Sir Keith Park statue unveiled in Trafalgar Square

HERO: The statue of Sir Keith Park was erected in Trafalgar Square where it will remain for six months before moving to a permanent site in Waterloo Place, close to New Zealand House.

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A statue commemorating the New Zealander who led the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain was unveiled in London overnight in front of several hundred people.

The statue of Sir Keith Park was erected in Trafalgar Square where it will remain for six months before moving to a permanent site in Waterloo Place, close to New Zealand House.

Sir Keith was born in Thames in 1892 and served at Gallipoli and the Somme in World War 1 before becoming a pilot and shooting down 20 enemy aircraft.

He was an air vice-marshal in the Royal Air Force and commanded its No 11 Fighter Group during the Battle of Britain in 1940.

His tactical brilliance and inspirational leadership were credited with playing a vital role at a time when the German Luftwaffe threatened to destroy Britain's air defence system.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said Sir Keith's achievements were under-rated.

"Sir Keith Park did not merely help a very few brave people to win the Battle of Britain.

"In helping to save Britain, he helped to save Europe from tyranny, and in helping to save our nation's capital, he saved the love of democracy - the generosity, the tolerance, the refusal to bow down before bigotry that gives London its character and makes it the greatest city on earth."

New Zealand High Commissioner to Britain, Derek Leask, said not enough people knew about Sir Keith's achievements.

"I think that is true not just in Britain, but probably in New Zealand as well - the huge contribution that he made," he told Radio New Zealand.

"We are just thrilled that this has come to the fore now. It will be 70-years next year since the Battle of Britain and it's a very appropriate way of recognising everything that he did."

The campaign for the statue was led by London financier Terry Smith, supported by New Zealand's Parliament.

Mr Smith described Sir Keith as a remarkable man who was modest about his achievements.

- NZPA