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Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park GCB, KBE, MC & Bar, DFC (15 June 1892 – 6 February 1975) was a New Zealand soldier, First World War flying ace and Second World War Royal Air Force commander. He was in operational command during two of the most significant air battles in the European theatre in the Second World War, helping to win the Battle of Britain and the Battle of Malta. In Germany, he was supposedly known as "the Defender of London".〔Benn, Tony and Lord Tebbit. ("United in praise of the Defender of London." ) ''The Telegraph,'' 18 January 2009.〕 ==Early life and army career== Park was born in Thames, New Zealand. He was the son of James Park from Scotland, geologist for a mining company and later a professor at the University of Otago in Dunedin. An undistinguished young man, but keen on guns and riding, Keith Park was educated at King's College, Auckland until 1906〔("Park, Keith Rodney." ) ''Dictionary of New Zealand Biography.'' Retrieved: 8 September 2011.〕 and then at Otago Boys' High School, Dunedin where he served in the cadets. Later he joined the Army as a Territorial soldier in the New Zealand Field Artillery.〔("Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park." ) ''Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.'' Retrieved: 8 September 2011.〕 In 1911, at age 19, he went to sea as a purser aboard collier and passenger steamships, earning the family nickname "skipper". When the First World War broke out, Park left the ships and joined his artillery battalion.〔 As a non-commissioned officer, he participated in the landings at Gallipoli in April 1915, going ashore at Anzac Cove. In the trench warfare that followed, Park's achievements were recognised and in July 1915 he gained a commission as second lieutenant.〔 He commanded an artillery battalion during the August 1915 attack on Suvla Bay and endured more months of squalor in the trenches. At this time Park took the unusual decision to transfer from the New Zealand Army to the British Army, joining the Royal Horse and Field Artillery. Park was evacuated from Gallipoli in January 1916. The battle had left its mark on him both physically and mentally, though later on in life, he would remember it with nostalgia. He particularly admired the ANZAC commander, Sir William Birdwood, whose leadership style and attention to detail would be a model for Park in his later career. After the hardship at Gallipoli, Park's battalion was shipped to France to take part in the Battle of the Somme. Here he learned the value of aerial reconnaissance, noting the manner in which German aircraft were able to spot Allied artillery for counter-fire and getting an early taste of flight by being taken aloft to check his battalion's camouflage. On 21 October 1916, Park was blown off his horse by a German shell. Wounded, he was evacuated to England and medically certified "unfit for active service," which technically meant he was unfit to ride a horse. After a brief remission recovering from his wounds, recuperating and doing training duties at Woolwich Depot, he joined the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in December 1916.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Keith Park」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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