Messages posted by: Martin Lyon

Trying to find information about my Dad's service, before re-enlistment and filling in the gaps and details of the service record, who he served with and where, any action he experienced and that sort of thing, would appreciate any contact and assistance.

QMS Norman Frederick (Ben) Lyon DoB: 28th June 1926 passed away on 21st June 2013.
Service No: PLY/X 4487 Formerly PLY/X 113094 (7)?

Plymouth Re-Enlisted 02-Nov-43
Plymouth Div A Marine 19-Sep-44 01-Nov-44
St Angelo (VTC) A Marine 02-Nov-44 22-Dec-44
HMS Orion A Marine 23-Dec-44 08-Mar-45
HMS Orion A Marine 09-Mar-45 25-Jun-45
Fareham A Marine 26-Jun-45 20-Jan-46
HMS Aurora A Marine 21-Jan-46 02-Sep-46
Plymouth Div A Marine 03-Sep-46 14-Apr-47
RM Bks Stonehouse G Corporal(D) 15-Apr-47 25-Nov-47
ITC RM G Corporal 26-Nov-47 23-Sep-48
TTC RM (ITCRM) Corporal 24-Sep-48 15-Oct-48
ITCRM Corporal 16-Oct-48 22-Oct-48
TTCRM Corporal 23-Oct-48 04-Nov-48
RM Bks Eastney Corporal 05-Nov-48 09-Dec-48
RM Bks Eastney Sig Sch Corporal 10-Dec-48 12-Mar-50 17-May-49 Granted Hurt Certificate
RM Bks Plymouth Corporal 13-Mar-50 12-Apr-50
3 Cdo Bde (40 Cdo) Corporal 13-Apr-50 13-Sep-50
On Passage Corporal 14-Sep-50 12-Oct-50
TTC RM Bks Eastney Corporal 13-Oct-50 04-Mar-51
RM Bks Eastney Amphib Sch Corporal 05-Mar-51 25-Mar-51
RM Bks Eastney Amphib Sch Sergeant (D) 26-Feb-51 30-Sep-55
RM Bks Eastney ?? Sch Sergeant (T) 01-Oct-55 14-Jan-57
St Angelo (RMTC) Sergeant (T) 15-Jan-57 06-Oct-59
RM Bks Eastney Sergeant (T) 07-Oct-59 02-Feb-60
41 Commando RM Clr Sgt (T) 03-Feb-60 08-Apr-65
41 Commando RM A/QMS (T) 09-Apr-65 26-Jun-65
41 Commando RM QMS (T) 27-Jun-65 27-Jul-65
41 Commando RM A/RSM (T) 28-Jul-65 25-May-66
RM Bks Eastney Pensioned QMS (T) 26-May-66 02-Jul-66

Switching to a Technical role.

Marines in peace time.

Life in the jungle during the Malaya Emergency.

Good evening,

Regarding our late Father, Norman Frederick (Ben) Lyon who sadly passed away on 21st June 2013 , we really hope you can help us with filling in the knowledge gaps.

Ply/X 4487 formerly Ply/X 113097 Re-Enlisted 2nd November 1943 Pensioned 2nd July 1966 DoB 28th June 1926

We have attached and enclosed below most of the relevant images and records we have. This seems to deal with his time since re-enlisting (??) but tells us nothing prior to that. Also his service medals have gone missing.

We have vague recollections of our Dad telling us about his first active service as a young Marine onboard ship as a forward gunner, landings in South Italy, Yugoslavia with Tito?s Partisans, D Day landings, France and Germany, the Mediterranean, Middle and Far East, in particular Malaya where he was wounded, but no details or factual information. The service records are extraordinarily vague and it is difficult for a lay-person to access meaningful information.

As a family we accompanied him for a few years to Malta in the late 50?s, returned with him to service in Portsmouth Eastney, Plymouth Bickleigh and back to Eastney which was his final posting.

As a family we would like to understand more about where he served, the units he was part of, any actions he was involved in, the colleagues he would have served with and the sort of difficulties he would have experienced.

One of the images above seems to indicate he was on an aircraft carrier but there is no mention of this.

We do hope you will be able to help us fill in the gaps and look forward to hearing from you..

Kind regards

Martin Lyon