SIR KEITH PARK

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24897, 10 June 1946, Page 3

SIR KEITH PARK

DECORATED IN TWO . WARS CAREER AS SOLDIER AND AIRMAN Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park, who will arrive in Christchurch to-day with ‘Lady Park, after visiting the city of his birth, Dunedin, has had a brilliant career, first as a soldier and then as an airman in the Great War, in the peace-time Royal Air Force, and as one of the directing brains of Britain’s air campaigns from the Battle of Britain to the final defeat of Japan. Born and educated in New Zealand he enlisted in the New Zealand Field Artillery on the outbreak of war in 1914, and went overseas as a bombardier (corporal). He saw active service with the New Zealanders in Egypt and Gallipoli, where he took part in the original Anzac landing in April, 1915. For service in Gallipoli he was awarded a permanent commission in the Royal Artillery and transferred to the 29th Division, British Army. Air Chief Marshal Park was wounded a second time in France in 1916 and invalided to England. He was graded unfit to ride a horse, but being anxious to get back to the front, he arranged a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps as a pilot. He returned to France as a fighter pilot in the spring of 1917, and remained in the same fighter squadron until the end of the war in November, 1918, having served as a pilot, then flight commander, and then squadron commander. He was shot down twice, once by German flak and the second time in combat well behind the enemy lines. On both occasions Park ha,d sufficient height to glide back and crash-land behind our own lines.

During the 1914-18 war, Park was mentioned in dispatches and awarded the M.C., the Croix de Guerre, bar to the M.C., and the D.F.C. Air Defence of London

Between the two wars, Air Chief Marshal Park held a number of appointments as a junior commander and as a staff officer, both the United Kingdom and abroad. In 1922, he attended the R.A.F. Staff College, and in 1937 he attended the Imperial Defence College. From 1934-36 he was Air Attache to all 10 countries in South America and acted as Military Attache to five of these countries. In 1938 he was promoted to Air Commodore and appointed Chief of Staff to Lord Downing, who was Air C-in-C, Fighter Command, Great Britain. He held this appointment until March, 1940, when he was promoted to Air Vice-Marshal and given command of No. 11 Fighter Group, which included the fighter and A.A. defences for the whole of the South of England, including London. According to Air Ministry official account, No. 11 Fighter Group (26 Fighter Squadrons) bore the brunt of, the fighting throughout the Battle of Britain in 1940, and also provided fighter cover for the British Army during its withdrawal from Dunkirk, Havre, and Cherbourg in May and June. 1940. Piloting his own Hurricane, the Air Vice-Marshal inspected the evacuation of Dunkirk and Cherbourg.

Success at Malta During 1941, Park served for a short spell in Flying Training Command in England, and at the the end of the year was appointed Commander of the Allied Air Forces in Egypt. On July 2, 1942, he was appointed commander of the Air Forces in Malta at a time when this island was besieged and being bombed four or five times daily. Immediately on taking over command. Park introduced in Malta, the same fighter tactics that had succeeded in the Battle of Britain, and within two weeks the Malta Spitfires had put an end to the German day raids on Malta. In October, 1942, Kesselring attempted a second blitz on Malta, in order to put a stop to the devastating attacks on Rommel’s convoys by Malta-based torpedo and bomber squadrons. This blitz, mounted from 20 or more aerodromes in Sicily, was broken in 10 days’ hard fighting, and Malta suffered no more daylight raids.

In January, 1943. when making a communication flight from Malta to Cairo in a Beaufighter. the Air Chief Marshal was engaged with another Beaufighter in an attack on five German aircraft and had one engine set Fortunately the Beaufighter had . sufficient height to fly on one engine 160 miles over the sea to Malta. F 2. r .“? ls incident, he received a semiofficial admonition from the new Air Commander-in-Chief, Middle East. In January, 1944. Sir Keith Park was promoted to Air Marshal and appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Air Forces m the Middle East, where he remained until February, 1945. when Allied Commander-m-Chief, South East Asia. . At the conclusion of the Battle of Britain m October, 1940, the Air Chief Marshal was awarded the CB • for services in Malta he was awarded the K.B.E. in November, 1942, and for ser--55? t he, M lddle East he received the K.C.B in January. 1945. In January, 1945 he was appointed to relieve Air Chief Marshal Peirse as Allied Air Commander-in-Chief for South East

Lady Park # La did war work in England from 1939 to 1944, when she joined her husband in Egypt to do welfare work for the R.A.F. and Allied Air Forces in the Middle East. She also transferred to South-East Asia with the Air Chief Marshal to continue welfare work for the Allied and British Air Forces in India, Burma and the Far East. The Air Chief Marshal has two sons, who are serving in the British Armed Forces: one is .in the R.A.F. and the other is in the Army. Both ?«LY ed j in India and Burma between 1943 and 1945.

They will be met at Wigram Aerodrome this morning by the Mayor of Chnstchurch (Mr E. H. Andrews) and the Minister of Industries and Commerce (the Hon. D.. G. Sullivan). Lady Park will meet members of the Red Cross and Voluntary Aid Deatchment this afternoon. At 5.15 Sir Keith Park wiH be entertained by the Christchurch Returned Services’ Association and this evening he will address R.N.Z.A.F. officers at Wigram. A civic reception will be tendered the visitors in the Civic Theatre to-morrow evening and on Wednesday morning they will leave by air for Auckland.