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Trafford Leigh-Mallory

Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, commander of No. 12 Group during the Battle of Britain. Leigh-Mallory supported the ‘Big Wing’ air fighting tactic of grouping fighter squadrons which had been proposed by Acting Squadron Leader Douglas Bader.

One of ‘the Few’, Alan Deere, comments on the ‘Big Wing’ issue:

It was over the question of mass formations ... or wings of squadrons, as they later became known ... that a really vital issue arose. Douglas Bader was the chief instigator of the use of wings in the Battle of Britain, and had sold the idea to Air Vice-Marshal Leigh-Mallory. Although concentration of force, which the mass formations implied, is a foremost principle of war, it did not apply under the conditions which affected the defence of these shores in the Battle of Britain, at least through the medium of wing formations. The wing was not new to Park ... he had used it in the closing days of the Dunkirk fighting ... and it must be assumed therefore that he had considered, but discarded, the use of mass formations, undoubtedly for reasons of speed and flexibility. The sober truth is that, at this stage of the war, the information from the radar chain was neither sufficiently complete nor sufficiently reliable to permit the added option of the policy with success….

From personal experience, there were very few occasions in the 11 Group area when it would have been possible to scramble and assemble two squadrons as a wing ... let alone five as finally used from Duxford ... in time to make an effective interception before the enemy bombers reached their target. Almost one hundred per cent of the interceptions by the Duxford wing were over or just short of the target, and sometimes after the bombs had fallen, which supports the contention that much vital time was lost in forming up, and proceeding to the target, in mass formation. On this basis, I wonder how many of the 11 Group Sector airfields would have been in commission on the 7th September, when the Germans finally ceased bombing airfields, and how many aircraft would have been destroyed on the ground or caught in the act of getting airborne, had Park relied on wing formations to fight his battle? Finally, with the forces allotted to him by the Commander-in-Chief, Park’s password was ‘economy of effort’ and in this context it is of interest to note that in a series of ten large formation sorties from Duxford into the 11 Group area, nine were unsuccessful and the tenth destroyed one Me 109!

[Air Commodore Alan C Deere DSO OBE DFC and Bar, Nine Lives (Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1959, republished Crécy Publishing Limited, Manchester, 1999), pp.169-70]

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German Heinkel He 111 bomber

A German Heinkel He 111 medium bomber pictured flying over Belgium, September 1940. This aircraft is from Kampfgeschwader 53 (KG53) – a Luftwaffe (German air force) bomber wing known as the 'Legion Condor'. Based in Belgium with Luftflotten 2 (Air Fleet 2), KG53 carried out raids over Britain from July 1940 to May 1941.

Bundesarchiv
Reference: Bild 101I-343-0694-21
Photo: Schödl (e)
Further information and copies of this image may be obtained from the Bundesarchiv through its Digital Picture Archives website.

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Gravestone of Pilot Officer Howard Hill

One of 'the Few': the gravestone of 20 year-old Pilot Officer Howard Perry Hill at Hawkinge Cemetery near Folkestone, Kent. Christchurch-born Hill was killed during the Battle of Britain when his Spitfire fighter was shot down on 20 September 1940. He was the victim of one of Germany's leading air aces, Werner Mölders, who was the first pilot in aviation history to achieve 100 aerial combat victories. See also New Zealand roll of honour for the Battle of Britain

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database

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Blenheim light bomber

Bristol Blenheim Mk IV light bomber of RAF Bomber Command.

The contribution of Bomber and Coastal Commands during the Battle of Britain has sometimes been overlooked in accounts of the battle. Between July and October 1940 British bombers flew numerous sorties against targets in France and Germany - targeting invasion barges and shipping in Channel ports, raiding German-occupied airfields and flying long-range reconnaissance patrols. Casualties amongst aircrew were heavy. Over 900 airmen were killed flying with Bomber and Coastal Commands during the period of the battle - including 29 New Zealanders in Bomber Command and eight in Coastal Command.

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Winston Churchill

A gruff-looking Winston Churchill on his way to 10 Downing Street in London, 1939. A month after taking over as Britain's Prime Minister in May 1940, Churchill delivered his now-famous 'This was their finest hour' speech to the House of Commons. Following the fall of France, Churchill steeled the British public for the fight ahead, announcing: '... the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin.'

