Hollywood royalty: Flynn (right), the son of Hollywood actor Errol Flynn, (left) vanished in April 1970 after travelling to the country at the height of the Vietnam war when he was 28

Did this camera once belong to Errol Flynn's missing war photographer son? Battered Nikon bought on eBay has same initials as Sean Flynn who disappeared in Cambodia 

• Photojournalist, 28, vanished in 1970 at the height of the Vietnam War
• He and fellow photographer Dana Stone feared to have been captured
• They were never seen again and Flynn was declared dead in 1984
• Paul Turner, 71, believes he has bought Flynn's camera on eBay for £51
• Old Nikon model has initials 'SF' scratched onto its base
• Camera thought to have come from Indo-China and model dates to 1960s 

Daily Mail | 24 November 2014 

A battered Nikon camera bought on eBay is believed to have once belonged to missing war photographer Sean Flynn who disappeared in Cambodia. 

Flynn, the son of Hollywood actor Errol Flynn, vanished in April 1970 after travelling to the country when the Vietnam war spilled into Cambodia when he was 28.

Attempts to find out what happened to Flynn and fellow American photojournalist Dana Stone, who was also on the assignment, have drawn a blank and he was declared dead in absentia in 1984.

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Discovery: A battered Nikon camera bought on eBay (right) is believed to have once belonged to missing war photographer Sean Flynn (left) who disappeared in Cambodia

However, freelance photographer Paul Turner from Fishguard, in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, has bought what he believes was Flynn's old Nikon F camera on the online auction site.

The model, which dates back to the 1960s, has been scratched with the faded initials SF on its base. 

'The camera was said to have been found in a French flea market and is supposed to have come from Indo-China, which could mean Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos or anywhere in that part of the world,' said Mr Turner, 71.

'It was in a pretty bad state, if I’m honest, which is why I managed to get it for just £51.'

Buyer: Freelance photographer Paul Turner from Fishguard, in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, has bought what he believes was Flynn's old Nikon F camera

Mr Turner had been cleaning the camera when he noticed that SF had been carved into it.

'That got me wondering more and more whether it might have once belonged to Sean Flynn,' he said.

'According to the serial number it was built between November 1967 and January 1968, which is the right time frame, and it is documented that Flynn — like most Vietnam War photographers — did occasionally use a Nikon F.

'I then looked up the list of photographers who were killed or went missing in Vietnam and Flynn was the only one with those initials at that period.

Family: Errol and Sean Flynn are pictured together in London in 1956 when Sean was a teenager

'A magnifying glass shows the initials were carved before the scratches appeared, indicating they were done when the camera was new.

'As one myself, I can state with complete certainty that any photographer putting his camera down with a dozen others in a camera pool would definitely leave his initials on it to avoid any confusion.'

Flynn and Stone disappeared after they were captured by communist-led guerrillas at a roadblock.

Two hours earlier the young friends had been pictured setting off on motorbikes to investigate reports that a Vietcong patrol was in the area.

Disappearance: Flynn and cameraman Dana Stone (right) disappeared after they were apparently captured by communist-led guerrillas at a roadblock

The two men’s failure to return sparked widespread speculation about their fate that persists to this day, whilst their dare-devil approach, dangerous assignments and mysterious disappearance inspired the 2010 film The Road to Freedom.

Mr Turner believes the riddle over whether the camera did indeed belong to Flynn could one day be solved. 

'Nikon could establish from its serial number who originally bought it,' he said.

'I’m sure the guy who put that camera on eBay can have had absolutely no idea of its possible history.

“If I knew I had Sean Flynn’s camera, I definitely wouldn’t have auctioned it on eBay — I’d have gone straight to Sothebys.'

WHAT HAPPENED TO SEAN FLYNN? THE THEORIES SURROUNDING PHOTOGRAPHER'S DISAPPEARANCE IN APRIL 1970 

Born in May 1941, Sean Flynn was the only child to be born to actor Errol Flynn and his first wife, French actress Lili Damita.

As a teenager, Flynn had appeared in an episode of his father's television show, The Errol Flynn Theatre as well as several films, but grew tired of acting and tried his hand at being a safari guide in Kenya and a sing, eventually turning to photojournalism.

He travelled to Vietnam as a freelance photographer in 1966 and soon developed a reputation for being among a group of daredevil photojournalists who were prepared to go into combat in order to get the best pictures, and spent some time embedded with Special Forces units.

Vanished: Dana Stone (left) and Sean Flynn (right) were captured by communist guerrillas at a roadblock

After taking time out to appear in his final film, and a stint covering the Arab-Israeli war in 1967, Flynn returned to Vietnam to make a documentary about the conflict.

In early 1970 he travelled into Cambodia, but on April 6, while working for Time magazine, he and cameraman Dana Stone were captured by communist guerrillas at a roadblock while riding rented motorcycles from Phnom Penh to a Cambodian war zone.

They were never seen or heard from again, and their remains have never been found - sparking a number of theories about what may have happened to them. 

The most widely-held theory is that they were held captive for more than a year before being handed over to and killed by rebel soldiers known as the Khmer Rouge in June 1971.

However, others have speculated that Flynn survived and may even still be alive. 

Damita had spent thousands searching for her missing son, but had him declared dead in 1984. She died ten years later.

In March 2010 a British team part-funded by Flynn's half-sister Rory believed they had found Flynn's remains at a grave site in the eastern Kampong Cham province, but DNA tests found no match to members of his family.

Flynn's life has inspired The Clash song Sean Flynn, and the 2011 film The Road To Freedom.