FORGOTTEN ECCLES WAR POET REMEMBERED IN NEW BOOK

A chance purchase in a Manchester bookshop by Robert Cochrane of a book of poems called, "Gleam O' Pearls which contained some faded newspaper cuttings fascinated him so much that his research unearthed an amazing story of a man who can truly be called one of the genuine lost voices of the First World War....James Lyons.

James was born in Winton, Eccles Manchester, UK on 10th September 1896 and lived in a large house called, The Hollies, on Parrin Lane long demolished and now the site of a petrol station.

He joined the Army in  November 1916 as a Private but was invalided out of service in 1917 with bad health and moved to Lytham St Anne's to be close to the sea, whilst there he wrote further poems and an opera, sadly he died in August 1918 a victim of the Spanish flu that was ravaging Europe at the time and is buried in an unmarked family grave in Peel Green cemetery.

Robert himself a poet was so moved at what he had discovered that he has written a book about James Lyons and has reprinted some of his poems in it called, "Do you Remember - the selected poems of James Lyons"

I was amazed to read in the book that James had written a poem entitled “Gallipoli – To the Fallen”, which was set to music by his friend Stanley H. Clarke and performed by the Beecham Operatic Choir on 6th November 1918 at a concert in the Free Trade Hall Manchester.

Although dated in their style many of the poems are really beautiful, I was moved by the poem, Do You Remember, a sad, wistful, tale a longing for happier times and For The Fallen a moving tribute to the soldiers slaughtered at Gallipoi, "Sleeping a dreamless sleep underneath the waving grass.......

I could tell you so much more about this book but I urge you to read it for yourself and find out both more about this sad, doomed poet and open your eyes to his poetry, long unseen but now thanks to Robert Cochrane available for us all to appreciate.

He has also produced a CD of some of the poems written by James which have been set to music entitled, The James Lyons Project featuring local poets and musicians including, Bill Fay, John Howard, Lazybones and Nia Morgan.

The book is still available from Robert at 40 Brundretts Rd, Chorlton, M21 9DB £9.99 + £2 p&p. and copies of the Cd can be had for £10 + £i.50 p&p