Fighter ace, aviation pioneer, bold leader: the remarkable career of Quintin Brand

Christopher Joseph Quintin Brand was born in Beaconsfield near Kimberley on 25 May 1893. After finishing school, he joined the Johannesburg Police and qualified as a Criminal Investigation Department officer.

A year later, Brand enlisted in the newly formed Union Defence Force, where he came into contact with generals Jan Smuts and Louis Botha. Keen to fly, Brand travelled to England in 1915, where he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), the forerunner of the Royal Air Force (RAF), and underwent training. A natural flyer, Brand qualified in March 1916 and was