Rupert Brabner


Rupert Arnold Brabner was a British Member of Parliament who served with the Royal Navy as a pilot in the Second World War and became an ace with 5.5 confirmed kills.

Politics

Brabner, from Loughton in Essex, was educated at Felsted School and St Catharine's College, Cambridge. By profession he was a banker and a director of Singer & Friedlander Ltd.
Brabner became a member of London County Council for West Lewisham in 1937, and served until his death. He was elected to the House of Commons as MP for Hythe in Kent on 20 July 1939, and was later appointed as a government whip. He was appointed to be Joint Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Air in 1944.
He and his sister Jean Gwenneth are commemorated by a blue plaque on the family home at Loughton. His sister was a surgeon at St. Giles Hospital who was killed in a German V-1 rocket attack on London.

War service

Brabner served as an officer of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War as a Fleet Air Arm pilot. He served with 806 Squadron, 805, 806 Squadron and 801 Squadrons FAA at HMS Illustrious, , , , and at Crete and North Africa.
From 11 August 1941 to September 1942, Brabner was the commanding officer of 801 Squadron serving aboard HMS Eagle, which was sunk on 11 August 1942. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his actions during Operation Harpoon. After surviving the loss of the Eagle, he was appointed to the staff of Clement Moody, Vice-Admiral, Aircraft Carriers, for landings in North Africa. In 1943, Brabner was made naval assistant to the 5th Sea Lord. For his actions in August 1943 during Operation Pedestal he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
Brabner was an air ace with 5 confirmed destroyed enemy aircraft, 1 shared destroyed, and 1 probable.
Commander Brabner died age 33 when the Liberator aircraft taking him to Canada with Air Marshal Peter Drummond was lost off the Azores. He is commemorated on the Lee-on-Solent Memorial on bay 6, panel 2