The Defender of London

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park, who died on 6 February 1975.

New Zealand-born Park was given command of No 11 Group, responsible for the defence of South East England and London, shortly after the outbreak of the second world war, and is now acknowledged to have played a critical part in the Royal Air Force's victory in the Battle of Britain.

Although controversially removed from his post in late 1940, his reputation has grown since, and he is often referred to as "The Defender of London".

Denied the credit he deserved at the time, his contribution has since been acknowledged. Lord Tedder, Chief of the Air Staff, was one of many who paid tribute to Park, stressing: “If ever any one man won the Battle of Britain he [Park] did. I don’t believe it is realised how much that one man, with his leadership,

his calm judgement and his skill, did to save not only this country but the world.”

Park, alongside Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, was further honoured last year when portraits of the two commanders by artist Hazel Morgan were unveiled in the Churchill Bar at the RAF Club in London's Piccadilly.

Later in the war Park was highly successful in major appointments in Egypt, Malta and the Far East.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the enormous contribution made by Sir Keith Park, now acknowledged as one of the great military leaders of the Second World War.