Sir Keith Park

[Inspector Dreyfuss]

The Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign (http://www.sirkeithpark.com)

"If any one man won the Battle of Britain, he did."
Lord Tedder GCB, Marshal of the Royal Air Force, 1947


There is a campaign running to commemorate Sir Keith Park with a statue in Trafalgar Square. I am sure that readers/contributors would share the sentiments of the organisers. Lord Tebbit and Tony Benn are even supporting the campaign - there was an article in The Telegraph this week. Worth a moment to sign the petition.

[midnight retired]

A pleasure,duly sent .Keith Park was indeed a great leader, my late father used to speak very highly about him as he recalled his early days in the RAF as groundcrew with 43 and 56 squadrons.

[Mystic Greg]

An immensely worthwhile cause, which definitely deserves our support.

[pulse1]

I have just finished reading Vincent Orange's autobiography of Sir Keith Park. An extract from one of his reports made me wonder what he would make of the present RAF leadership:

Higher Authority has proved quite incapable of meeting the urgent requirements of the fighting units, which leads one to suppose that the existing machine is beyond the stage of requiring a little lubrication, but requires a sledge hammer.

I am pleased to sign the petition.

[Madbob]

Methinks the RAF (and the RN and Army too) could do with one or two Keith Parks right now! "Higher Authority" still seems incapable of meeting the needs of the front-line today. When will we ever learn?

I remember reading in "Reach for the Sky" that when Douglas Bader took command of 242 Sqn with 18 brand new Hurricanes he refused to declare the sqn opeational to Group HQ because his ground crew had no tools or spare parts. Imagine today if the OC of various Herc/Nimrod/Harrier/Tristar/VC10/Puma..(the list could go on...) sqns said the same today!

If they did the top brass might actually earn some respect from those they are supposed to lead........

MB

[pulse1]

MB,

I have often thought that about Bader too.

Actually, Bader doesn't come out too well in Park's autobiography, being in the Sholto Douglas/Liegh Mallory camp with respect to the "Big Wing" policy which was at the centre of the hostility between them and Park/Dowding and which ultimately led to the sidelining of Park and Dowding.

[SirToppamHat]

Duly signed, though I note the No10 Petition is now closed.

I am fed up of looking at crap purporting to be art in Trafalgar Square.

STH

[AHAR]

Done and with great pleasure for a great man:ok:

[SirKeithParkCampaign]

www.sirkeithpark.com (http://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 (http://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: [email protected] ([email protected])

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 (http://www.sirkeithpark.com/)
020 7200 7332
07970039767

[Blacksheep]

Though its often forgotten, he made a pretty good job of the air defence of Malta too.

[HarrysHawk]

Gladly added one's name to the long and distinguished list.

On the 'higher authority' discussion, wasn't there a fairly recent boss of 111 that down-declared his unit to Group for not entirely dissimilar reasons?

Gonads the size of Guardbridge. Don't take this the wrong way but:
'I like balls'.

HH

[cazatou]

Blacksheep

He did a pretty good job in the Far East in 1945 as well.

[Inspector Dreyfuss]

Some good news that I just received today:

Success for Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign Planning Applications
The Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign (http://www.sirkeithpark.com)

Dear Supporter,



On Thursday, 7th May the Planning Committee of Westminster City Council considered the two applications we had submitted to them, the first for a permanent installation in Waterloo Place , the second for a temporary installation on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square.


I am pleased to be able to write to you now with the good news that the Planning Committee has approved both of our applications.


This means that we can proceed with the plans for the permanent statue to be erected in September 2010 to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, with just the Government to grant their permission as the final hurdle. In the meantime we will continue to seek the remaining permissions for a statue to be erected temporarily on the Fourth Plinth, the planning approval we have just obtained being the penultimate hurdle as the final decision now rests with the Mayor for London, as does the timing of this temporary installation.


When we launched our Campaign last March, veterans, supporters and members of the Park family were accompanied in Trafalgar Square by a Spitfire. We campaigned from the start for a statue of this remarkable man to be erected on the Fourth Plinth, because we could think of no more fitting place to commemorate someone whose leadership was absolutely vital to the outcome of the Second World War. It was these unique and exceptional circumstances that weighed in favour of the Campaign and helped ensure a positive response at the Planning Committee on Thursday, 7th May.


We anticipate that the temporary statue will be up on the Fourth Plinth for six months starting later this Autumn. The permanent statue should then be ready for an unveiling ceremony in September 2010. We are in close contact with the RAF and anticipate that the unveiling will form a principal part of their commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain next year. The culmination of everybody’s efforts will therefore have an added poignancy and relevance as we remember the Battle itself and its significance for our and future generations.


It only remains for me to offer you my profound gratitude, on behalf of the Campaign, the Park family and the veterans, for all that you have done in helping achieve proper recognition for Sir Keith Park’s service to this country. It is no exaggeration to say that the leadership given by Sir Keith Park was crucial to our winning the Battle of Britain, and therefore to the ultimate outcome of the Second World War.


By putting up this statue in the heart of the City he did so much to defend, we are demonstrating that today we still remember and respect not only the leadership and achievements of Sir Keith Park, but also the courage and sacrifice of all who served alongside him in the RAF. The fact that he was a New Zealander also reminds us of the countless thousands from other countries who have fought alongside British servicemen and women during the World Wars and in the years since.”


We shall be in touch to update you on progress as we get nearer the unveiling of the statues, but in the meantime, please visit The Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign (http://www.sirkeithpark.com) for further details.


Best wishes,



Terry Smith

Chairman

Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign