A World War II fighter pilot says it is about time a fellow New Zealander who headed the Battle of Britain was recognised.
A bronze statue of Commander Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park will be unveiled in London on Wednesday afternoon (local time) on the 70th anniversary of the battle.
Sir Keith commanded the squadron responsible for the successful defence of London and south-east England against Nazi Germany, forcing it to call off its planned invasion of Britain.
John Gard'ner, who flew in the 1940 battle and is in London for the ceremony, told Radio New Zealand he hopes people will realise how much they owe Sir Keith.
"I imagine that in Britain people are becoming more and more aware as to what the consequences would have been had the battle not been won."
Mr Gard'ner was shot down during the Battle of Britain and landed in the sea off Dover but escaped the plane before it sank.
The statue of Sir Keith Park will be unveiled at its permanent London home in Waterloo Place. It had previously been on display in Trafalgar Square.
In Wellington, members of the Defence Force, diplomats and veterans attended a ceremony at the National War Memorial on Wednesday.
