Ernest Russell Lyon ( 1923-1944)

[puffin]

I have just been trying to upload some pictures to the Gallery, my first attempts have failed, any tips please for how to start on this?

Thanks

Puffin

[puffin]

I have now, after a bit of trial and error, managed to upload three images, which can be found in the Puffin folder in the User Galleries in the Gallery.
http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... ?pos=-1317
http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... ?pos=-1318
http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... ?pos=-1319

I have failed to upload one photo of "A" Flight 234 Squadron, with Spitfire, and am not sure why this is misbehaving.

I will keep on trying.

Thanks to all for your interest.

Puffin
<image URLS added LesleyB>

[puffin]

A Photo of "A" Flight 234 Squadron is now uploaded to the Puffin folder.
This was taken in the winter of 1943/4 at RAF Coltishall by David Ferguson who kindly provided me with the original from which this copy has been made.

The photo also appears in the book Spitfire MkV in Action, RAF Operations in Northern Europe, by Peter Caygill, published by Airlife in 2001, where there is reference to the 234 Squadron Mission (Rhubarb 323) of 27.7.1944, and to "Ben" Lyon, who did not return from that mission, at page 212.

Thanks for adding the picture links

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... ?pos=-1320

Puffin

Additional Gallery URL added - AndrewP

[puffin]

Thanks for adding the URL link Andrew.

Russell Lyon was in the Boy Scouts in Colinton Edinburgh and during 1939-40 was Patrol Leader for Eagle Patrol No.4.

In the logbook of this Patrol, kept by Russell and others, names mentioned include Alan (Jumbo) Sharp, Bill Clapham, Richard Widdowson, Peter (Basil) Barsby, Ronald (Ginger) Jack, David Hutchison, Malcolm MacDougal, Charlie Aitken, R.Stephen.

He attended George Watson's School, and played in the Rugby First XV.
(exact dates unknown but during the 1930's).

The above information is added in case others carrying out research might recognize their relatives, or there may be others who have memories of Russell from this era?

Puffin

[joette]

As Russell was a Boy Scout try contacting Scouts UK as they would be very interested in this story.They may have Archive material of him too!!
A proud Beaver Scout Leader .

[claudette]

Hi Puffin

It is so heart-warming to read success stories like yours - what a fitting memorial for Russell that his story has finally been told.

How wonderful also that not only has your elder brother visited the crash site and what is probably Russell's proper grave, but that he has been able to meet the elderly farmer who was the eye-witness to the crash.

I'm sure that the Squadron's 90th anniversary reunion weekend you are attending in September will be a very emotional time for all concerned.

Thank you for sharing it all with us. I especially appreciated seeing the photos - what a good looking young man he was.

Kind regards
Claudette

[DavidWW]

George Watson's School should have a record of the years that he was there.

David

[puffin]

This is just a small update and firstly to respond to David's suggestion to contact George Watson's School. This I have now done and the school has kindly sent me I an image of the war memorial and also a detail with Russell's name, together with other details.

Secondly, last weekend I was invited to join the 234 Squadron 90th Anniversary Reunion Weekend held at RAF Cranwell where I met and spoke at length with several old members of 234 Squadron, including two pilots who knew and flew with Russell. One had even received flying lessons from Russell in America where Russell had his pilot training before becoming a pilot instructor. This pilot is in the photo in the gallery on this site. He told me he was cleaning the spitfire when someone suggested a group photo be taken, so he is identifiable as the only one not wearing a flying jacket, he is roughly central in a jumper, and with his sleeves rolled up. When Russell was teaching others to fly he must have been only 19 or 20 at the time. Some of the stories I heard were fascinating, if not also a little hair raising.

In the grand foyer of the RAF College there was a piece of the Merlin engine (it looked like a gear) from Russell's Spitfire that had been given to the squadron by the French who had excavated the plane engine in 2001-3. This had been cleaned up, silvered, and mounted on a piece of hardwood with a description of what it was and where it had come from, and was on display prominently for the weekend between the portraits of the Queen and Prince Philip.

There was also a Spitfire flypast on the Friday evening, an excellent guided tour of the RAF College on Saturday afternoon and then a most enjoyable black tie dinner in the evening.

I understand that matters are moving slowly but surely with the authorities regarding the potential positive identification of the grave at Guidel, but cannot yet be wholly confident what the result is going to be.

Watch this space for further news which I will post now and again.

Puffin

[puffin]

This is just a short piece being added for the time being. There is a lot happening on this story which I will post about later, so for the time being......

One of the 234 squadron pilots who I met in September, and who flew with Russell in 1943-4, mentioned the name of another pilot to me, whose family coincidentally live just 6 miles away from me. Last weekend I made contact with his daughter, as he now is elderly and in care. This pilot flew on the fateful mission with the 8 spitfires that left RAF Predannack on 27th July form which my uncle did not return.

She showed me her father's Pilot's log book with the entry for 27.7.1944 which included the short statement that Red 3 was lost.

There was also much else that I saw from his RAF WW2 service, many photos, the various maps and escape kit that pilots carried when over Europe, including diagrams of german aircraft and how to start them(!), all in all a terrific collection of material, well presented and carefully kept.

Also there was a photo with my uncle and other pilots, taken at Deanland, nr Lewes where 234 squadron were stationed from 30th April 1944 in the lead up to D-Day, and where they left on 19th June for RAF Predannack.

And so I was most pleased to get copies of this additional contemporary record and the photo to add to everything else that i now have.

And as Remembrance Day approaches this year I am thinking that all this has been achieved in the twelve months since my posting on the Remembrance Day Board about this time last year.

Puffin

[puffin]

This is just a short update again......

I have written on this subject for my local Parish Magazine, to be included in the edition closest to Remembrance Day just passed, and that has now occurred.The circulation of this publication is not massive!

A shortened version has also now appeared in the Colinton News, the Newsletter of Colinton Church, Edinburgh, where Russell Lyon's name appears on the War Memorial, and also is remembered on his mother's ( d 1935 ) and father's grave ( d 1985).

Following the issue of the Colinton News I received a letter on saturday last week from someone who used to live just a house or two away from Russell in Bonaly Road Colinton, and had distant memories of that era, he gave me his memories of that time in the 1920's. He was born in the house in Bonaly Road in 1926 ( four years after Russell was born), and also happens now to live in North Yorkshire fairly close to where my own parents lived ) in the 1960's to 1990's,and where I was also resident for a while 1966-1972 whilst living the student life.

There is no news yet on the RAF/CWGC enquiry other than that problems loom with the imminent closure of RAF Innsworth (at the end of 2007), from where the enquiry team employed by the MOD are based. The kind and willing people there who work on these kind of issues have an uncertain future and a backlog of cases to administer. At present I do not know what will happen when this closure of RAF Innsworth occurs.

I am told that the material submitted that was in the french language has now been translated, but the issue is "spot the difference" and to establish from a rather thick file if anything new has appeared that will provide certainty of identification of the grave of 29.7.1944 at Guidel other than all of the circumstantial facts.

I conclude from that "service speak" that nothing dramatic is going to occur for sometime yet.

Yours, a little less optimistically

Puffin