New Zealand statue for Sir Keith Park

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FD2
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New Zealand statue for Sir Keith Park

#1 Post by FD2 » Tue Apr 30, 2019 12:13 am

Statue unveiled in Thames to local man Sir Keith Park who ran Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain:

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zea ... own-statue

Better late than never here and accomplished due to a bequest. I think there's already a statue in the U.K.

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Re: New Zealand statue for Sir Keith Park

#2 Post by Pontius Navigator » Tue Apr 30, 2019 6:50 am

Actually he didn't. He was AOC 11 Gp and responsible for the defence of London. Hugh Dowding was the AOC in C who commanded Fighter Command.

Park was responsible for saving Malta.

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Re: New Zealand statue for Sir Keith Park

#3 Post by FD2 » Tue Apr 30, 2019 10:31 am

I stand corrected. Good man.

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Re: New Zealand statue for Sir Keith Park

#4 Post by Undried Plum » Tue Apr 30, 2019 11:20 am

My grandfather, quoting Park verbatim, told my grandmother in the summer of 1940 that "Leigh Mallory is a twerp".

Despite the fact that my grandfather and Leigh Mallory and Park are all dead, I still view Park in that light. Leigh Mallory too.

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Re: New Zealand statue for Sir Keith Park

#5 Post by Pontius Navigator » Tue Apr 30, 2019 11:39 am

UP, you may recall that Park and 11 Gp were nearer the enemy than LM and 12 Gp. Bader, in 12 Gp, believed meeting the Luftwaffe in strength, his big wing idea, was the way to go. That was probably true but 12 Gp had the luxury of time to launch, assemble and then engage. Park did not have that luxury.

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Re: New Zealand statue for Sir Keith Park

#6 Post by ian16th » Tue Apr 30, 2019 11:51 am

Didn't Leigh Mallory advise Eisenhower that the D-Day losses of UK & US airborne troops would be astronomical, and after the event having been proved wrong, he apologised to Ike?

I'll dig into Crusade to Europe, when I get the mood.
Cynicism improves with age

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