Admiral Sir Raymond Lygo KCB

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Admiral Sir Raymond Lygo KCB 1924-2012

It is with great sadness that I inform you all that Admiral Sir Raymond Lygo has crossed the bar at his home in Portugal on the 7th March after a short illness.
HMS Lowestoft was his first ship command from 1961-1963 in an illustrious career. It was a great honour that he was able to attend our first reunion in Oct 2011, an event that he and Lady Lygo enjoyed very much. I know you will all join me in sending our most sincere condolences on behalf of the HMS Lowestoft Association to Lady Lygo and the family.
Sir Raymond was an inspiration to us all and he will be sorely missed
Attached is the Obituary published in the "TIMES" of 13 March 2012

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Very sad, we all have to go sometime, but to lose a great man like this is a tragedy. R.I.P.

Very sad news indeed R.I.P

Well said Ian,very sad. So nice to have had him at our first reunion.

I agree with what everyone has said,it was a privelige to meet him at the reunion,he must have been a great skipper to serve under.I was very amused by his comments on Lady Mayoresses in the little speech he gave,having had experience of a few of them at Sea Cadet functions,he was dead right about them.

As many will know (my time 72 on) some officers had qualifications but no CDF, it was up to officers like the Admiral to teach them how to care for their men.

It was obvious to all, at last years reuion, that Admiral Sir Rayond Lygo KCB, really cared, his attendance alone proved that, and his smile at meeting his shipmates again showed his feelings for you all.

I would request, those from his era as Captain, would allow us to join in a toast, at this years reuion to celebrate the life of a good man.

Lowies forever.

So sad to hear the news that the Skipper of the first commish had past over the bar. He was the best skipper I served under. We can all can drink our tot's now without going hard a starboard.

I can relate to all that has been said here, it is a shame, but they dont breed em like that anymore.
R.I.P.Attachment 1438

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Originally Posted by Sandy Sanders

I can relate to all that has been said here, it is a shame, but they dont breed em like that anymore.
R.I.P.

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They certainly don't Sandy.

The following message has been received from Lady Lygo:-

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Dear Mr. MacKenzie,
Thank you for your kind words of condolence which I shall share with the rest of the family. The Lowestoft Reunion last October was the last big function Sir Raymond ever attended, and he thoroughly enjoyed being amongst the ship's company, reminiscing about happy times.

Yours sincerely
Lady Lygo

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Cheers Ian,Admiral Lygo had a very varied career,both in the RN and outside didn't he?And it was brilliant that as 1st Skipper of the Lowie he found the time to attend the reunion last October,I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that he will be sorely missed,obvously by especially his family,but also by all of us.

Very sad news indeed. I'd never met him before but I was touched by his smiling aknowledgment of me at the reunion. He struck me as a true gentleman. May he rest in peace.

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Originally Posted by Chas

Very sad news indeed. I'd never met him before but I was touched by his smiling aknowledgment of me at the reunion. He struck me as a true gentleman. May he rest in peace.

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Also with me Chas,like you I had never met him before the reunion,but he had a smile and a word for all of us didn't he? As you said a true gentleman. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time for them.

Attached is the Obituary from the "Daily Telegraph" dated 23 March 2012

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We all think during our time in the Navy that we have one special ship and one special skipper. Well, I like all the first commission had that privilege, and its a sad day to hear of the passing over of our skipper.
At the reunion we all had a few minutes with him before the start of dinner......it was like pushing the years back in the split of a second.
One of the lads remarked to the skipper..........sir, "you were a great Captain and we would have followed you anywhere you wanted us to go"........... there is nothing else to say............. time served vg sup

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Originally Posted by sugna2

We all think during our time in the Navy that we have one special ship and one special skipper. Well, I like all the first commission had that privilege, and its a sad day to hear of the passing over of our skipper.
At the reunion we all had a few minutes with him before the start of dinner......it was like pushing the years back in the split of a second.
One of the lads remarked to the skipper..........sir, "you were a great Captain and we would have followed you anywhere you wanted us to go"........... there is nothing else to say............. time served vg sup

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Well said.

It was with great sadness that I read today via your newsletter of the death of Ray Lygo having missed it in the national press.
Few present at the reunion, like myself could failed to have been moved when, obviously frail but refusing all offers of help, managed to gain his feet to deliver a speech of characteristic vigour, insight and humour, giving as at all times, nothing less than he felt was expected of him.
Both Admirals present that night I think , perfectly represented an age when we seemed to effortlessly produce a succession of such men who can be compared in every respect, to the most illustrious of their predecessors, conducting themselves at all times, in finest traditions of the Service. In my time I grew used to being able to follow such men without question, found, that the biggest adaptation that I had to make in civilian life, was to discover that outside of the Services, people occupy all sorts of positions of rank and authority at every level – for no good or apparent reason. There seemed to be then (as is even more apparent today) no understanding at all of the essential and crucial differences between mere administration or management and leadership. Understanding that loyalty, trust and respect have to be earned. Both of these men were/are natural leaders – able to employ the same attributes that made them so successful in the Services, to go on and build significant second careers in industry. Speaking with undimmed authority, passion and energy it is by no means clear that John Treacher considers his contribution to be by any means over. Sadly these days few choose to listen to such a voice born of hard won experience. There can be no doubt that our nation will come to regret not doing so. ‘One thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history’

Admiral Sir Raymond Lygo was a man of demonstrable and proven courage professionalism and integrity, who demanded the highest standards of competence and probity from those about him but was, as was the measure of the man, the most demanding of these virtues in and of, himself.
He will be missed.

Jimdavis, what a wonderful obituary. You have captured the essence of service life so completely. It makes me proud to say that I would have followed my captain (John Treacher) to the edge of the world and back again. Strange, but he was the only skipper that I ever felt like that about. True leaders of men. God bless them.

Although niether of the Admirals were my skipper on the Lowie,and from my brief meeting with them at last year's renion I agree wholeheartedly with what has been said.Also our skipper on the 2nd Commish,Cdr.Fawcett,while not having as successful a career as the 2 Admirals,was also a true Gentleman in my opinion.He has also now crossed the bar.

And,I agree with Jock,what a lovely obituary from Jim Davis.Well said mate.