NZ Marks Battle of Britain Role on Anniversary

Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Te Manatu Taonga

Media advisory

NEW ZEALAND MARKS PIVOTAL ROLE IN THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN ON ITS 70TH ANNIVERSARY

It is 70 years on 15 September since the Battle of Britain which was the turning point for the Second World War. Had Germany succeeded in conquering Britain, it would probably have won the war; its failure induced Hitler to make the fatal decision to invade the Soviet Union.

New Zealanders played a crucial role in the Battle of Britain. The most prominent New Zealander involved in the battle was Keith Park, the commander of Fighter Command’s crucial 11 Group covering London and southeast England.

No other New Zealand-born warrior has had more impact on human history than Park, for none have ever had such a significant role in the determining the course of a major battle.

It is fitting that on 15 September in London, Battle of Britain Day, a permanent statue of Keith Park will be unveiled in Waterloo Place in the city he did so much to protect in 1940.
http://www.nzdf.mil.nz/news/feature-stories/20100823-skpstbuil.htm

In New Zealand there will be a wreath laying ceremony at 11am on 15 September at the National War Memorial in Wellington attended by Minister of Veterans’ Affairs Hon Judith Collins and the Governor General Rt Hon Sir Anand Satyanand. There will be a spitfire flyover. A contingent of war veterans will attend the ceremony, followed by a viewing of the Battle of Britain commemorative panel and lunch at Te Papa. http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/commemorative-panel

Auckland War Memorial Museum and the Royal New Zealand Air Force Association commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain with a range of activities, including a parade and service on the newly refurbished Cenotaph and an Air Force flyover. http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/default.asp?t=23&cid=&View=FullStory&eventsID=522

Lord Tedder (Marshal of the Royal Air Force) recognised Keith Park’s importance when he noted in 1947 that

“If any one man won the Battle of Britain, he did. I do not believe it is realised how much that one man, with his leadership, his calm judgement and his skill, did to save, not only this country, but the world.”

To invade Britain, Germany needed air superiority over the landing beaches and the necessary sea vessels to convey a large force across the English Channel. It is the RAF’s defeat of this effort 70 years ago that we commemorate on 15 September.

Some New Zealand pilots excelled in the difficult task of shooting down enemy aircraft. Men like Al Deere, Colin Gray and Brian Carbury became household names as ‘aces’. Other New Zealanders commanded squadrons.

The 135 men who served in Fighter Command comprised the third largest national contingent after Britons and Poles. Many also served in Bomber Command, including 75 (New Zealand) Squadron, which repeatedly attacked the invasion barges and other craft being gathered in ports across the English Channel. Others again took part in the battle as part of Coastal Command.

Twenty New Zealanders serving in Fighter Command were killed in action or flying accidents during the battle - about one in seven. Even more died in Bomber Command. We should not overlook the work of another great New Zealander, Sir Archibald McIndoe, in treating many men hideously disfigured by fire during the course of the battle.

For New Zealand the prospect of the ‘mother country’ falling under Hitler’s domination was worrying in the extreme. Our security depended upon a favourable outcome of the battle. New Zealanders were proud that many of their countrymen were involved in the struggle against the Luftwaffe.

For more on the Battle of Britain, New Zealand’s part in it and the stories of individual Kiwis go to:

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/battle-of-britain

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/battle-of-britain/kiwi-stories

Additional Information:

RICHARD EDWARD KELLAWAY CBE
DIRECTOR GENERAL, COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION

Richard Kellaway has been the Director General of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission based in the United Kingdom since 2000.

The Commission was formed in 1917 and its task is:
• to mark and maintain the graves of members of the forces of the Commonwealth who died in the two world wars
• to build and maintain memorials to the dead whose graves are unknown
• to keep records and registers.

The costs of the Commission are shared by the partner governments - those of Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, India, New Zealand and South Africa - in proportions based on the numbers of their graves. The Commission employs about 1,250 staff, operating in 148 countries and commemorates about 1.7 million war dead from the two world wars.

Mr Kellaway was commissioned as an officer of HM Customs and Excise in August 1966 and completed a career with HM Customs and Excise spanning 33 years. He specialised in the investigation of drugs smuggling and revenue fraud and spent short term secondments to review and reorganise the Customs Services in The Gambia, Indonesia and Bolivia and headed the Bermuda Customs Service from 1987 to 1990.

Further information on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is available at www.cwgc.org and the work of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage at www.mch.govt.nz.

ENDS

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