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: PAColl-5547-046
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa must be obtained before any reuse of this image.

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Maori soldiers in England, 1940

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, with Lieutenant-Colonel George Dittmer at his side, watches 16 Platoon of D Company, 28th Maori Battalion, march past in England, 1940. The Maori Battalion, along with the rest of 2NZEF's Second Echelon, had been en route to the Middle East in May 1940 when they were diverted to Britain. In July they were deployed to southern England to help defend against a possible German invasion. After six months in Britain the men of the Second Echelon sailed for their original destination, Egypt, where they arrived in early March 1941.

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: DA-133115-F
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa must be obtained before any reuse of this image.

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Sir Keith Park statue

In 2008, London financier Terry Smith and others initiated a campaign to erect a permanent statue of Sir Keith Park in Trafalgar Square, in recognition of his leadership during the Battle of Britain. The campaign gained international support and in May 2009 the Westminster City Council agreed to erect a 2.78-metre (9-foot) statue of Park in Waterloo Place. This was unveiled on 15 September 2010 – the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

The cast model for this statue - made by Weta Workshop in Wellington - was to go on display at the Auckland War Memorial Museum as part of Battle of Britain commemorations. Unfortunately, the unveiling has been cancelled as the six-metre model cannot fit through any of the museum's entrances.

The picture above shows a temporary statue of Park which was unveiled on the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square in November 2009. This fibreglass sculpture was in place until May 2010, when it was moved to the Royal Air Force Museum in London.

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The Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign

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Keith Park

Keith Rodney Park was a decorated First World War fighter pilot who carved out a prestigious career in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He played a pivotal role in the defence of London and southeast England during the Battle of Britain.

Born in Thames on 15 June 1892, Park was educated at King's College, Auckland, and then Otago Boys' High School in Dunedin. At the age of 19 he joined the Union Steam Ship Company as a cadet purser – earning the nickname ‘Skipper’ to friends and family.

At the outbreak of the First World War Park enlisted in the First New Zealand Expeditionary Force (1NZEF) and sailed to Egypt in January 1915. He landed at Gallipoli on 25 April and served with a New Zealand howitzer battery until July, when he was promoted to second lieutenant and transferred to the Royal Field Artillery. Following his battery’s evacuation to Egypt in January 1916, Park was transferred to the Western Front. Wounded in October 1916, he was sent to the England to recuperate and, after being informed he was unfit for active army service, gained a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in December 1916.

Park was taught to fly at Netheravon on Salisbury Plain. After a three-month spell as an instructor he was sent back to France in July 1917. For the remainder of the war he flew two-seater Bristol Fighters with No. 48 Squadron, which he commanded from April 1918. By the end of the war he had been credited with 11 victories, earning two Military Crosses (MC and Bar) and a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in the process.

During the interwar years Park held various command and staff postings in the United Kingdom and overseas, including service as air aide-de-camp to King George VI in 1937. In July 1938 he was promoted to air commodore and appointed deputy to Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding at RAF Fighter Command headquarters near Uxbridge. Together with Dowding, Park developed a comprehensive air defence system, which supported the use of high-speed, heavily armed fighter aircraft (Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires), in combination with new radio and radar equipment. This was a daunting task, made even more difficult by peacetime restrictions on training.

Promoted to air vice-marshal in April 1940, Park was given command of No. 11 Group, responsible for the defence of London and southeast England. His first operational test was to cover the British Expeditionary Force’s (BEF) evacuation from Dunkirk. In July 1940 the Luftwaffe (German air force) turned their attention to crushing the RAF as a precursor to the invasion of Great Britain. Park’s No. 11 Group bore the brunt of this assault. During the Luftwaffe's daylight raids between July and September 1940, he developed a reputation as a ‘hands on’ leader, often flying his personal Hurricane to visit embattled airfields and inspire his hard-pressed pilots.

Unable to neutralise No. 11 Group, the Luftwaffe began bombing London in September. Despite a series of massive raids on the capital, Park’s skilful handling of limited resources ensured that the RAF were able to continue resisting the German offensive. By October 1940 Hitler had postponed the invasion of Great Britain and the German air offensive switched to night-time raids on London and other British cities.

