Falklands promise by Wick man for a soldier killed in action 40 years ago
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A Wick man who took up a job in the Falklands made a promise to honour a man killed during conflict there 40 years ago.
John Yendall (54) moved to Wick three years ago taking up work as a helicopter hoist operator with Beatrice and lives at the town's Harbour Quay with his wife.
"I was about to start a new job as a helicopter Search and Rescue Winchman in the Falkland Islands and was after a woolly hat to keep my head warm during the harsh winter," John told the paper.
As he walked along High Street one Saturday he noticed a market stall selling beanie hats with "John O'Groats Brewery" emblazoned on them and spoke to the stallholder, Allan Farquhar. After mentioning he was heading to the Falklands, Allan mentioned a Caithness Glass bowl that his wife had engraved and that was dedicated to a Royal Marine who lost his life there during the Falklands conflict with Argentina.
"It was in a church in Stanley, but [he was] unsure which one."
John made a promise to find the bowl and take a picture with the beanie hat alongside it when he went over to the Falklands with his six weeks on/off rotation job. After arriving he went on a mission with some work colleagues to find the bowl.
"We started in the Christ Church Cathedral, right on the harbour front in Stanley.
"There it was, right at the front of the altar, on display with beautiful flowers inside. It was particularly moving as it was Remembrance week and the Islands had lots of veterans down here for the 40th anniversary."
John fulfilled his promise and took some pictures of the bowl and placed the John O'Groats Brewery hat beside it to create a poignant image for Allan Farquhar. When Allan received the picture he put John in touch with Caithness man Ronnie Dunnett who was close friends with the late soldier, Colin "Geordie" Davison. Ronnie was injured during an air strike by Argentinian aircraft that killed fellow Royal Marine Geordie.
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John said: "Ronnie told me that he, Gerry Watt and Geordie had been defending the field hospital in Ajax Bay, opposite the amphibious landing sites in San Carlos, when, on 27th May 1982, they were attacked by Argentinian aircraft. Both Ronnie and Gerry were wounded – Gerry severely – but Geordie was killed.
"Geordie and Ronnie had been close mates, with Geordie due to get married when he got home. He is buried in the beautiful San Carlos British Cemetery, overlooking the bay and the remains of the field hospital."
Ronnie and Gerry donated the Caithness Glass bowl in memory of Geordie, and John said it was a "massive honour" to find the bowl in the cathedral and make good on the promise to get a photo with the hat.
"But it was an even greater honour when I drove out to San Carlos Cemetery and placed a poppy on the grave of Geordie. I was not a Royal Marine myself, but during my flying career with the Royal Navy, I was a commando aircrewman, flying these chaps in and out of situations that were not pleasant – so it felt only right to make sure Colin 'Geordie' Davison is remembered."
Originally from Birmingham, John joined the Royal Navy at 16, left in 2001 to fly for Hampshire Police, before living in Dubai for 10 years flying Search and Rescue. "I had the massive honour of flying HRH Princess Anne and her husband Tim Laurence, over to Sealion Island to visit the HMS Sheffield memorial. I mentioned how the then Prince Charles visited Wick in the summer, and she commented on how beautiful it is in the north east of Scotland and agreed that I was a lucky man."
John said he looks forward to returning to Caithness for Christmas and raising a few drams with Ronnie to the memory of Geordie and the others who lost their lives during the Falklands War. He says he will never forget the "sad and humble" connection between Caithness and the Falklands and how his recent experience gets him feeling very emotional.
