Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign

Under the Commander-in-Chief, Fighter Command, Air Marshal Hugh Dowding, Air Vice Marshal Keith Park, a New Zealander, commanded No.11 Group which was responsible for the defence of South East England during the Battle of Britain. After the war Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Tedder said of Park, "If ever any one man won the Battle of Britain, he did. I don't believe it is recognised how much this one man, with his leadership, his calm judgement and his skill, did to save not only this country but the world." He was an inspirational leader who used to visit his squadrons in his personal Hurricane, dressed in a white flying suit.
Peter Townsend in his masterly study of the Battle of Britain, 'Duel of Eagles' (Wiedenfield & Nicolson, 1970), said, "Dowding had all along been the architect of victory, labouring for over four years in the conviction that it could only be won 'by science thoughtfully applied to operational requirements'. His principal commander, Park, was the master tactician; with a greatly outnumbered fighting force he had outwitted and repulsed a courageous, determined enemy."

After winning the Battle these two great men were not acclaimed; Dowding was replaced as Commander-in-Chief and Park was relegated to Training Command. Although he had defeated the Luftwaffe he was pilloried for not adopting the 'big wing' formation tactics promoted by Bader and Leigh-Mallory who had commanded No.12 Group to the north, preferring the greater flexibility afforded by smaller formations.
There is no memorial to Keith Park in London, the city he saved; his name can be found only on two roads (at Biggin Hill and Uxbridge) and by luck on a Battle of Britain class steam locomotive that is being restored. What is now proposed is a statue of Sir Keith standing for six months on the 'vacant' plinth in Trafalgar Square and a permanent memorial in Waterloo Place. This proposal is fully supported by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, the Park family and countless RAF officers, veterans, commentators, politicians and members of the public.
Please register your support for the planning application shortly to be made to the Westminster City Council by going to www.sirkeithpark.com where you will also find information about the campaign. When fund-raising starts, give generously.