RMBX 899 Sam Dyer

admin · RMBX 899 Sam Dyer

It is with much sadness that I inform the Band Service of the death of RMBX 899 Sam Dyer, who passed away on Sunday 25th June after a long illness.

Sam joined the Band Service in 1936 and joined his first ship, HMS Renown, in September 1939. He spent a year at HMS Cochrane 1942 - 42 and joined HMS Ramillies May 1943 until a draft to RN School of Music in February 1945. Between 1945 and discharge in 1952, he had a number of drafts including HMS Scotia, HMS Duke (training ship) HMS Imperieuse, back to the School of Music, HMS Triumph, HMS Euryalus, HMS Forth and his last draft, HMS Ganges.

I met Sam and I remember my first conversation with him over the phone. He gave me a brief resume of his service and it was then that I realised I was only 9 months old when he left the Service. It was during this call that I found out that he had family all over the world and he told me that our first meeting would have to wait until he returned from visiting some of them in Canada. In the short time I knew him he also visited family in South Africa and was due to go to Australia earlier this year, but had to cancel due to his illness. I know how disappointed he was about this as he hoped to meet up with Don Flounders again.

Over the past couple of years we became good friends, and it was a great privilege that I was able to take him to his first Band Service Reunion in 2005. It gave him immense pleasure that so many ex bandies wanted to talk to him and listen to a few of his stories. He thought the display by the Band was great and thoroughly enjoyed the whole weekend.

Even though he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he hoped he would make this year’s reunion. Sadly, it is not to be, as another of our extended family leaves us. I was asked by his family to select music for his funeral and during the Reunion weekend we visited the RM Museum where Sam bought a CD of the 2004 Mountbatten Concert, so I selected music from that CD. Sam was born in Belfast but spent his early years in Scotland, so he will be played in with the evening hymn, Dark Island and played out to The Light of the World.
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