It was at this point that Dowding and Park became embroiled in controversy over their handling of the battle. Some senior RAF officers believed their tactics were too cautious. The most vocal critic was Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, commander of No. 12 Group. Leigh-Mallory believed that large-scale formations of three to five squadrons – dubbed ‘Big Wings’ – were a more effective way of disrupting enemy raids than the one to two squadron approach employed by Park.

Although Park’s tactics have since been vindicated, the Big Wing approach gained support at the time. Park was replaced by Leigh-Mallory as commander of No. 11 Group in December 1940. After a period in command of a training group, he was sent to Egypt before becoming RAF commander on the strategically important island of Malta in July 1942. Using tactics he employed during the Battle of Britain, Park’s forces successfully repelled repeated German and Italian air attacks before mounting a decisive offensive against Axis shipping in the Mediterranean.

Knighted in 1942 for his role in the defence of Malta, Park was promoted to air marshal and appointed the commander-in-chief of British air forces in the Middle East in January 1944. A year later he assumed command of Allied air forces in South-East Asia Command, which performed a vital role supplying stores to the British 14th Army advancing through the jungles of Burma.

Park retired from the RAF in 1946 as air chief marshal and moved back to Auckland. He worked in the civil aviation industry until 1960. During the 1950s he became chairman of the Auckland International Airport Committee, encouraging a reluctant government to purchase land at Mangere for an international airport, which was eventually completed in 1966. Park was also active in local government, serving three terms as an Auckland city councillor.

Keith Park died in Auckland on 6 February 1975, aged 82. A section of the Auckland Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) is named in his honour, as is Sir Keith Park School – a special needs centre in Manukau, Auckland. A statue of Park was unveiled in Waterloo Place in London on 15 September 2010 to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

By Gareth Phipps

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Archibald McIndoe

Archibald Hector McIndoe was a New Zealand-born surgeon whose pioneering treatment of burns victims during the Second World War revolutionised the field of plastic surgery.

Born in Dunedin on 4 May 1900, McIndoe graduated from the University of Otago Medical School in 1923. The following year he was awarded the first New Zealand fellowship to the prestigious Mayo Clinic in the United States. Over the next four years he earned a Master of Science degree and published several medical papers on chronic liver disease. When his fellowship ended in 1928 McIndoe was appointed an assistant surgeon at the Mayo Clinic, where he developed a reputation as a quick-thinking and skilled surgeon.

With his star on the rise McIndoe was encouraged to further his career in the United Kingdom. He moved to London in 1930. Opportunities were scarce, though, and after a period of unemployment he contacted a distant relative, fellow New Zealander Sir Harold Gillies, in an effort to secure work. Gillies – a noted plastic surgeon of the First World War – invited McIndoe to join his private practice and offered him a position in the plastic surgery clinic at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. Under Gillies tuition, McIndoe quickly became a leading figure in the field of plastic surgery.

Following the outbreak of the Second World War, McIndoe took up a position at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, Sussex, where he established a Centre for Plastic and Jaw Surgery. The Centre treated airmen with facial disfigurements and serious burns. Many patients arrived with deep burns to their faces and hands caused by exploding aircraft fuel – an injury dubbed the ‘Hurricane burn’ by pilots and aircrew.

During the Battle of Britain, 35 horribly burnt fighter pilots were sent to McIndoe for treatment. Standard treatment for serious burns at this time was to cover the wounds with tannic acid – the idea being that this would dry out the affected area and allow the dead skin to be removed. Unfortunately, this process was extremely painful and left patients with extensive scarring. McIndoe was convinced there was a better solution. Noting that burnt pilots who bailed out into the sea were less scarred than others, he developed the practice of bathing patients in saline. This proved to be a much gentler treatment process, with the saline solution improving healing times and survival rates for patients with extensive burns.

