Seán McGrail, former Keeper and Head of Archaeology at the National Maritime Museum, died on 28 June, seven weeks after his 93rd birthday. Although of Irish background, McGrail was born in Leeds on 5 May 1928 and baptized John Francis. In 1946, from Cockburn High School, he was the first ‘stategrammar’ boy to join the Britannia Royal Naval College, then still evacuated at Eaton Hall, Cheshire. After first serving as a seaman sublieutenant in the destroyer Chieftain, in 1951 he transferred to the Fleet Air Arm. There, on objecting to ‘Seamus’, he was dubbed ‘Seán’ as a pilot in fixed-wing, piston and jet, and rotarywing aircraft; as such he amassed 3,000 hours flying time, 500 arrested deck-landings and 300 catapult shots, and qualified as an Air Warfare Instructor and Instrument Rating Examiner. In 821 Squadron on HMS Glory, he flew 121 Korean War operational sorties in 1952-3 and in 1962-3 commanded 849 Squadron (Airborne Electronic Warfare).
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