Telegraph.co.uk
Group Captain Peter O'Brian
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 19/05/2007

Group captain Peter O'Brian, who has died aged 89, served as a pilot during the Battle of Britain and was twice awarded the DFC as a fighter leader operating from airfields in Devon and Cornwall.

In response to the loss of fighter pilots during the fighting in France in 1940 and the early stages of the Battle of Britain, volunteers were called for to fill the vacancies. An experienced pre-war Army co-operation pilot, O'Brian immediately responded. With just 10 training flights on fighters, he joined No 152 Squadron in August 1940, flying Spitfires from Warmwell in Dorset. Within days he had shared in the destruction of two bombers near Portland and probably downed a third.

As the German attacks increased, O'Brian flew as many as five sorties a day. Losses amongst the senior pilots mounted and, with just a month's experience, O'Brian was appointed to command a new Hurricane squadron, No 247, operating from Roborough, near Plymouth.

During an interview shortly before his death, O'Brian commented on his role as a Battle of Britain pilot. "I considered myself one of the many, not one of the few," he said. "To me, the few were the casualties and the leaders who took replacement pilots such as myself under their wing."

Peter Geoffrey St George O'Brian, the son of Air Commodore Geoffrey O'Brian, a Royal Flying Corps pilot and founder member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, was born on September 16 1917 in Toronto and educated at Trinity College, Port Hope, and Toronto University. He wanted to follow his father into the RCAF, but, having been persuaded to consider the more established RAF, he was awarded a cadetship to the RAF College Cranwell, where he was awarded the Sword of Honour as the outstanding cadet.

In January 1938 O'Brian was appointed to No 26 (Army Co-operation) Squadron, flying Lysander aircraft. The squadron embarked for France in October 1939, and soon after the German invasion of France in May 1940 was forced to evacuate to airfields in Kent, where it continued to support the BEF. Shortly afterwards O'Brian began his brief training as a fighter pilot.

When he arrived at Roborough to re-form No 247 Squadron, he was allocated a number of Gladiator bi-planes and some Hurricanes. The former remained with the squadron until March 1941, making it one of the last to fly bi-plane fighters. The thriving British communities in Shanghai, Canton and Peking provided the funds for the Hurricanes and the squadron adopted the title No 247 (China-British) Squadron.

O'Brian entered a prolonged correspondence regarding the design of the squadron badge with Chester Herald at the College of Arms. Agreement was eventually reached, and the squadron's links with the West Country were represented by the Exeter Lion on the Cornish Bezant with a scroll bearing the Chinese characters "Cheu Feng" (meaning fierce wind, or Hurricane). The motto adopted was "Rise from the East".

No 247 was responsible for the air defence of the Plymouth area and for providing convoy patrols. By October 1940 most German attacks were mounted at night, and O'Brian was ordered to convert his squadron to the night fighter role. He and his pilots were regularly called into action against raiders attacking Plymouth and its naval dockyards but, without an airborne radar, the single-engine, single-seat Gladiators and Hurricane day fighters were less than ideal as night fighters. Successes were rare.

By the summer of 1941 Fighter Command's squadrons had begun an offensive against targets in northern France. Operating from airfields in Cornwall, O'Brian led 247 to attack installations on the Cherbourg peninsula. He attacked the airfield at Morlaix on August 28; his Hurricane was damaged by anti-aircraft fire but he completed the long crossing over the Channel to make an emergency landing.

In September the squadron started night intruder sorties over France. On one occasion O'Brian was airborne for more than three hours, the longest recorded night intruder flight by a Hurricane, when he attacked the airfield at Rennes and "visited" others on the return flight. In December 1941 he was awarded a DFC for his "outstanding qualities as a leader".

After an unprecedented 20 months in command of a fighter squadron, O'Brian was promoted to wing commander and left to join the staff of No 10 (Fighter) Group. The squadron diarist described him as "an exceptional CO, and everyone who has had the privilege of working on No 247 (Pete O'Brian) Squadron feels his departure is a personal loss". However, he was soon back in action, and by September 1942 he was in command of the Portreath Fighter Wing flying Spitfires on bomber escort and intruder sorties over France.

On April 16 1943 he was leading No 412 (RCAF) Squadron to attack German shipping off the Brest Peninsula when Focke Wulf 190 fighters engaged them. O'Brian's Spitfire was damaged and he was forced to bale out over the English Channel. He took to his dinghy near the French coast.

During the night he heard the motors of a launch and blew his whistle, which was heard by a patrolling MTB of the Free French Navy. After eight hours in his dinghy he was rescued and returned to Dartmouth, where a flight of his Canadian Spitfires was waiting to escort him the last few miles. Despite his ordeal, he led the Wing's next operation and shortly afterwards was awarded a Bar to his DFC.

In June 1943 O'Brian was rested, and after attending the RAF Staff College he joined the joint planning staff in the Cabinet War Rooms, remaining there until the end of the war.

After the war O'Brian commanded No 8 Squadron in Aden flying the Mosquito before joining the directing staff of the Army Staff College. After attending the USAF Staff College, he returned to the fighter world at RAF Odiham, where two Meteor day fighter squadrons were based. Within a year he was promoted to group captain and left to command RAF Leuchars in Fife. His period coincided with the introduction into service with No 43 Squadron of the Hawker Hunter, the RAF's finest post-war fighter.

O'Brian enjoyed playing golf at nearby St Andrews and, until a few years ago, he returned each year to attend the Royal and Ancient's annual meeting.

He spent the last four years of his RAF service at HQ Fighter Command and at the Air Ministry. From June 1957 until his retirement in July 1959 he was an ADC to the Queen. He was appointed OBE in January 1954.

He returned to Canada and became the vice-president of Southam Publishing, retiring in 1982. He died on April 15.

In 1941 Peter O'Brian proposed by letter to his girlfriend, Edith Beatty, who was then living in Canada. Enclosed with the letter was a diamond engagement ring. He waited many weeks for a reply, not knowing that the ship carrying the proposal had been torpedoed. A second letter arrived safely, but without a ring, for he could not afford a second one. Miss Beatty travelled to London, where they married in December 1941. She survives him with their two sons.