caption serviceyears laterwork branch commands death_place death_date birth_place allegiance awards placeofburial_label battles birth_date nickname rank image article_title name
sir keith park 1911 -- 1946 city councillor , new zealand new zealand army british army royal air force no. 11 group raf no. 48 squadron raf auckland , new zealand 06 february 1975 thames , coromandel peninsula , new zealand new zealand united kingdom knight knight commander of the order of the british empire military grand cross & bar distinguished flying cross legion of merit -lrb- cross united states -rrb- croix de guerre -lrb- france -rrb- of the order of the bath place of burial first world war 15 june 1892 `` the defender of london '' `` skipper '' air chief marshal air marshal sir keith park.jpg keith park
 sir keith rodney park
keith park

air chief marshal sir keith rodney park gcb , kbe , mc & bar , dfc -lrb- 15 june 1892 -- 6 february 1975 -rrb- 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 '' .
