Broughton joined the Royal Air Force in 1930.
48 Squadron and then as Station Commander at RAF Stornoway before joining the Air Staff at Headquarters No.
[1] He continued his war service as Senior Personnel Staff Officer at Headquarters Air Defence Eastern Mediterranean and then as a member of the Directing Staff at the RAF Staff College (Overseas) in Haifa.
[1] After the war he was on the staff at Headquarters RAF Flying Training Command and then at the Air Ministry.
[1] He was appointed Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Transport Command in 1958, Director-General of Organisation at the Air Ministry in 1961 and UK Permanent Military Deputy at CENTO in 1965 before becoming Air Member for Supply and Organisation in 1966,[2] and retiring in 1968.