Roll of Honour

Friends and colleagues gathered on Thursday 25th February at St Mary Magdalene Church, Sea Road, Bexhill on Sea to bid farewell to Mick 'Jonah' Jones. For those of us who served with him during his 'colourful' days as an airborne soldier in 9 Indep Para Sqn, it came as quite a surprise to hear members of his family referring to him as Michael!  To us he was simply Jonah.

While serving with 9 Sqn he made more than the occasional visit to the OCs office (minus belt and beret) and was probably not the 'apple of the SSMs eye'. He really excelled in the field but was a nightmare back in camp. Many referred to him as the world's worst moaner — even so, he kept the moral of the troops high.

Stories of his escapades while serving in the Sqn are further embellished by time spent as a "Soldier of Fortune". Jonah was a qualified sniper and took a pride in his weapons, making him ideally suited for his chosen profession as a mercenary. Col Callan, the senior mercenary officer in Angola, employed Jonah as a demolition expert. Jonah considered himself extremely fortunate to escape execution during the Angolan conflict, unlike his boss and many of his comrades

He was a real character, which was reflected in the distance his friends and colleagues travelled to bid him a final farewell. Need someone to teach you how to make improvised explosives — how to catch (poach) trout from a fast running river—just call on Jonah!

As has become the custom with the Airborne Engineers, a funeral is a time to celebrate the deceased's life and take the opportunity to record (on camera) faces old and new, some not seen for many years. This was one of those occasions!

During the 'wake' held in the local pub (naturally) a raffle was organised by a member of the Bexhill Veterans Association, raised over £200, the proceeds of which were donated to "Help for Heroes".