Tinky Jones...remarkable man.

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Bundy
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Tinky Jones...remarkable man.

Postby Bundy » Wed Dec 21, 2011 11:50 am

It is a year since Tinky passed away... anyone who had a career in the SAAF will remember him...thought I'd share some of his achievements here...I was lucky enough to hear some of those stories from the man himself.

TINKY JONES

Name: Edward Neville Jones
Nickname: “Tinky”
Date of Birth: 4 July 1924
Nationality: South African

Service(s) in Which Served: South African Air Force, Royal Air Force (Seconded 1944 to (1945)
Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
Decorations /
Honours: S A Korean Medal - U N Service
Medal - Korean War Medal
American DFC - US Air Medal + 3
Clusters - Southern Cross + 13
Campaign Medals

Commands in Which Served:
Tinky Jones did his flying training in the SAAF at Wonderboom and Waterkloof under the “Imperial Training Scheme” flying Tiger Moths and Harvards from October 1942 to June 1944. After a short stint at 11 OTU St.Albans, Waterkloof, flying Kittyhawks and Hurricanes, he went to 71 OTU at Ismalia in the Suez Canal Zone in Egypt before being posted to 41 Squadron at Saint Jean, Haifa in Palestine in September 1944, where he flew Spitfire Mk V and Mk VIII. He was later attached to the Royal Air Force at No 5 Ferry Unit in Cairo in November 1944 at which time he had 296 flying hours. In December he was posted to 239 RAF Fighter Wing stationed in Italy, flying Spitfire Mk Vs & Mustang IIIs and did 75 sorties. Tinky had 595 hours at the end of the World War II.
In June 1945, Tinky did an advanced RAF gunnery instructors course at EL Ballah Air Base in Suez, Egypt, before going back to South Africa. He was posted to 35 Squadron, Durban in February 1947 and did a navigators course in 1948. From March 1949 to 25 September 1949, he was attached to 24 Commonwealth Squadron, Berlin Air Lift, stationed at Lubeck in West Germany. During the Air Lift he did 533 hours as a navigator and 100 hours as a 3rd. pilot. Tinky volunteered and joined No 2 Squadron (The Flying Cheetahs) and went to Korea among the first group of pilots who left Durban on 26 September 1950. They travelled for 38 days aboard the vessel “Tjisadane” from The Royal Interocean Line to Yokahama in Japan, where they arrived 4 November. Transferred to AFB K-9 at Pusan on 16 November, moved to AFB K-24 four days later
and did the first operation on 24 November. He moved again a week later to AFB K-13 near Suwon where they were part of USAF 6002 Wing, 18 Fighter Bomber Group. Completed his 70 sorties by April and returned to South Africa on 15 April 1951, with 1 565 flying hours. He was then stationed at 35 Squadron “Congella” in Durban from June 1951 to September 1952 flying Sunderland V Flying Boats and was posted in March 1952 to CFS at Dunnotar as an Instructor flying Harvards until March 1963. The next job was as a Staff Officer, Tactical Group, in Pretoria until March 1964. The final posting was at 28 Squadron at Waterkloof flying C130 Hercules. That lasted from June 1964 until his retirement on 31 July 1984.

Geographic Service Areas:
South Africa; Egypt; Palestine; Italy; Germany ( Berlin Airlift ); Korea; Southern Africa;
France (C-160 Transall course and return ferry flights).

Training & Specialisation:
Pilot; Navigator; Transport Pilot; Fighter Pilot; Fighter Bomber Pilot; Flying Boat Pilot; Flying Instructor.

Military & Civil Aircraft Types Flown, & Hours:
Tiger Moth; Harvard; Kittyhawk; Hurricane; Spitfire Mk V & Mk VIII; Mustang III & IV;
Vampire (Single & Twin); Auster; Dornier Do 27; Miles Magister; Chipmunk; Cessna Types; Anson; DH Devon; PV1; B34; Ventura; Piper Types; Sunderland V; Dakota DC 3;
Transall C160; Hercules C130.

Total Hours: 14 161

Noteworthy Incidents:

While stationed in Korea at 2 Squadron, based at AFB K-13 near Suwon, Tinky was asked by his OC, Commandant S.V. Theron, to fly to Japan and return with five new aircraft and pilots. He was airborne at 12:55 on 8 December in his Mustang (SN P 21754) for the flight to Johnson Air Base outside Tokyo, but he had to land at Sukuka in southern Japan in order to refuel. Before he entered Japanese airspace he was intercepted twice by USAF F 86 Sabre Jets and nearly shot down. Upon landing he was threatened with arrest for flying without a valid licence. As he was able to show the American colonel his “Green Rating” he was allowed to refuel and continue his flight.
Tinky landed at midnight at Johnson Air Base after a flight in poor weather and IF conditions. He said later that if he had not done the navigators’ course in Durban in 1948, he would not have made it.
The total flying time was 5 hrs.30 min.
The next day he got airborne with the five South African pilots in their new Mustangs and flew back to AFB K-13, this time via Kyushu in southern Japan. They were again harassed by American Sabre fighters before landing in Korea and the formation broke up due to bad weather. They were even fired on as they flew over the front line before landing. Tinky Jones was awarded the American DFC after a successful raid, where he led four aircraft on a close support air strike against Chinese troops dug in along a ridge at an occupied village. That was on Christmas day in
1950.
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Re: Tinky Jones...remarkable man.

Postby Loco » Wed Dec 21, 2011 2:41 pm

wow the man was a living legend, here some of us sit in cubicles in offices and look what he managed to achieve!

you have some photo's of him?
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Bundy
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Re: Tinky Jones...remarkable man.

Postby Bundy » Fri Dec 23, 2011 7:38 am

I have been mates with Tinky's grandson Gavin for 18 years. We were at school together and thus got to know most of the family quite well. The "Jones's" were all involved with SAAF and Tinky's 3 son's were all pilots flying anything from Harvards to Mirages...

A very special moment happenned about 2 years ago when we surprised Gavin with a flip in a Harvard at FASK. I struck up conversation with the Captain and PIC and he could not believe this as Tinky was his instructor many years back... Now a flip in a Harvard is usually about 25 minutes long...Not today! :lol: They took off and dissapeared towards Cullinan where the retired Tinky enjoyed some low level action overhead the farm complete with barrell rolls and loops and returned nearly a hour later! Awesome moment for the both of them... (^^)

Here is a pic of Tinky and his 3 sons.... It was in newspaper and Paratus in June 1981 and shows Tinkie Jones with his sons, also SAAF pilots....Duncan, Ian and Roland. Also in the family pic is Cpt Adi Jones....married to Ian and an ATC. So flying was definitely in the family.
IMG_5707.jpg
Tinky is also credited with his famous barrel rolls in the C130 and an infamous incident when he flew his Harvard through the hanger!!! :shock: 8)

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