As well as developing innovative treatments and surgical techniques, McIndoe recognised the importance of rehabilitation. He encouraged ‘his boys’ to form their own ‘Guinea Pig Club’ and made sure they retained their proud identity by wearing their service uniforms instead of hospital convalescent uniforms. Particular emphasis was placed on patients′ social reintegration back into normal life. ‘The Boss’ or ‘Maestro’, as McIndoe was known, would regularly join patients in social events inside the hospital, take them for out for drinks, and encourage them to get out into the community. The effect was amazing. Relationships between patients and nurses blossomed. Many went on to marry. Others met women from East Grinstead, a place the ‘guinea pigs’ referred to as ‘the town that never stared’.

McIndoe won international recognition for his pioneering work at Queen Victoria Hospital. Knighted in 1947, he took up farming in East Africa, where he helped establish the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF). Back in Britain he was also involved in founding the British Association of Plastic Surgeons (BAPS), and later served as its president.

Archibald McIndoe died on 11 April 1960, aged 59. He was cremated and his ashes were buried in the Royal Air Force church of St Clement Danes in London.

His legacy lives on in the Blond McIndoe Research Foundation, which was opened at the Queen Victoria Hospital in 1961 and continues to conduct research into treatments to improve wound healing.

By Gareth Phipps

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Michael Herrick

Michael James Herrick was one of five brothers to serve during the Second World War. He flew with distinction during the Battle of Britain and in the Pacific before being killed on air operations over Denmark.

Herrick was born in Hastings on 5 May 1921. Educated at Wanganui Collegiate School, he gained his pilot’s licence with the Hawkes Bay Aero Club while still at school.

In March 1939 he left New Zealand to take up a two-year cadetship at the Royal Air Force (RAF) College in Cranwell. The course was shortened due to the outbreak of the war and Herrick graduated on 7 March 1940.

Posted to No. 25 Squadron at the age of 18, Herrick flew Bristol Blenheim light bombers on night patrols during the Battle of Britain. In September 1940 he scored the squadron’s first victories of the war – shooting down two Heinkel He 111 bombers within minutes of each other. Herrick destroyed another bomber nine days later, meaning he personally accounted for three of the four victories achieved by Fighter Command during night operations that month. Herrick’s achievements were recognised with the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).

By the end of 1941 Herrick was back in New Zealand on attachment with the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). After spells as an instructor at Woodbourne and Ohakea he was posted to the newly formed No. 15 Squadron RNZAF at Whenuapai in June 1942. Four months later No. 15 Squadron sailed from Wellington to Tonga, where they took over the Curtis P-40 Warhawk fighters of the United States Army Air Force's No. 68 Pursuit Squadron. By the time the squadron moved to Guadalcanal in April 1943, Herrick had assumed command, the previous CO having been killed in a flying accident. On 6 May he and another pilot shot down a Japanese floatplane – credited as the first enemy aircraft destroyed by New Zealand fighters in the Pacific.

After leading No. 15 Squadron through two operational tours and earning a Bar to his DFC, Herrick returned to the United Kingdom. He joined No. 305 Squadron – a Polish fighter-bomber unit flying night operations against airfields and V-1 Flying Bomb launch sites in occupied Europe.

On 16 June 1944, Herrick embarked on his first daylight raid and headed toward Denmark with another de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bomber piloted by Wing Commander J.D.R. ‘Bob’ Braham. Herrick was en route to attack the German airfield at Aalborg when his plane was intercepted and shot down by a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 flown by Lieutenant Robert Spreckels. Although Herrick and his Polish navigator managed to bail out they were too low to survive the landing. In a twist of fate, Braham was shot down by Spreckels 11 days later. When the two airmen met during Braham’s interrogation Spreckels informed him that Herrick had put up a brave fight.

Herrick was awarded a posthumous United States Air Medal for his service in the Pacific. The medal was presented to his parents in Wellington in July 1944. His death was not the only tragedy suffered by the Herrick family during the war. Two other sons were killed – Flying Officer Brian Herrick was lost in November 1940 while flying a Blenheim bomber with No. 272 Squadron; Pilot Officer Dennis Herrick of No. 53 Squadron died of wounds in June 1941 after being shot down off the coast of France. Another two brothers served in the Royal Navy, while an aunt – Ruth Herrick – was founding director of the Women's Royal New Zealand Naval Service from 1942 to 1946.

By Gareth Phipps

Further information

Kiwi stories – Battle of Britain (NZHistory)

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