Battle of Britain Commemorations
18 September - 3 October 2010
Auckland War Memorial Museum and the Royal New Zealand Air Force Association commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain; and kiwi hero Sir Keith Park.
A range of activities will take place inside and outside the Museum, including a parade and service on the newly refurbished Cenotaph and an Air Force fly over.
Inside the Museum we pay tribute to a kiwi hero of the Battle of Britain, Sir Keith Park, who was described by the Germans as the ‘Defender of London’. There will be a special installation alongside the aircraft in the Spitfire gallery which was gifted to the Museum by the Air Ministry of England at the request of Sir Keith.
The installation will tell the stories of Sir Keith Park and two New Zealand pilots who flew during the Battle of Britain.
Events Sunday 19 September |
| 11am |
Parade, Fly-over and Service
11am – midday
Court of Honour (wet weather option: World War II Hall of Memories) |
| 10am-1pm |
Airforce vehicle display
Upper Court of the Cenotaph. |
12.00pm
12.30pm
1.00pm
1.30pm
2.00pm
2.30pm |
Sir Keith Park Guided Tours of the War Galleries
Explore Sir Keith’s remarkable life on these free guided tours of the war memorial galleries by our knowledgeable guides.
These FREE tours commence from the Armoury on the top floor, and each tour is approximately 40mins long.
No bookings are required. |
Spitfire Aircraft | War Memorial Gallery
About the Battle of Britain
By July 1940, Nazi Germany had defeated France and the British Army had been forced to flee across the English Channel. When Britain refused to surrender, the German leader, Adolf Hitler, ordered plans for a seaborne invasion. His generals informed him that it would be doomed if the Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) was not destroyed first.
Between 10 July and 31 October 1940 the Battle of Britain was fought in the sky between the German Luftwaffe and the pilots of the Royal Air Force’s Fighter Command, Coastal Command and Bomber Command. Wave after wave of German bombers, accompanied by fighter planes, attempted to destroy the infrastructure of the RAF on the ground and its planes in the air.
The battle is commemorated on 15 September, the day of the greatest daylight attack on London. British fighter planes scrambled in successful defence and inflicted heavy losses on the Germans. The day came to be seen as a turning point in what would be Germany’s first major defeat during World War II. By October, Hitler had abandoned plans to invade Britain and turned his attention on an invasion of Russia.
Sir Keith Park
The successful defence of London and the southeast of England was the job of New Zealander Sir Keith Park (1892-1975). He commanded the fighter pilots of No.11 Group of the Royal Air Force, which bore the brunt of the German attacks. For many years Sir Keith was an unsung hero, but on 15 September 2010 (the 70th anniversary of Battle of Britain Day) a bronze statue of the Air Chief Marshall was unveiled at Waterloo Place in London. |
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Commemorative Window
This stained glass window commemorating the Battle of Britain was unveiled at Westminster Abbey in 1947. This image of the window at Westminster, was published in a booklet to commemorate its unveiling.
What the Window Represents
All Fighter Command Squadrons that took part in the Battle of Britain are represented in the window by the badges, and the numbers of the Squadron are also shown.
Images from: Ron Hadley collection lent by Karen Garlick, daughter of Pilot Officer Trevor Hadley | |
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