John Lyons Archive.
18 images Created 16 Apr 2014
WILLIAM LYONS
Born 1920 – died 1978, occupation - printers compositor, he worked in Fleet Street on the Daily Mail and London Evening News
At the outbreak of war he volunteered for the RAF but had to wait until October 1940 at age 20 to commence training.
By March 1943 he had qualified as a WOP/AG (wireless operator & air gunner) and joined 413 squadron Coastal Command at Stranraer Scotland. He was then posted to Ceylon arriving at Koggala in April.
413 squadron was in fact an RCAF unit as most of the crews came to England to join the war effort from Canada. The squadron flew Catalina flying boats which were ideally suited for maritime operations from Koggala lagoon.
The squadrons primary functions were air surveillance, search and rescue missions and anti submarine patrols. A typical flight could last for 10 or more hours often at night over the Indian ocean. These long flights over the sea could be hazardous with the constant risk of attack from Japanese fighter aircraft or shipping, or engine failure.
Ironically, having survived himself, he returned home in August 1944 knowing that his parents and sister had been killed by a German V bomb earlier that year.
At the end of the war and with the rank of Warrant Officer he had clocked up a total of 1100 hours of flying and eventually returned to his former employers where he completed a 7 year apprenticeship.
Like many of his generation he regarded his military service as a duty and was modest about his role. He rarely spoke of his wartime experiences and that I never thought to ask him about such things is a matter of much regret to me.
However, a recent visit to the lovely Island of Sri Lanka and with clues from those old photographs has provided some consolation by helping me to piece together this part of my Dads life.
Best wishes
John Lyons
20.4.14
Born 1920 – died 1978, occupation - printers compositor, he worked in Fleet Street on the Daily Mail and London Evening News
At the outbreak of war he volunteered for the RAF but had to wait until October 1940 at age 20 to commence training.
By March 1943 he had qualified as a WOP/AG (wireless operator & air gunner) and joined 413 squadron Coastal Command at Stranraer Scotland. He was then posted to Ceylon arriving at Koggala in April.
413 squadron was in fact an RCAF unit as most of the crews came to England to join the war effort from Canada. The squadron flew Catalina flying boats which were ideally suited for maritime operations from Koggala lagoon.
The squadrons primary functions were air surveillance, search and rescue missions and anti submarine patrols. A typical flight could last for 10 or more hours often at night over the Indian ocean. These long flights over the sea could be hazardous with the constant risk of attack from Japanese fighter aircraft or shipping, or engine failure.
Ironically, having survived himself, he returned home in August 1944 knowing that his parents and sister had been killed by a German V bomb earlier that year.
At the end of the war and with the rank of Warrant Officer he had clocked up a total of 1100 hours of flying and eventually returned to his former employers where he completed a 7 year apprenticeship.
Like many of his generation he regarded his military service as a duty and was modest about his role. He rarely spoke of his wartime experiences and that I never thought to ask him about such things is a matter of much regret to me.
However, a recent visit to the lovely Island of Sri Lanka and with clues from those old photographs has provided some consolation by helping me to piece together this part of my Dads life.
Best wishes
John Lyons
20.4.14
