Keith Park
| Sir Keith Rodney Park | |
|---|---|
Sir Keith Park
|
|
| Nickname(s) | "The Defender of London" "Skipper" |
| Born |
15 June 1892 Thames, New Zealand |
| Died | 6 February 1975 (aged 82) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Allegiance | New Zealand United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
New Zealand Army (1911–15) British Army (1915–18) Royal Air Force (1918–46) |
| Years of service | 1911–46 |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
| Commands held |
Air Command, South East Asia (1945–46) Middle East Command (1944–45) AHQ Malta (1942–44) AHQ Egypt (1942) No. 23 (Training) Group (1940–42) No. 11 (Fighter) Group (1940) RAF Tangmere (1937–38) RAF Northolt (1931–32) RAF Hornchurch (1928–29) No. 111 Squadron (1927–28) No. 48 Squadron (1918–19) |
| Battles/wars |
First World War Second World War |
| Awards |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross & Bar Distinguished Flying Cross Croix de guerre (France) Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States) |
| Other work | City Councillor, New Zealand |
First World War
Second World War
Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park, GCB, KBE, MC & Bar, DFC (15 June 1892 – 6 February 1975) was a New Zealand soldier, First World War flying ace and Second World War Royal Air Force commander. He was in operational command during two of the most significant air battles in the European theatre in the Second World War, helping to win the Battle of Britain and the Battle of Malta. In Germany, he was supposedly known as "the Defender of London".
Park was born in Thames, New Zealand. He was the son of James Park from Scotland, geologist for a mining company and later a professor at the University of Otago in Dunedin.
An undistinguished young man, but keen on guns and riding, Keith Park was educated at King's College, Auckland until 1906 and then at Otago Boys' High School, Dunedin where he served in the cadets. Later he joined the Army as a Territorial soldier in the New Zealand Field Artillery. In 1911, at age 19, he went to sea as a purser aboard collier and passenger steamships, earning the family nickname "skipper".
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