by scully » Fri Nov 03, 2006 12:45 pm
Hi Phil,
I believe that John Michael Lyons was an officer cadet (number 1434056) and after training he was first commissioned as an officer into the East Yorkshire Regiment on the 19th February 1944 as a 2nd Lieutenant (number then changed to 308436).
Lieutenant John Michael Lyons was posted to the 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment on the 9th September 1944 and renained with the battalion until the end of the war. At the time he arrived the 1st Battalion were resting at the village of Pressagny L’Orgueilleux which was by the River Seine on the opposite side to the town of Vernon. The battalion with 214 Brigade had just fought a hard battle at Vernon.
Early in September the battalion received reinforcements of officers and men who were transferred from the 59th (Stafordshire) Infantry Division, which was being disbanded. The men were almost exclusively from the Staffordshire Regiment and the officers included Major William Harry Broome (afterwards killed-in-action), Lieut. Ronald Henry Jauncey, Lieut. (afterwards Capt.) John Michael Lyons, and Lieut. (later Capt.) Peter E. Gray.
Lieutenant John Michael Lyons was posted to the Carrier Platoon of the 1st Battalion. He saw action at the Battle for Elst during the Market Garden operation in September 1944. He as was involved in the Battle for Tripsrath where many men of the carrier Platoon were killed or wounded. He aslo was with the Battlion during the remaining actions at Goch, The Autobahn Attack and the Ahlhorn Crossroads attack.
I will send you an email with further details.
Regards,
Louis