Bryan Colston and his colleagues on 225 Squadron moved to North Africa in November 1942 as part of Operation Torch, the Allied landings in Algeria.  Equipped initially with Hurricanes, Spitfires began to arrive in early 1943 and these were assigned to Colston’s flight.  Flying from advanced airstrips in the fighter reconnaissance role, the squadron supported the British 1st Army as it advanced towards Tunis.  Colston carried out many reconnaissance and low level strafing sorties, which resulted in the award of the DFC.  He supported the liberation of Tunis and later flew over the island of Pantelleria Island and dropped a message instructing the garrison to surrender.  Invalided home with typhoid fever he later instructed navigation and fighter reconnaissance tactics at a Spitfire OTU.

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