted on the nose of the aircraft! They flew the Mosquito modified to carry the 4000lb bomb known as a “cookie”. The “flying brooms” made numerous raids over Berlin with their lethal 4000 pounders. Tommy Broom was an exceptional navigator who had survived a crash landing in Holland, then evaded capture and escaped via the famous cross Pyrenees route into neutral Spain and finally home. Pinpoint mine laying in the Dortmund Ems canal was just one of many typical sorties. Searchlights could cone the Brooms for as long as 15 minutes at a time while they weaved and dived and twisted. Ivor Broom once asked his disoriented navigator for a course to base. Tommy Broom replied, “fly north, with a dash of west while I sort myself out!” During this period the Flying Brooms lobbed a cookie up the mouth of a railway tunnel in Germany with two fighters on their tail. Ivor Broom received a second bar to his DFC for this exploit. In autumn 1944 Ivor Broom became acting Squadron Leader in command of a flight in No. 128, another LNSF Mosquito squadron. Just a few months later he was appointed acting Wing Commander to lead No.163 squadron. Tommy Broom, now DFC and Bar, joined him as squadron navigation officer. After many further offensives over Germany and occupied Europe by the reunited Flying Brooms the war finally ended. Ivor Broom had undertaken 58 operational missions in Mosquitoes. They included 22 raids over Berlin and his navigator, Tommy Broom accompanied him on most of those. Ivor Broom was awarded the DSO and Tommy a third DFC.
Excellent post, Kyt. This thread came about from the Alfred Hall obituary post which led to night fighter talk (and me having a conversation with myself in the thread) and books by Tony Spooner who, as can be seen above, wrote the book about Ivor Broom...which I've just bought because I read about his low-level work out of Malta (and I'm a sucker for books with twin-engined things at low level on the cover!). So much for my book buying ban...blast you Toor!
Looks like Tommy Broom was with 105 Sqn in their Med and pre-Mossie days so should feature in Battle-Axe Blenheims. I'll see if I can dig any snippets out tonight.
Well it's not a book but Christmas is coming ............ Mosquito by Frank Wootton. - Military Print Company Air Marshal Sir Ivor Broom KCB CBE DSO DFC AFC (deceased) Entering the RAF in 1940 he joined No 114 Squadron as a sergeant pilot flying Blenheims. After 12 operations he and his crew were allocated to No 105 Squadron and then No 107 Squadron, the last remaining Blenheim Squadron in Malta. The Squadron remained there without relief for five months carrying out low level attacks on the shipping. Very few of the original crews survived the detachment, in fact he was commissioned during this period, when 107 Squadron had lost all their officers and for a short time was the only officer, other than the CO, in the Squadron. At the end of this tour he was awarded the DFC. In early 1943 he became one of the first Mosquito instructors in the Pathfinder Force and later moved to No 571 Squadron with the Light Night Strike Force. He then formed No 163 Squadron as acting Wing Commander. He was awarded a bar to his DFC for a low level moonlight mining attack on the Dormund - Ems Canal from 50ft and then a second bar for getting a 4000lb bomb into the mouth of a railway tunnel during the final German Ardennes offensive. During his time on Mosquitoes his navigator was Tommy Broom, together they formed an inseparable combination. Remaining with the RAF after WWII and in accordance with peacetime rules for a much smaller Air Force he was reduced in rank first to Squadron Leader and then to Flight Lieutenant in 1948. Promoted to Air Marshal in 1974 he became the Head of the UK National Air Traffic Services and was the first serving officer to be appointed to the Board of the Civil Aviation Authority. Retiring from the RAF in 1979 he has been actively engaged in civil aviation since then. He died 24th January 2003. Air Marshal Sir Ivor Broom KCB CBE DSO DFC AFC (deceased) - Art prints and originals signed by Air Marshal Sir Ivor Broom KCB CBE DSO DFC AFC (deceased)
Annie...:frusty: Please to not be recommending Mossie prints so close to Krimble! :lol: I still have not read Clean Sweep but will probably do so in the New Year (there I go making resolutions already!). Just noticed I haven't checked my 105 book for Broom either as I said I would - I probably checked it and saw he was mentioned on every second page so gave up. :becky:
Surprisingly, there's only one reference to Tommy Broom in Stuart Scott's Battle-Axe Blenheims. Page 27: The 27th (November 1940) saw two more operations. Sgt Willsher and his crew, on their first operation in Blenheim T1885:F, were to bomb the docks at Boulogne. This they successfully accomplished. The other attack was to be on Cologne and six aircraft bombed the target but one returned with engine trouble prior to reaching its objective. Sgt Costello-Bowen and his crew, Sgt Broom (Observer) and Sgt Cameron (WOp/AG) got caught above ten-tenths cloud. Sgt Cameron tried to summon assistance with his wireless set, but to no avail and their only course of action when the fuel ran short was to bale out. As all three descended by parachute, their aircraft, T1884, crashed at Mottram in Longdale east of Manchester, where it burned out. The crew arrived weary but safe back at base at one o'clock in the morning. Not so fortunate were the crew of Blenheim T1886. P/O Ryan and his crew, Sgt Slade (Observer) and Sgt Meikle (WOp/AG), arrived back very late at 2325 hours. They were given permissin to land but then flew off at low altitude towards the aerodrome beacon at Foxley Wood, where the machine crashed and burst into flames, killing the entire crew. It was the third crew lost this month.
