In photo albums I have many pictures of him as a younger half brother to my father, Stanley Lyon.
The Scotsman press cuttings that I have show Ernest Russell Lyon to be missing in Action in November 1944, and then Presumed Killed in June 1945.
His name is also on my grandfathers' gravestone ( Ernest Hutcheon Lyon) in Colinton Cemetery, Edinburgh, with that also of his mother Elizabeth Wright Pealling where I had also thought (until now) that Russell was buried.
Over the last weekend I had contact from a local history researcher in Ploemeur, who had seen my November 2006 posting on this site about Russell. He was full of information regarding the unearthing of the remains of a Spitfire in 2003, at Ploemeur, and then also of an (officially) unidentified war grave of a RAF pilot at Guidel, buried just two days after the crash of 27th July 1944. Included in the information are photographs of the remains of the Spitfire found in 2003.
Today I have heard that the local record shows that the pilot was seen to be leaving the cockpit just as the Spitfire hit the ground.
This was a 234 Squadron Mission to attack the airfield at Kerlin-Bastard.
Eight pilots left their base in Cornwall. Six returned, the leader parachuted to safety but Russell Lyon did not return to base. I have all the pliots names and Spitfire references from today's contact from the researcher in France, to whom I ( and my brothers) are now deeply indebted.
All the present signs are suggesting that this unmarked grave at Guidel is that of Ernest Russell Lyon.
I will keep this board posted with further news of this, and if this proves to be my uncle I will be singing from the rooftops in his memory... however some serious research will still need to be undertaken to prove this.






And three cheers too for the power of the TalkingScot site and the Internet in helping to solve these issues.
Puffin