Corporal Eric Lyon was one of the few tertiary-educated men among those from Papanui who were killed in World War I. He was a solicitor in the Wellington legal firm of Franks, Hunter and Lyon. His origins were in Wellington, but he spent time in Christchurch working for the legal firm of Russell and Anthony. It is possible that he resided in Papanui during this time, hence his connection to the district. He had enlisted in November 1916, and after training he arrived in France in time to join the Canterbury Battalion, surviving the battle of Passchendaele and the defence of Amiens. After a fortnight's leave in England in August 1918, he returned to his company to be promoted to Corporal to replace the wounded Corporal Pitt. He was killed in action on 29 September 1918, leaving a widow Edith and a four year old son William. In an obituary in the The Lyttelton Times, he was described as “a man of sterling character and exceptional ability, and was highly respected by all with whom he came in contact.”
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