Stephen Heyes

Stephen was born in Wigan on the 10th October 1960, the eldest son of James and Elizabeth Heyes. He had a brother Anthony and three sisters, Josephine, Angela and Caroline.

He attended Saint Cuthbert’s Junior School and Saint Thomas More High School in Wigan before joining the Navy along with his best friend Graham Gallagher in January 1977.

HMS Cleopatra was granted the freedom of Harrogate North Yorkshire in April 1979 and it was during the visit of the ships company to Harrogate that Stephen met his wife-to-be Christina Nelson at a Ministry Of Defence dance in the town. “It was not love at first sight” said Stephen “but three weeks later I popped the question.”

On March 28th, 1981 they were married at Christ Church in Harrogate and moved to Plymouth where they lived in married quarters in St Budeaux.

Stephen and Christina on their wedding in 1981.

On April 17th, 1982 they moved into their own house in Stoke, Plymouth and just two days later Stephen set sail for the Falklands.

Just over one-month later Stephen and 21 of his shipmates were lost in the Falkland Sound supporting the landings at San Carlos Bay.

Stephen is remembered by a memorial in his old school and by a wedding cope that is kept in the church where he married Christina.

He was a free spirit with an all-consuming passion for Roxy Music and David Bowie and with a smile that could light up a room.

He is still greatly missed by Christina, her mother Sheila and brother-in-law Tony & Jane.

“Dance away the heartaches, dance away the tears”

Family and friends are encouraged to contribute.

We will add information to this memorial as we receive it.

If you have a photo, an anecdote, or simply to say you remember him, we will be very pleased to hear from you, so please contact the sama office at [email protected]