The air-defence commander at the heart of the Battle of Britain
Using the picture supplied by radar and the reporting system, he scrambled No. 11 Group's fighters quickly enough to keep the south-east's defence in action.
A New Zealand-born Royal Air Force officer, Park carried experience from First World War artillery and fighter flying into the organisation of air defence. As commander of No. 11 Group in 1940, he directed the fighter defence of London and south-east England, combining radar and reporting networks with rapid, dispersed interceptions against German raids. His decisions balanced the need to preserve fighters and pilots against the accumulating damage to airfields while keeping the southern defence system in action. He later commanded air operations in Malta and the Far East.
Career Timeline
- 1914–1916Served with New Zealand Expeditionary Force artillery at Gallipoli and on the Western Front
- 1916–1918Served as a fighter pilot with the Royal Flying Corps and RAF, commanding No. 48 Squadron
- 1938–1940Senior air staff officer at Fighter Command
- 1940.04–1940.11Air Officer Commanding No. 11 Group, directing south-east air defence in the Battle of Britain
- 1940–1941Served in Training Command, overseeing fighter training
- 1941–1942Air Officer Commanding, Egypt
- 1942–1945Commanded Malta's air defence and later air operations in the Mediterranean, Middle East and India
- 1946Retired from the RAF as an air chief marshal