Born in London, Daniel Lyons joined the Army in 1943. 

Having initially trained as a wireless operator in the Royal Signals, Daniel’s life took an unexpected turn upon being asked if he wanted to volunteer for parachute training, as part of the 6th Airborne Divisional Signals.

On the 5th of June, after several weeks of rigorous training, he and his crew made their way to France, where they planned to parachute into Normandy as part of the D-Day effort.

For Daniel, however, the jump didn’t go so smoothly.

As his crew were preparing to move out, he tripped and fell head first out of the plane, landing safely on the ground, but unable to locate the Engineers waiting for him. In this interview, he recalls the sheer mix of nerves and excitement he experienced during the jump, and what it was like to be shot at mid-air for the first time.

Reflecting on his time as a paratrooper, Daniel describes his most vivid memory being jumping through the hole in the floor of the Sterling. As well as being proud of the part he played during the war, he also stresses being motivated by the fact that the Army was ‘your mate’, and a mate you certainly didn’t want to disappoint.