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Son honours his father as HMS Lancaster remembers helicopter tragedy in Kenya
15 August 2024
A Royal Navy warship’s visit to Kenya finally gave the son of a sailor killed in one of the Fleet Air Arm’s worst accidents the opportunity to pay tribute at his memorial.
Chief Petty Officer Mark Potter was one of nine men from frigate HMS Brilliant killed in May 1989 when their Lynx helicopter crashed on its way to Mombasa airport in Kenya.
Thirty-five years later, his son David – also a chief petty officer, serving aboard HMS Lancaster – paid his first visit to Kenya and the Lynx crash memorial as he and shipmates held a highly-emotional remembrance service.
The Lynx from 829 Naval Air Squadron was heading to Mombasa airport to meet family and friends who had flown out from the UK while the Broadsword-class frigate was on a break from patrolling the Gulf.
Some 18 miles from its destination tragedy struck when the cabin door was opened. It broke off due to two missing ball bearings, struck the tail rotor which caused the rotor pylon to break off.
Impossible to control, the helicopter plunged into the scrub at Vipingo, killing all nine souls aboard.
Those who lost their lives were:
Lieutenant Commander Chris Fessey
Lieutenant Jon Williams
Chief Petty Officer Simon Banks-Popple
Chief Petty Officer Paul James
Chief Communications Yeoman Mark Potter
Chief Petty Officer Colin Simpson
Leading Seaman Colin Roy
Leading Regulator Philip Stevenson
Able Seaman John Savage
It’s honestly been the biggest honour of my career to be here today and represent the families and shipmates in remembering those we have lost.
A memorial corner – a large marble plaque, flanked White Ensigns and featuring pictures of the men lost – was subsequently dedicated in the Mission to the Seafarers Chapel in Mombasa, and has become a place of pilgrimage for the crews of Royal Navy warships when they visit Kenya.
Air and ground crew who operate the successor to the Lynx aboard HMS Lancaster, the Wildcat – from 815 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset – personnel from 700X Squadron who provide the ship with aviation support, and the frigate’s crew gathered in the Mission.
It proved to be an emotional experience, but also cathartic for Chief Petty Officer, who spent time both alone and with shipmates, to honour his father and comrades lost in 1989.
“It’s honestly been the biggest honour of my career to be here today and represent the families and shipmates in remembering those we have lost,” he said.
“It’s been 35 years since that terrible day and the loss never diminishes but knowing that, even after all this time, they are still remembered in this way, brings huge amounts of comfort and pride to me and my family.”
The Ship’s Chaplain, the Rev James Bell-Winfrow, led a Service of Remembrance with a reading of Leading Air Engineering Technician Greg Morgans-Hicks, while Flight Commander, Lieutenant Leon Halliwell outlined the details of the tragedy and aftermath, before two minutes of silence were held.
Portsmouth-based HMS Lancaster is on a long-term mission to the Gulf region.
Operating out of Bahrain, the frigate conducts frequent patrols of the Gulf and Indian Ocean to promote regional/global security and stop the flow of illegal drugs out of the Middle East.