Sea Harrier photos from Falklands War - my dad? (E-J)
 

Hello,
I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right bit or not, and it's a bit of a long shot...
My father, Lt Cmdr John Eyton-Jones, a Sea Harrier pilot from 801 Squadron, was killed in the Falklands War (6th May 1982). He was on HMS Invincible.
We got his camera back afterwards, but with no film in it (?). Anyway, i've never seen any photos of him on ship in those few weeks since the start of the war.
Does anyone have any photos of life on the ship, either of relaxation time on the journey down to the South Atlantic, or of the Sea Harriers taking off etc. I would be thrilled to see a new photo of my dad...
I am amassing a collection of Falklands and Sea Harrier memorabilia for my 3 kids, all boys under 6. They are fully aware of what Grandpa John did and how he died and are very proud of him, as i am. It would be great to have a few candid "snaps" rather than the regular Squadron posed photos.
Thanks for any information you might have!
Anna :)

Anna, you've picked exactly the right place. Good luck in your search.

Anna,

Just sent you a PM....

Anna - have you been in touch with the current guys at 800/801 NAS? I can give you contact details if needed.

The Fleet Air Arm Officers' Association may be another good start - again, I can put you in touch.

Anna - I had the great privilege of operating with your father in Belize on a couple of occasions. I regret I cannot help with any photos etc, but I too wish you well in your search. A fine man.

I can't beiieve i have had 5 replies from people in one evening alone! Thanks guys - it means a lot.
BOAC i am almost embarassed you knew my dad in Belize - by all accounts (from my mum) my dad had a complete party mentality and was pissed the whole time he was there!
Thank you - i await further info! x

Don't be embarrassed - I was too!:)

This may be stating the obvious but...are you aware of these on google?
Is that him?

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl...h+Images&gbv=2

Good luck:ok:

Anna, in case you missed it on that Google page:
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?im...%3Den%26sa%3DG

Good luck in your search Anna,
I was until a couple of years back working with Hugh Slade -who was ,it appears, one of the replacement SHAR pilots who ended up on 801 NAS (I think),

Unfortunately he has now retired to sunnier climates but he may have some stuff if he is reading this....

Anna, I will keep your post on the top shelf for a few days to ensure that you get the most, perhaps all, info that's available.

Plain to see that your pride is well founded.

Best wishes to you and your kids.

PPP

Hi Anna,

Have you spoken to the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton? They (used to) keep all the line books etc from the squadrons and, with suitable censorship applied to the viewing of such, would surely contain evidence of your Dad at work and play. One thing I can guarantee is that he flew a toy that was brilliant fun and for the best of the squadrons :ok:

Best if you can phone them and try to speak direct with someone in the archive. And name drop, too - not sure if it's still the case, but they used to have a 1 year waiting list for public enquiries. Pretty sure they'd waive that for somebody like yourself.

Back to the top.

Best of luck in your hunt Anna. Your dad was a hero.

Thank you all
 

Thank you all for your kind suggestions!

I have seen the stuff on Google and the SAMA82 site, which is great.

I will definitely contact the Fleet Air Arm museum archive people. I hadn't thought about that before. Good idea!

Thanks again everyone, very pleased to have had so much input and support from you. x

Anna,

I had the honour of knowing your father very well when I was based at RAF Wittering in the early 80's. I worked in Ops but deployed on exercise with
1(F) Sqn to Norway (Tromso) twice and Germany (Gutersloh) twice. EJ was the life and soul of the sqn and was respected and admired by everyone he met. He ALWAYS had a lovely twinkle and sparkle in his eyes and that you just couldn't help but smile when he entered the room. I shared many a beer with him and other such stars as Malcolm White--he was a legend in his own lifetime (I think he bounced a Phantom off the sea and got away with it!! before he went onto Harriers ) I quite often think about him and that fateful day when EJ and Lt Curtis? never came back. Please give my best wishes to your Mum too--Sally used to cut my hair when you lived at Ketton. With very, very best wishes.

Anna--here are some links to some pictures:
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?im...%3Den%26sa%3DG
http://www.palacebarracksmemorialgar...yal%20Navy.htm
http://www.freefoto.com/browse/22-04-0?ffid=22-04-0
http://www.navynews.co.uk/falklands/..._harriers.asp#

and some info:
http://www.operations.mod.uk/falklan...EPRESENTED.doc

Anna,

I never met your father, but I was around at the time and I know he was very highly thought of and respected. Sharkey's book puts it very well.

Kind regards,

Navaleye

Dear Anna,
I served on Ark Royal with your dad he was flying Phantoms with 892 on Ark Royal. He was a gentleman and a scholar, and bloody good fun in the bar as well. Good luck with your search.

I don't have the books to hand to check on their contents but the following books may be of help:

Sea Harier over the Falklands - Cdr "Sharkey" Ward
Air War South Atlantic - Alfred Price & Jeffrey Ethell

There are probably others. Good luck.