Janet Ann Dalton

04/07/1945 – 14/02/2021

‘Crossed the Bar’ Former Fleet Air Arm Wren flies off into the sunset

Our ‘oppo’ Janet Dalton a former ‘Jenny Wren’ – WRNS and shipmate of the Royal Naval Association (RNA) Torrevieja Branch sadly ‘crossed the bar’ before us and leaves a huge gap for her husband Bryan, their daughter Evonne and partner Tony in Christchurch New Zealand; granddaughter Jade, also a former ‘Jenny Wren’ in Taunton; their son Michael partner Becky and their children in Wellington, Somerset; her sister Pat and family in Maltby, Yorkshire and her sister Eileen and family in South Anston, Yorkshire; the members of her local religious group and not forgetting all her friends both locally in Spain and in France and UK who are unfortunately too many to mention at this time.

It is with enormous regret by everyone, but especially Bryan, that although her passing was not due to COVID-19 that the related restrictions imposed by Santa Lucia hospital in Cartagena prevented anyone other than the medical staff from being at her side when she ‘crossed the bar’.

Bryan is enormously grateful that the local Covid restriction was raised enough for there to be 15 people allowed to attend her Service of Remembrance at the local Tanatorio Dos Mares in El Alga on Thursday 18 February 202, which was superbly conducted by her religious group. He is also immensely appreciative of the support that Janet’s religious group provided both Janet and him during her time in hospital and the ongoing support he is receiving.

Janet had an interesting life from the time she was born in Maltby, Yorkshire as the eldest of four sisters, unfortunately one of her sisters Eunice pre-deceased Janet. then through her time in the ‘Andrew’ (Royal Navy) from where she joined as a Wren on HMS Dauntless on the 17 September 1963, then through her air mechanic training on board HMS Condor, where she became a Fleet Air Arm Wren (as an old term affectionately known ‘Wrenlin’) and then in service in Station Flight on board HMS Fulmar where she was first working on Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopters and visiting aircraft, then with the 764 Squadron on Hunter T8 aircraft and then finally at the engine repair section of the aircraft repair workshops before de-mob (leaving the Royal Navy) in December 1965.

She met Brian during her Expedition Training weekend in November 1964, where Bryan as the expedition leader ‘took her under his wing’ and consequently things ‘took flight’ from there. They married in October 1965 and subsequently she left the Royal Navy to be with Bryan when he was posted to Lee on Solent for his name mechanicians course in December 1965 and qualified as an RELMN (A) in December 1967.

Subsequently from January 1968 Janet and her children moved around the country with Bryan’s drafts where the first was back at to Lossiemouth followed by a time with Bryan’s draft to RAF Honington in 1972, then ‘up sticks again’ and a quick hop over to Yeovil in 1979 where they stayed after Brian was demobbed and became a civvy in February 1983. Before finally ending up in Blackburn in 1988.

Janet and Bryan then went on their in international travels through France and Spain with their mobile campervan when Bryan took early retirement through redundancy in 2000.

She and Bryan settled in La Manga (Costa Calida, Spain) in 2005 and started to build a social community of local friends and re-established her active involvement in a religious group, joined the Association of Wrens and the RNA in Torrevieja, while still pursuing their passion for travelling through Spain and France to meet up with friends.

Bryan is very appreciative for all those who were unable to attend Janet’s service and who raised a glass and toasted her at some convenient point on the day of her service.

We all salute you Janet and you will be sadly missed by all of us for all your wonderful attributes including in Bryan’s own words ‘a wiz using the computer’. RIP