A quirk of fate,

When David Richards, chief executive and co-founder of digital firm WANdisco, bought a home in the Peak District district recently he started hunting for items to help him restore the property.

While looking around Gilbert and Son's antiques store on Sharrow Vale Road in Sheffield, he happened upon a Second World War army trunk.

What attracted David was not only the character of the piece, but also the fact that the address printed on it was the same road where his grandparents had lived on in the 1930s.

"It had some sentimental value for me,” David said. So he bought the box, took it home and showed it to his parents.

His mother immediately remembered the family and said, “Ah, I remember those neighbours. They lived on the other side of the road - it was Selbourne Road in Crosspool, the Lyon family.”

The Richards family were quickly able to trace the Lyon family.

It was an unexpected knock on the door from David's father Harry, that informed David Lyon of the unexpected find and asked if he would like the kit trunk.

The Lyon family were thrilled to have the trunk back in their possession and it opened up lots of memories about Ken Lyon, the original owner of the box. “We are very grateful” said David Lyon

It turned out that it was their father's trunk when he served in the Navy during The Second World War , but it had been misplaced over the years. They had no idea it had ended up in an antique shop and were delighted that David had not only realised the significance of his find ,but was keen to return it to the rightful owner.

It was in 1940, during the Sheffield Blitz, that Doris Mary Evans had to move from her bombed out home in Broomhill to Selbourne Road to live with her parents. Ken Lyon was away serving in the Royal Navy at that point.

They met while both on leave,as Doris was serving with the Land Army, The couple married three years later and lived on Selbourne Road ,With Doris’s parents.

David has now been reunited with his father's trunk, declaring 'Sheffield is like the big village' and sharing his family's fascinating history.

Ken was born on September 3, 1920, in Southampton. He grew up on Kirkstone Road in Walkley and was one of 11 children. He was a keen sportsman, particularly boxing and swimming.

Ken was a career Seaman,’Also so known as Ben Lyon after an American film actor’ joining the Navy in 1935, well before the start of World War II as a Boy 2nd Class, aged just 15.

He volunteered to join the regular Royal Navy on his birthday - September 3, 1938 - and signed up for 12 years' service.

After completing gunnery training on HMS Iron Duke, he was appointed to a light cruiser HMS Glasgow and then transferred to the Air Fleet Arm ‘F.A.A’ in 1939. Ken also continued his love of sport and carried out duties as a physical training instructor.

He saw action in the Battle of Cape Matapan versus The Italian Navy, and was also involved in the evacuation of Greece in 1941.

While serving on HMS Formidable, an aircraft carrier, his ship was attacked by the Luthwaffe and suffered a direct hit by a 2000lb bomb, dropped by a Stuka Dive Bomber, on May 26, 1941. Ken was blown overboard by the blast but luckily did not suffer any injuries.

Shortly afterwards he was transferred to shore duties with the Fleet Air Arm in Egypt on HMS Grebe, by this stage as an acting Petty Officer.

Other appointments included a posting to America for conversion training on a new ship.

On March 6, 1943, Ken married Doris who served in the Land Army. They had their first child, David, in May 1944.

Ken joined HMS Searcher,also an aircraft carrier with 822 Squadron in January 1945, initially operating as part of the Home Fleet in the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea before being sent to the Far East. Ken was again promoted, this time to Chief Petty Officer.

After the war Ken was assigned to HMS Triumph for duties in the Mediterranean and Far East before finally being discharged from the Navy in December 1951.

Ken and Doris went on to have two further children, Anthony and Kathryn.

David said his father never really settled back into civilian life after an intense 12 years service for King and country. However, he still pursued his love of sport though boxing. coaching boxing at Sheffield University, and working as a swimming instructor at Glossop Road Swimming Baths.

Sadly Doris died in 1999 and Ken passed away in 2005.

But for a quirk of fate and an act of kindness, Ken’s kit trunk would still be languishing in an antique shop or with another family somewhere anywhere else in the world rather than back home where it belongs.

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