Businessman wants recognition for NZ war hero | NATIONAL | NEWS | tvnz.co.nz London is a city of statues but nowhere will you find one of the New Zealander who was crucial in defending south-eastern England during the Battle of Britain. Businessman Terry Smith is shocked by the lack of recognition for a man "who made an enormous contribution". Trafalgar Square is home to many of Britain's war heroes and Smith is keen to add a nine foot statue of Sir Keith wearing his flying suit and helmet. He is prepared to pay $300,000 for the statue and says the project is his passion. "I can only believe it's the type of passion he must have had to achieve what he did. I think we should try to match that for him," says Smith.
That's right, he was the commander north of Park's group. Which is why Park compaliained about the time it took to form these 'big wings'. Got the names mixed up. Many thanks Sir Martin.
There has been lingering controversy about the way in which Park was treated after the Battle of Britain. In 1969, film director Guy Hamilton took great care to redress the balance in his movie 'The Battle Of Britain' in which Trevor Howard gave a superb performance as Park which was unanimously agreed to capture something of the style of the real man.
www.sirkeithpark.com Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park, GCB, KBE, MC and Bar, DFC, RAF (15th June 1892– 6th February 1975) Sir Keith Park commanded the Royal Air Force 11 Group Fighter Command – the squadrons which bore the brunt of the Battle of Britain. The failure of Nazi Germany to defeat the RAF in 1940 was Hitler’s first major setback – and forced him to call off his planned invasion of Britain. So it would be a fitting tribute to Park’s leadership that a statute of him should be both erected temporarily for six months on the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square and permanently in Waterloo Place. Dear Forum Member The Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign was launched on 7th March 2008 when Battle of Britain pilots, senior serving RAF officers, a great great niece of Sir Keith Park, politicians and many other supporters assembled in Trafalgar Square beside a full-size replica Spitfire. Since the Campaign's launch we have received overwhelming support from amongst others: Boris Johnson, Mayor of London; the GLA; over 10% of all MPs have signed two EDMs, the latest is 'EDM 490 - Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign'; a number of House of Lords members from all parties, and well known former politicians such as Tony Benn and Lord Tebbit. Cross-party support of all the New Zealand political parties and alongside this political support we have received the support of the RAF; Battle of Britain veterans; ex-services organisations; members of the Park family both resident in the UK and NZ and well-known individuals such as Sir Patrick Moore, Dan Snow, Edward Fox OBE, Peter Jackson (Director of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy) and Dr. Stephen Bungay. Thousands of people have now signed the Campaign’s petition in both in the UK and New Zealand. The Campaign submitted its official planning applications for both a temporary statue on the 4th Plinth in Trafalgar Square and a permanent statue in Waterloo Place to Westminster City Council Planning Department in early 2009. Westminster City Council Planning Applications - How can you help? At this crucial stage of the Campaign it is extremely important that Westminster City Council Planning Department are contacted by our Campaign supporters to inform them of the public support for the Campaign’s planning applications. Every letter or email received by Westminster City Council Planning Department strengthens the case for the planning applications we have submitted. If you are willing to assist the Campaign by email or letter, you can do so in your own words by writing to the address below, or we have created a template email/letter which you can access by visiting our website at: www.sirkeithpark.com. Mr. Michael Gray RIBA IHBC, Principal Urban Design & Conservation Officer, South Area Planning Team, Westminster City Council, 64 Victoria Street, London, SW1E 6QP. Email: sirkeithparkmemorial@westminster.gov.uk Please add the following planning references to your email or letter: 09/01137/FULL: Planning application for Trafalgar Square 09/01139/FULL: Planning application for Waterloo Place Every person who writes to Westminster City Council Planning Department in support of the Campaign strengthens the case for the planning applications we have submitted. Thank you in advance. Kind regards Karl McCartney Campaign Director www.sirkeithpark.com 020 7200 7332 07970039767
Unveiling the Sir Keith Park statue, September 2010 Unveiling the Sir Keith Park statue, September 2010 On the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, this statue was unveiled in Waterloo Place, London, of Sir Keith Park. Born and educated in New Zealand, Park is credited with playing a crucial role in the battle. During the First World War he served at Gallipoli and then in the Royal Flying Corps. He made a career in the Royal Air Force and in 1940 became commander of the No. 11 group, which had the responsibility for the defence of London and south-east England. Later in the war he had leadership positions in Malta, the Middle East and South-East Asia. After the war Park returned to Auckland and became a city councillor. A second bronze statue of Sir Keith was unveiled in his birthplace of Thames, in the Coromandel, on 27 April 2019.
