Adrian Wellstead,
Picture reproduced by kind permission of Jay Morgan Hyrons
HMS Sheffield sailed from Portsmouth on November 19th, 1981 for a patrol in the Arabian Gulf. After taking part in a major Mediterranean exercise, and four days before her planned return to Portsmouth, the ship was diverted to the South Atlantic on April 2nd, 1982, within hours of the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands.
While on forward radar picket duty about 70 miles south and east of Stanley, on Sunday May 4th, the Type 42 destroyer was struck amidships by an Exocet missile fired from Argentine Naval Super Etendard aircraft. The missile’s warhead failed to explode, but the resulting fires quickly spread, and the ship had to be abandoned.
Adrian was among 20 who died in the attack. Only the body of Petty Officer David Briggs DSM was recovered; the rest lie in the ship, now a registered war grave at the position 53-04’S 56-56’W, where she sank on May 9th, whilst under tow.
Adrian has proved to be one of the hardest names to research over the ten years of this project despite living the closest in time to today. By chance I came across a reference to him via a Falklands War blog https://falklands35blog.wordpress.com/2021/12/06/falklands-35-adrian-kelvin-wellstead/
Written by Jay Morgan Hyrons it finally brought me a picture of Adrian. The text of Jay’s page is reproduced below with her permission:
D134889L Leading Cook Adrian Kelvin Wellstead HMS Sheffield 13 April 1956 ~ 4 May 1982 Age 26
April was a significant month in the Wellstead family Adrian’s Uncle Harold, and his Grandfather Reginald all had birthdays within a week of his own…
Born on 13 April 1956 in Blandford, Dorset. Adrian was the son of Alan and Beryl. Alan Wellstead married Beryl Barnes in 1949. Wellstead is a well-established family name in the Dorset area.
Adrian’s Grandfather Reginald Wellstead was born on 18 April 1893, one of twin boys. Reginald married Daisy Elizabeth Stickley in 1920. In 1911 prior to WW1 Reginald and his brother William were Carter boys on a farm, their father Henry and Bertie were Hurdle Makers, younger brother Edward also worked on the farm. Great Grandfather Henry died in 1922 just two years after Reginald married.
Daisy Elizabeth Stickley was born in 1895. There was to be a fair amount of premature death in this family it seems. Daisy’s mother Elizabeth died in 1899 when Daisy was just four years old, Elizabeth was just 29 years old. As a teenager Daisy was a glove maker living with her aunt and uncle, it was common in those days to work at a very young age just to survive.
Reginald and Daisy it appears had four children Harold, Iris, Alan, and Eric born between 1921-1926. Sadly, Daisy also died young in 1936 when her youngest son Eric was just ten years old. Their son Alan, Adrian’s father was born on 18 June 1925. Alan was a Baker’s assistant in 1939 prior to WW2. Alan died in 1994 outliving his own son by 12 years.
Adrian’s mother was the youngest daughter of Albert Edward Barnes and Ellen Diment who married in 1910. Albert and Ellen had two children before WW1 broke out and it appears he may well have been away serving during that time as their next child was not born until 1919. Prior to the War Albert was a butcher and after he worked in farming, Albert died in February 1970 just short of his 85th birthday.
There appear to be a huge amount of Wellsteads in the Dorset area, sometimes tracing back details draw a blank and for now it has only been possible to trace back to Adrian’s Great, Great, Great Grandfather who was born in 1830. Though unable to trace a birth record there a baptism record for Henry on 26 September 1830, he is listed as ‘son of Alice’. Interestingly when he married his bride Ann Luther in 1859, he is recorded as Henry ‘Alice’ Wellstead. As far as can be ascertained Alice died when Henry was just a boy.
Henry and Ann were both gardeners. They had at least seven children the eldest Henry was Adrian’s great grandfather. Their second son was named Martin Luther who unlike his famous namesake was a painter…
It appears that many Wellstead’s served their country in WW1 but long before that there is a William Wellstead who may well be directly related because he was from the Blandford area in Dorset, it is just not possible with the information available to be sure the exact relationship. William was attested into the British Army on 31 May 1867, 85th Regiment of Light Infantry. The records are of the Chelsea pensioners…
Adrian had attended Blandford School where he is remembered…
Adrian married his bride Coleen in 1979. The couple had one daughter Sheree who was born sadly after Adrian died.
Adrian is included in all the main Falklands memorials and is also honoured on a plaque at the Church of St Edmund, Lychgate Green, Stubbington, Fareham, along with three other shipmates from HMS Sheffield.
He is also remembered on his local church’s memorial in Winterborne Kingston:
And on the village memorial
Blandford Schools' Combined War Memorials 