This biography is about Graham Ashton, my great grandfather.

Graham Ashton was born in Auckland on the 29 of November 1915. His parents were George and Hilda. He was the second youngest of six children. The other childrens names were Avis, Nancy, Marjorie, June and Bruce. Graham went to Auckland Grammar as a student. The most important and significant sport to Graham was sailing. He started this at a young age and then went on to crew a fairly big and fast yacht. When Graham was a bit older he played lawn bowls.

Graham's middle name was Mitford; it is a family name that goes back to the 1700s originally with Lancelot Mitford. It has since been passed down through the generations through both women and men. Grahams mum was Hilda Mitford and my dads name is Craig Mitford.

Graham was in the Second World War as a navigator of a Lancaster Bomber in the Pacific Islands 1939. He was 29 when he went. He met his wife in 1945, after the war. They were married in 1946. Her name was Catherine Pop. My Grandad was their only child and was born on the 1 of October 1947. His name was Warick. The family moved to wellington in 1950 and Graham spent most of his working life there. His last job was as a general manager of an import/export business called Toop and Johnson. In 1976 he retired and they moved back to Auckland.

Graham's wife Catherine bought tickets as a birthday present for them both to go on a flight to Antarctica on 28 November 1979. But she changed her mind and decided that he should go with his friend Roy. Roy was the captain of the Lancaster Bomber that they flew in the war. Sadly, the flight crashed into Mount Erebus and Graham and Roy never returned. At 12.49 p.m.on a sightseeing flight, Air New Zealand Flight TE901, crashed into the lower slopes of Mt Erebus killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew on board. Graham died one day before his 64th birthday.