"Defender of London" - Sir Keith Park GCB, KBE, MC & Bar, DFC, RAF.
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member MeerRescue
N 51° 05.932 E 001° 12.363
31U E 374391 N 5662349
A bronze bust of Sir Keith Park GCB, KBE, MC & Bar, DFC, RAF (1892 - 1975) on display at The Battle of Britain Memorial, Caple le Ferne, Kent, CT18 7JJ.
Waymark Code: WMEF3R
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/20/2012
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Ianatlarge
Views: 8

A life-and-a-half size bronze bust of "The Defender of London", Air Chief Marshall Sir Keith Rodney Park GCB, KBE, MC and Bar, DFC. Made on commission of The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust by the artist Will Davies,  it sits on a tall plinth alongside the memorial wall at the magnificent battle of Britain Memorial at Capel le Ferne, Kent. It was unveiled on October 28th 2010 by HRH the Duchess of Cornwall.

Sir Keith Park was a New Zealand soldier, WW1 flying ace and a WW2 RAF Commander. He was the operational commander of the RAF's Fighter Command No.11 Group, which took the fight to the German Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.

From the wiki link for Sir Keith Park:

 Promoted to the rank of air vice marshal, Park took command of No. 11 Group RAF, responsible for the fighter defence of London and southeast England, in April 1940. He organized fighter patrols over France during the Dunkirk evacuation and in the Battle of Britain his command took the brunt of the air attacks. Flying his personalised Hawker Hurricane around his fighter airfields during the battle, Park gained a reputation as a shrewd tactician with an astute grasp of strategic issues and as a popular "hands-on" commander. However, he became embroiled in an acrimonious dispute with ambitious Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh Mallory, commander of 12 Group. Leigh Mallory, already envious of Park for leading the key 11 Group while 12 Group was left to defend airfields, repeatedly failed to support 11 Group and his Big Wing (led by Douglas Bader) often ran amok through 11 Group airspace confusing the UK's defences. 10 Group in the South West under Quintin Brand successfully supported 11 Group when required despite having far more arduous defensive duties in its own area than 12 Group. Park's subsequent objection to Leigh-Mallory's behaviour during the Big Wing controversy may have contributed to his and Dowding's removal from command at the end of the battle, but neither Park nor Dowding had much time for internal politics and fell easy prey to their waiting critics. Richard Saul of 13 Group on the other hand, wrote to Park on learning of his pending departure from 11 Group, commenting on "the magnificent achievements of your group in the past six months; they have borne the brunt of the war, and undoubtedly saved England". Park was to remain indignant however over his and Dowding's treatment for the rest of his life. Park was posted immediately to Training Command before seeing later high ranking service in The Mediterranean and elsewhere, while Dowding was sent to America.

Park's No. 11 group RAF were coordinated by fighter controllers in the No. 11 Group Operations Room in the underground bunker, now known as the Battle of Britain Bunker at RAF Uxbridge. Park himself was not based in the bunker but did visit to impart his wisdom at numerous key points during the battle, along with visits from the Royal Family and Winston Churchill. Among the many air battles fought over Britain, Park personally commanded RAF forces on several important dates; 13 August (Adlertag), 18 August (The Hardest Day) and the 15 September (Battle of Britain).

URL of the statue: Not listed

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