FLYPAST FOR RAF WAR HERO

The tribute to Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park was revealed on the square’s controversial fourth plinth before 1,000 VIP guests. It will remain there for six months. A permanent statue will be unveiled in Waterloo Place next year.

Yesterday’s ceremony was marked by a Spitfire flying overhead with the RAF’s latest warplane – the supersonic Eurofighter Typhoon.

It was a welcome victory for a campaign led by businessman Terry Smith and backed by the Daily Express. New Zealander Sir Keith was commander of RAF forces over London and the South-east in 1940. He died in 1975 aged 82.

One of the last of The Few, Wing Commander Peter Ayerst, DFC, said the unveiling coincided with his own 89th birthday.

The air ace said: “He saved the country.”