Sir Keith Park statue unveiled in Trafalgar Square
A statue of Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park, who led the Royal Air Force (RAF) forces over London and the South East of England throughout the Battle of Britain, is being unveiled on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square today (Wednesday 4 November).
(Media-Newswire.com) - A statue of Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park, who led the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) forces over London and the South East of England throughout the Battle of Britain, is being unveiled on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square today ( Wednesday 4 November ).
The statue, presented by the Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign and supported by London Mayor Boris Johnson, will be in place for six months and a permanent memorial statue of Park will then be unveiled in Waterloo Place on the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain on 15 September 2010.
The unveiling ceremony is being attended by over 1,000 invited guests, alongside the general public, including Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, Terry Smith, Chairman of the SKPMC, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, Chief of the Air Staff, WWII RAF veterans and members of Sir Keith Park’s family. Also in attendance will be supporters of the Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign, including Edward Fox OBE, Dr Stephen Bungay, Flight Lieutenant John Nicol and many representatives and diplomats of the Commonwealth and other countries represented by members of ‘The Few’.
Sir Keith Park commanded 11 Group of Fighter Command – responsible for the defence of London and the South East. He therefore commanded the squadrons which bore the brunt of the Battle of Britain. The failure of Nazi Germany to defeat the RAF in 1940 is seen as Hitler’s first major setback in the Second World War – and forced Germany to call off the planned invasion of Britain. This statue is a fitting memorial to Park as it will be erected in London’s Trafalgar Square, in the heart of the United Kingdom’s capital City which he helped to defend in 1940 and beneath Nelson’s Column – a memorial to another commander ( this time Naval ) who likewise defended Britain from invasion 135 years earlier.
Park was a New Zealander, who fought in the First World War in the field artillery first at Gallipoli, and then the Somme where he was wounded and evacuated to England. Medically graded unfit to continue service with the artillery, Park joined the Royal Flying Corps, remaining with the air arm when it was re-formed as the Royal Air Force.
Marshal of the RAF, 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."
Terry Smith, Chairman of the Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign, said: “It is an honour to be unveiling a statue of Sir Keith Park in Trafalgar Square today. Park was pivotal in organising the defence of our country and capital city during the Battle of Britain and was a key figure in ensuring the survival of our nation. A New Zealander, Park was one of many who came from Commonwealth nations and other countries to our aid at one of Britain’s most bleak times in history. As we reflect on the recent anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War, and the story of Sir Keith Park, we should remember the sacrifices made on our behalf by our own forces and by citizens from the Commonwealth and other countries in our ‘Finest Hour’.”
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, commented: ‘Sir Keith Park was a brave and exceptional fighter pilot, and outstanding senior officer, who never failed at any task he was given. He inspired all who worked with and for him, with his quiet gallantry, supreme personal inspiration, organisation and mental agility. He is a hero to the Royal Air Force, to this country, and to New Zealand, whose citizens have so often joined us in battle, from the World Wars through the Falklands to the present day.’
London Mayor Boris Johnson said it was an important moment: "London owes an enormous debt to Sir Keith Park for his courage and leadership, which helped to win the Battle of Britain. Hosting a temporary memorial in Trafalgar Square in time for the 70th anniversary of this epic battle is a mark of our gratitude for the bravery and commitment this great hero showed to London and the world."
Edward Fox OBE said: “Quality of leadership exists in varying capacities. In differing degrees it is possessed by many. The power of great leadership however belongs to only a few and was quintessentially decisive in determining the outcome against the enemy that Great Britain ( which as a country was not well prepared ) had to face in 1940.
“However gallant and courageous the nation’s forces unquestionably were, it was great leadership which galvanised that spirit and propelled it to victory against a formidable and better-armed enemy. Such men are rare. Such a man was Sir Keith Park.”
The statue of Sir Keith Park commemorates the c.2950 pilots from 15 countries who fought to defend Britain in the Battle of Britain in 1940. Today, there are just over 105 survivors.
Today's ceremony will commence at 16:00hrs with a Royal Air Force flypast of a Spitfire and a Typhoon aircraft over Trafalgar Square. Speeches will be made by Terry Smith, Boris Johnson and Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton.
A large screen in Trafalgar Square will carry video footage of Sir Keith Park and RAF Films from noon and will then relay the ceremony through to the close of the event at approximately 16:30hrs.
