Wireless Operator Ian Lyle

Wireless Operator Ian Lyle, 3rd Radio Officer, Merchant Navy. He was lost at sea aboard the S.S. “Umona” on 30th April 1941 , aged 20,and is commemorated on Tower Hill Memorial, London.  He had been born at Nisbet Mill, Crailing, Roxburghshire and was the son of Thomas and Isabella Lyle of Eccles Mains farm, Eccles and Kelso.  (His twin brother Alexander also fell – see above). Before enlisting he had been employed as an electrician in Kelso. The ship  which was carrying a cargo of Pulse, Jam and Maize from Durban, South Africa and was sunk 90 miles South West of Freetown, Sierra Leone by U-124 and 100 of her crew of 105 were lost.  U-124 was herself sunk by the sloop H.M.S. “Black Swan” on 2nd April 1943 and went down with all hands.

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