Carpenter John Lyttle was the husband of Lily Lyttle of Derry~Londonderry. He served on S.S. Empire Lytton when it came under attack from U-442 in 1943.
Carpenter
Carpenter John Lyttle served in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War. He was the son of James Lyttle and Sarah Lyttle, and the husband of Lily Lyttle of Derry~Londonderry. Carpenter Lyttle died on 9th January 1943 aged 46 years old while serving on S.S. Empire Lytton.
At 0727hrs on 9th January 1943, U-442 attacked convoy TM-1 west of the Canary Islands, torpedoing S.S. Empire Lytton. The Chief Officer, ten crew members, and four gunners died as a result. H.M.S Saxifrage picked up survivors landing them at Gibraltar and H.M.S. Havelock tried but failed to scuttle the stricken vessel. At 1450hrs, U-442 found the tanker once more, firing a second torpedo but the British vessel remained afloat until a final torpedo attack at 1938hrs.
Carpenter Lyttle has no known grave and his name is on Panel 43 of the Tower Hill Memorial, London, England.