Approximate running order:
15:45 Band of the Royal Air Force College, trumpeters and QCS Guard of Honour march on to Trafalgar Square
16:00 Formal unveiling ceremony commences with Spitfire and Typhoon aircraft flypast ( weather permitting ) with RAF salute
Welcome by Terry Smith, introductory film footage, and unveiling of the memorial statue
Speeches by Boris Johnson and Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton
Prayer by Chaplain-in-Chief Reverend Air Vice-Marshal Ray Pentland
16:20 Film footage shown on the big screen ( music: Nimrod and Spitfire Prelude )
16:30 National Anthem
The Sir Keith Park statue will be in place for six months and is not part of the Fourth Plinth commissioning process. It is being installed as an exceptional and one-off event, as a tribute to his courage and leadership and to coincide with 70th anniversary of major turning point in the Second World War. The Fourth Plinth programme is set to recommence in May 2010, with Yinka Shonibare's ‘Ship in a Bottle.
NOTES
Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park, GCB, KBE, MC and Bar, DFC, DCL, MA, RAF was the New Zealand born RAF Air Vice-Marshal who commanded 11 Group, Fighter Command, responsible for the air defence of London and South East England during the Battle of Britain. His inspirational leadership and tactical brilliance was central to Britain winning the battle, which in turn helped determine the outcome of the entire Second World War. Sir Keith went on to lead the air defence of Malta in 1942, subsequently reaching the rank of Air Chief Marshal in South East Asia at the end of the war. During the First World War, Sir Keith served at Gallipoli and then the Somme before becoming a pilot and shooting down 20 enemy aircraft. The design by sculptor Les Johnson will be used for both the statue to be exhibited temporarily for six months on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth from 4 November 2009, as well as for the permanent memorial statue which will be erected in Waterloo Place on the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain on 15 September 2010, Battle of Britain Day. The Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign was launched on 7 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. The Campaign has received support from a broad constituency including the RAF, Battle of Britain veterans, members of the Park family and the New Zealand cricket team. It also secured the support of the leader of every New Zealand political party, including the Prime Minister and Defence Minister. In this country more than 100 MPs and a number of House of Lords members from all parties, former politicians such as Tony Benn and Lord Tebbit, as well as well-known names such as Sir Patrick Moore, Dan Snow and Edward Fox have backed the Campaign. Over 10,000 people signed the various Campaign petitions. Terry Smith is the Chief Executive Officer of Tullett Prebon plc and Executive Chairman of Collins Stewart plc. He has a keen interest in military history. Other supporters of the Campaign include: Algy Cluff; Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burridge; Air Marshal Clifford Spink; Lord Lee of Trafford; Lord Selkirk; Rt Hon Lord Trefgarne; Mark Field MP; Richard Benyon MP and Hon. Nicholas Soames MP. For more information, please visit the website at www.sirkeithpark.com. Notes to Editors
THE FOURTH PLINTH The Fourth Plinth project is funded by the Mayor of London and Arts Council England, London involving a rolling programme of contemporary art commissions to be installed temporarily on the empty plinth in Trafalgar Square. The scheme was initiated in 1998 by the RSA with the support of the Cass Sculpture Foundation. In 1999 responsibility for Trafalgar Square was transferred to the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority. The scheme is led by the Cultural Strategy team, within the Mayor of London's Office, under the guidance of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group ( FPCG ), which recommends contemporary works to be placed on the plinth. The London office of Arts Council England has been a funding partner supporting the programme since 2003. More information is available on the website: www.fourthplinth.co.uk. The first new commission for the Fourth Plinth under the auspices of the Mayor of London's Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group was Marc Quinn's sculpture, Alison Lapper Pregnant, unveiled in a public ceremony in September 2005. It was replaced in November 2007 by Thomas Schütte's Model for a Hotel. Previous commissions have been Ecce Homo by Mark Wallinger ( 1999 ), Regardless of History by Bill Woodrow ( 2000 ) and Monument by Rachel Whiteread ( 2001 ). The next work to be installed as apart of the Fourth Plinth commissioning process will be a scale replica of Nelson’s ship, HMS Victory, in a giant glass bottle, by Yinka Shonibare MBE. he programme is part of the vision for Trafalgar Square to be a vibrant, public space and to encourage debate about the place and value of public art in the built environment. For more information visit the Greater London Authority website: www.london.gov.uk/trafalgarsquare/index.jsp.
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