Battle of Britain remembered, 70 years on

A bronze statue of Battle of Britain hero, Sir Keith Park, has been unveiled in London to remember the hundreds of RAF personnel who died defending the UK from Nazi Germany 70 years ago.

Veteran fighter pilots, politicians and military figures paid tribute to the New Zealander Air Chief Marshal who lead the squadron, calling him an “unsung hero”.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, described Sir Keith Park as a true hero of the RAF.

“He was a man without whom the history of the Battle of Britain could have been disastrously different,” he said.

“He gave all to whatever he did. He had the capacity and energy to handle the pressure of command.”

“I came out like a cork out of a bottle. I pulled my rip cord once I was clear at about 3,000 (feet). Down I landed, in the middle of the guards depot in Caterham in Surrey” Tony Pickering

90 year-old Tony Pickering, a Hurricane pilot Squadron Leader during the Battle of Britain, told Channel 4 News about his experiences in the battle.

Mr Pickering, who was 19 years old during the conflict, described the moment he was shot down by fighter jets.

“The aircraft came down, smoke came pouring out of it…. then suddenly flames appeared all over the aircraft. I just pulled my pin and over I went.

“I came out like a cork out of a bottle. I pulled my rip cord once I was clear at about 3,000 (feet). Down I landed, in the middle of the guards depot in Caterham in Surrey,” he said.

But the Squadron leader escaped without injury and was back in the skies the next day.

Mr Pickering described the energy and fighting spirit of the young pilots.

“We were very young. I don’t think we realised fully what we were doing, we were enthusiastic and we were driven on by Winston Churchill,” he said.

He also paid tribute to those behind the scenes who helped the pilots during battle.

“We had some young girls of 18 and 19 years of age. Fitters, men of all trades. They were the ones who kept us in the air. We wouldn’t have survived without them,” he said.

Tribute to an "unsung hero"
At 3pm today, the campaign to "right a wrong" ended in a flypast and an unveiling, writes Katie Razzall
In front of 14 of the 80 surviving pilot veterans of the Battle of Britain as well as the defence secretary Liam Fox, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton and hundreds of spectators, a statue to Air Chief Marshall Sir Keith Park was unveiled in central LondonSir Keith Park, commander of No 11 Group, Fighter Command, was responsible for protecting London and the South East of Britain during the Battle of Britain.
The success of Sir Keith Park's strategy to repel the German Luftwaffe and the heroism of 2943 pilots marked a turning point in World War Two. Today is Battle of Britain Day.
Channel 4 News met Tony Pickering and Nigel Rose who fought in that battle and were sent up into the skies time and again to repel the German bombers.
Both have amazing stories to tell about their experiences 70 years ago. As veterans of one of the RAF's finest campaigns, both have concerns about the future of the air force, concerned that the defence review will see it scaled back to save money. They told Channel 4 News that would be a mistake. The Defence Secretary, Liam Fox, was at today's ceremony. He will decide the fate of their much loved service.