Battle of Britain
![Crew working on a Hurricane during the Battle of Britain. Air Force Museum of New Zealand \u003ca href=\"https://fotoweb.airforcemuseum.co.nz/fotoweb/archives/5003-Search-the-Collection/Collection/MUS0800148.jpg.info\" \u003e MUS0800148 \u003c/a\u003e]()
Crew working on a Hurricane during the Battle of Britain. Air Force Museum of New Zealand MUS0800148
One hundred and thirty five New Zealanders fought during Battle of Britain from the 10th July to 31st October 1940.
The majority of New Zealanders served with three Royal Air Forces Commands; Fighter, Coastal and Bomber. Those that served with the Fighter Command were directly involved with the battle, but those that served with the Bomber and Coastal commands also played a crucial role. The Bomber command destroyed at least 10% of German invasion craft and damaged ports and other facilities, and the Coastal Command rescued many of the pilots who ditched in or bailed out over the channel.
The participation of New Zealand's air men in the Battle of Britain made up about 4.4 percent of those that served during the Battle, our participation was one of the largest of the Allies, excluding the British and pilots from the Polish Air Force.
Many New Zealanders played crucial roles, including Sir Keith Rodney Park who played a vital role in the defence of Britain during the battle. He commanded the No. 11 Group in the South of England where some of the fiercest fighting was taking place. 'His direction was outstanding: he coolly juggled his squadrons to meet incoming raids, focused on the Luftwaffe's bombers, and adapted to change in enemy tactics.'
In 1947 Lord Tedder, head of the Royal Air Force said of Keith Park ‘If ever any one man won the Battle of Britain, he did. I don’t believe it is realised how much that one man, with his leadership, his calm judgment and his skill, did to save not only this country, but the world’.
The Battle of Britain was won due to the organisational skills of the Royal Air Forces leaders, including Sir Keith Park, the courage of the pilots who persisted against the odds and the failure of the Luftwaffe to destroy Britain's radar stations and aircraft factories. With the Battle won, Allied victory was possible.
New Zealand's contribution to the Battle of Britain was honoured with the formation of the No. 485 (NZ) Fighter Squadron, the first New Zealand squadron of the Royal Air Force in March 1941.
Below you can find all the New Zealanders who participated in the Battle of Britain.
Further Reading:
Results
| Photo | Force | Wars | Service # | |
| C131242 |  | Glowacki | Antoni | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945, Regular Military Service | | | |
| C19068 | | Stewart | Charles | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | 44231 | | |
| C121218 | | Fitzgerald | Thomas Bernard | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | 40783 | | |
| C128565 | | Stephens | Mike | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | | | |
| C22747 | | Wendel | Kenneth Victor | Air Force | Regular Military Service, World War II, 1939-1945 | 40651 | | |
| C130637 | | Simmonds | Bernard Cyril | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | | | |
| C29908 | | Wigg | Ronald George | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | 41229 | | |
| C131646 | | Wilson | Donald Fraser | Air Force | Regular Military Service, World War II, 1939-1945 | | | |
| C19004 | | Horton | Patrick Wilmot | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | 42128 | | |
| C131634 | | Oaks | Trevor Walter | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ39870 | | |
| C19082 | | Verity | Victor Bosanquet Strachan | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ42164 | | |
| C131644 | | Whitney | Douglas Mitchell | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | | | |
| C131645 | | Willis | William Owen | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | | | |
| C18483 | | Brookman | Richard Waller | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ40186, 40186 | | |
| C121167 | | Fenton | Walter Gordon | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ391858 | | |
| C37050 | | Yule | Robert Duncan | Air Force | Regular Military Service, World War II, 1939-1945, Malayan Emergency, 1948-1960 | 33502 | | |
| C131568 | | Lawrence | Keith Ashley | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ2471, 42133 | | |
| C120972 | | Brinsden | Francis Noel | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945, Regular Military Service | 40338 | | |
| C27789 | | Paterson | James Alfred | Air Force | Regular Military Service, World War II, 1939-1945 | 36193 | | |
| C19005 | | Kemp | John Richard | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | 41850, NZ41850 | | |
| C121166 | | Eiby | William Thorpe | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ391347 | | |
| C131636 | | Parsons | Edwin Ernest | Army | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ40627 | | |
| C120847 | | Brown | Bernard Walter | Army | World War II, 1939-1945 | 41548 | | |
| C130635 | | Butler | William Louis | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ406602, 406602 | | |
| C27804 | | MacKenzie | Donald Carr | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | 43706 | | |
| C121340 | | Gibson | John Albert Axel | Air Force | Regular Military Service, World War II, 1939-1945, Territorial Military Service | 40969, NZ2500 | | |
| C131642 | | Thomson | Ronald Alexander | Air Force | Regular Military Service, World War II, 1939-1945 | | | |
| C136938 | | Wellington | Jim | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ | | |
| C131641 | | Shand | Michael Moray | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ391368 | | |
| C30622 | | Parsons | Ernest Ian | Air Force | Regular Military Service, World War II, 1939-1945 | 43370 | | |
| C18353 | | Campbell | David Baillie | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ40604 | | |
| C27806 | | Simpson | Geoffrey Mervyn | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ41481 | | |
| C21023 | | Young | Robert Bett Mirk | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ40197, 40197 | | |
| C27793 | | North | Harold Leslie | Air Force | Regular Military Service, World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ41608 | | |
| C131637 | | Pye | John Walter | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | 66503 | | |
| C19006 | | Kidson | Rudal | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | 41297 | | |
| C121217 | | Fleming | John | Air Force | Regular Military Service, World War II, 1939-1945 | 36195 | | |
| C27796 | | McChesney | Robert Ian | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ40194, 40194 | | |
| C121068 | | Clouston | Arthur Edmund | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945, Regular Military Service | 29162 | | |
| C18898 | | O'Hara | Clarence Hector | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ405035 | | |
| C26196 | | Holder | Robert | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ391356, 391356 | | |
| C18367 | | de La Perrelle | Victor Breton | Air Force | Regular Military Service, World War II, 1939-1945, Korean War, 1950-1953 | 36211 | | |
| C661 | | Carbury | Brian John George | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | 40288 | | |
| C18486 | | Burns | William Richard | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ40202 | | |
| C131635 | | Pannell | Geoffrey Charles Russell | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ391856 | | |
| C18485 | | Blake | Minden Vaughan | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | 36095 | | |
| C131569 | | MacKenzie | John Noble | Air Force | Regular Military Service, World War II, 1939-1945 | 2161, NZ40547 | | |
| C27800 | | Lovell-Gregg | Terence Gunion | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | 29244 | | |
| C121216 | | Fletcher | Walter Thomas | Air Force | World War II, 1939-1945 | NZ40606 | | |
| C27798 | | Mowat | Noel Joseph | Air Force | Regular Military Service, World War II, 1939-1945 | 41725, NZ2404 | | |