Harry Broadhurst

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

See also Henry Broadhurst for the trade unionist and politician
Mentioned in Despatches (3)
Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States)
Grand Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau
(Netherlands)

Second World War
.

Early life

Broadhurst was born in 1905 in Frimley, Surrey, England. He joined the British Army as a second lieutenant in the Royal Artillery and then, in 1926, transferred to the Royal Air Force (RAF).[1]

Early RAF career

Completing his training, he joined No. 11 Squadron RAF in India in 1928,[2] flying the Westland Wapiti and Hawker Hart over the North West frontier. He returned to the United Kingdom in 1931, joining No. 41 Squadron RAF flying the Bristol Bulldog.[2]

By the mid-1930s, Broadhurst was an accomplished pilot, flying fighters and doing acrobatics at air shows, gaining a reputation as an aerial daredevil with a flair for aerial acrobatics. In 1936, as a

Officer Commanding No. 111 Squadron.[1]

War service

In May 1940, he was appointed Station Commander at

wing commander.[2] Broadhurst participated in ground support during the Battle of France, an experience that taught him the importance of close air support for later operations in the war. He was heavily involved in the Battle of Britain and as Officer Commanding RAF Wittering,[2]
often flew with the squadrons under his command, both day and night fighter units.

Fighter Command
, and continued to fly on operations, even as a group captain.

On 4 July 1941, leading

JG 26 pilot.[3] In the combat he was Red 1 and claimed 1-1-0 Bf 109F at 09.50 over Gravelines area. In May 1942 he became Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO), No. 11 Group, although he continued to fly operationally where possible. His final kill claims were made on 19 August 1942, bringing his total to 13 destroyed, seven probables and 10 damaged.[2]

General Sir Bernard Montgomery with his senior officers at Eighth Army Headquarters at Vasto, Italy, 1943. From left to right, Freddie de Guingand, Harry Broadhurst, Montgomery, Sir Bernard Freyberg, Miles Dempsey and Charles Allfrey.

In late 1942, he was posted to the Middle East and became Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) to Air Vice Marshal

D-Day landings and beyond.[4]

Broadhurst's enthusiastic backing of the Army and his frank opinions did not always go down well with his superiors in the RAF. He returned to the UK in 1944 to command

2nd Tactical Air Force. In September 1945, he became Air Officer Administration at RAF Fighter Command.[2]

Post-war

In August 1946, Broadhurst was made Air Officer Commanding

Second Tactical Air Force in December 1953 in the rank of air marshal.[2]

Broadhurst was appointed Air Officer Commander-in-Chief

Instrument Landing System installed at Heathrow and other civil airports so a Ground-controlled approach (GCA) was carried out. XA897 struck the ground about 2,000 feet short of the runway just as power was applied.[5] XA897 was damaged by the initial impact but rose back in the air.[5] The pilot, Squadron Leader D.R. "Podge" Howard, and Broadhurst, who was occupying the co-pilot seat, both ejected from the aircraft and survived.[5] The aircraft again hit the ground and broke up. The Vulcan had only two ejection seats, for the pilot and co-pilot. The other four occupants on XA897, including Howard's usual co-pilot, died in the accident.[5]

In his book The Hidden Truth Maurice Hamlin, a former member of the RAF on duty the day of the crash, claims that Broadhurst ignored three direct orders to divert away from Heathrow due to the poor weather conditions (noting other aircraft had already been diverted). Pilots, he goes on to say, cannot ignore these orders but Hamlin believes that Broadhurst continued to attempt to land due to the waiting press and dignitaries. He further claims a fifty-year D-Notice was placed on the incident (that has now expired).[7]

The AAIB inquiry concluded that the inherent lag in the system of issuing of instructions by the ground controller combined with the Vulcan's normal higher than usual rate-of-descent in comparison with the types of aircraft normally handled by Heathrow's controllers, allowed the aircraft to descend below a safe height before corrective instructions could be issued and complied-with. Subsequently, the Vulcan later became one of the first aircraft qualified for full autoland.

Broadhurst was promoted to Air Chief Marshal in February 1957,[2] and in 1959 he became Commander, Allied Air Forces Central Europe, until March 1961, when he retired from the RAF.[2]

After retiring, Broadhurst was appointed managing director of

Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd., and in 1968 a Director of the Hawker Siddeley Group Limited, retiring in 1976.[9]

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b Shores and Williams 1994, p. 150.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Chief Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst
  3. ^ 'JG 26 War Diary Volume 1', Caldwell, (grub street)
  4. ^ 'Desert Air Force at War', Bowyer & Shores (Ian Allan 1981)
  5. ^ a b c d e Blackman 2007, p. 142.
  6. ^ Photo of the event
  7. ^ "Maurice's book has few equals". Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  8. ^ Blackman 2007. pp. 114 and 119.
  9. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. (Subscription or UK public library membership
    required.)     (subscription required)

Bibliography

External links


Wikimedia Commons has media related to Harry Broadhurst.
Military offices
Preceded by
AOC Desert Air Force
on 10 July 1943
1943–1944 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
AOC No. 83 Group

1944–1945 		Succeeded by
Preceded by C-in-C Second Tactical Air Force
1953–1956 		Succeeded by
Preceded by C-in-C Bomber Command
1956–1959 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Sir George Mills
 C-in-C Allied Air Forces Central Europe
1959–1961 		Succeeded by
The Earl of Bandon
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