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Sir Keith Park locomotive rededicated after years in scrapyard | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
A locomotive renovated after 20 years in a scrapyard has been rededicated to the Battle of Britain hero it was first named after in 1947. | |
Sir Keith Park commanded RAF squadrons that defended London and the South East from Luftwaffe attacks in 1940. | Sir Keith Park commanded RAF squadrons that defended London and the South East from Luftwaffe attacks in 1940. |
Almost 66 years after the original ceremony, the Sir Keith Park locomotive was rededicated at Kidderminster railway station in Worcestershire. | |
It became part of the the Severn Valley Railway last year after the renovation. | |
'Popular engine' | 'Popular engine' |
To commemorate New Zealand-born Sir Keith's achievements in the Battle of Britain, locomotive 34053 was dedicated to him and he named the engine himself on 19 September 1947 at Brighton Station. | |
At the rededication ceremony, The Right Honourable Sir Lockward Smith, New Zealand High Commissioner, unveiled the nameplate. | |
Also present were RAF veterans who fought in the Battle of Britain, Oliver Bullied, the grandson of the locomotive's designer, and Terence Stevens-Prior, great-nephew of Sir Keith. | Also present were RAF veterans who fought in the Battle of Britain, Oliver Bullied, the grandson of the locomotive's designer, and Terence Stevens-Prior, great-nephew of Sir Keith. |
A flypast by a Hurricane and a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight was also held at 14:00 BST over Bridgnorth in Shropshire, where standards were on parade by the RAF Association. | A flypast by a Hurricane and a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight was also held at 14:00 BST over Bridgnorth in Shropshire, where standards were on parade by the RAF Association. |
Clare Gibbard, from Severn Valley Railway, said: "Locomotive Sir Keith Park has been one of the railway's most popular engines since joining our fleet, and we thought that it would be a great idea to mark its return to service after 38 years." | Clare Gibbard, from Severn Valley Railway, said: "Locomotive Sir Keith Park has been one of the railway's most popular engines since joining our fleet, and we thought that it would be a great idea to mark its return to service after 38 years." |