John Sydney LYON

John Lyon was born on 17 August 1872 in Glenlyon (or Happy Valley), Victoria. His parents were James and Margaret (née Riddle) Lyon. He attended Scotch from 1887 to 1888.

John was a farmer when he enlisted on 1 February 1916 in Melbourne, Victoria. He served in the 57th Battalion with the rank of Sergeant. His Regimental Number was 2563.

John died on 23 February 1919 in Paris, France. He was 46 years of age.

Service record

When John enlisted he was 43 and married, and had experience farming in Queensland and New South Wales. He was a tall man, at 5 feet 10¾ inches (180 cm). After training as a Private with various Depot Battalions at Royal Park in 1916, he was transferred to the 37th Battalion at Seymour as a Corporal. On 8 September he was allotted to 5th Reinforcements to the 57th Battalion as a Sergeant, training at Broadmeadows. This group embarked from Melbourne for England on 25 September 1916. He was a Sergeant for the voyage, at the end of which they reached Plymouth, England, on 11 November 1916. As was typical, on arrival he was reverted to Private, but he was then made an Acting Sergeant with the 15th Training Battalion on 21 November.

On 30 December 1916 John proceeded overseas to France, where at the 5th Australian Divisional Base Depot he was again reverted to Private the following day, only to be made an Acting Sergeant again on 2 January 1917. The promotions and demotions would continue, but would be mainly promotions. On 7 February he was taken on strength of the 57th Battalion, reverting to Private as he did so. He was now on active service and presumably saw action at Bullecourt and Ypres with the rest of his battalion. He became a Lance Corporal on 4 March 1917, then at the end of April became an Acting Sergeant again. In June he was promoted to Corporal. He became a full Sergeant on 17 August 1917.

On 31 January 1918 he was sent to England to work with the 15th Training Battalion as a Sergeant in charge of the Permanent Cadre of the Overseas Training Brigade. He returned to France on 4 October 1918 and ‘re-transferred’ to the 57th Battalion. He contracted pneumonia and ‘died of disease (Influenza and lung complications) at the 6th Canadian General Hospital on 23 February 1919. Some official sources said, erroneously, that he died of wounds. His wife, Minnie, who lived at Lisson Grove, Hawthorn, arranged for the words on his headstone to read: ‘Son Of James & Margaret Lyon/Beloved Husband/ Of Minnie Lyon’.

John Lyon is buried in the Joinville-Le-Pont Communal Cemetery (Division 13, Grave No. 13), France.

Sources:

1. Australian War Memorial – Roll of Honour
2. Commonwealth War Graves Commission website
3. Mishura Scotch Database. The school’s Archivist, Paul Mishura, identified John as a Scotch War death in 2010. His name was added to the Memorial Hall Honour Roll in 2015.  
4. National Archives of Australia – B2455, LYON JOHN SYDNEY
5. Scotch Collegian 1919
6. The AIF Project - https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=182164