70th Squadron, Royal Air Force.

Awarded the Air Force Medal in the London Gazette of 12 July 1920.

Yeadon was a native of Burnley, Lancashire.

The Burnley Express reported, PEACE TIME ENTERPRISE. FLIGHT-SERGEANT, GETS HIS AIR FORCE MEDAL. For a courageous and enterprising act in Egypt, Flight - 3592 Sergeant John Yeadon, of 62, Brougham Street, Burnley has been awarded the Air Force Medal. The following appeared in the orders following the occurrence "Act of distinguished conduct". The A.O.C. desires to draw attention to a very useful action performed by the under mentioned N.C.O. on 17 March 1920. "While Handley Page No. D5449 was in flight between Luxor and Assouan engine trouble was experienced. The N.C.O. was consulted to diagnose the trouble and volunteered to crawl out to the port engine and oil the valves. He successfully performed this duty, working for ten minutes oiling the valves of the engine while the machine was flying at no more than 400 feet over very difficult country in the Nile Gorges, where a forced landing, would otherwise have been inevitable, would have created disaster and probable loss of the machine". The A.O.C. directs that an entry be made in this N.C.O.'s documents in accordance with King's Orders for the Royal Air Force, para, 1919 (XIV), Number 3592 Flight Sergeant J. Yeadon, 70th Squadron. When he performed this serviceable piece of work the flight sergeant was one of a crew of six, comprising two colonels, two clerks, a pilot and himself. When he joined up in February 1915, in the Royal Flying Corps, he was sent to the Flying School at Upavon, and was trained in the engine shop in experimental and instruction work, and was made corporal. Then he was drafted to France on special duty flights, and was promoted to flight sergeant and chief mechanic. He was in France until 1920, when he took on for a further period, and was sent to Cairo. While he was there last year he was chosen to go as engineer in charge on a flight from Cairo to India and back, when he flew over Jerusalem and Damascus, Damascus to Bagdad, and Bagdad to Basra, through Afghanistan. This was the first flight over the Syrian Desert. The flight for which the sergeant has received his decoration was one from Cairo to Kartoum on a survey of Northern Egypt, visiting Kartoum, Omdurman, Theba, Ballana, Wadi Halfa, Assoun, Phyleh, Luxor, Karnak and El Ballas. Flight - Sergeant Yeadon is the grandson of Mr. John Yeadon, who was boiler and engine inspector, president of the Burnley Cooperative Society, and director of Burnley Building Society. He served his time to the engineering industry at Simpson's of Hapton, and attending the Technical School at nights.