Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Timothy and Mary Jane Lyons of Leicester Road, Shepshed, Leics., and the husband of Elizabeth Lyons. His younger brother Leo died eighteen days before him. In an account taken from The Durham Forces in the Field, written by Captain Wilfrid Miles relating to the part played by the 10th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry in the Third Battle of Ypres he states, The tenth were the next to enter the balltle, they arrived at Zillebeke Bund on August 20th and on the following day the officers reconnoitered the brigade line which lay astride the Menin Road, west of Inverness Copse. at 2.00am on August 22nd the battalion came forward through a bombardment of gas shells to occupy support positions for the attack. By the time a hostile barrage in Sanctuary Wood was passed casualties already amounted to 60. 'A' company were in the open on Stirling Castle ridge, south of the Menin Road; 'B' company in support trenches in Sanctuary Wood; and 'C' and 'D' companies in the tunnels under the road. When the attacking battalions advanced two hours later, the 10th occupied the old British front line. But one company had to follow the Somersets on the right, and form a defensive flank facing south, besides sending a bombing section and some rifle grenadiers up Jasper Lane to meet and escort a tank. The monster did not keep the appointment, but this party pushed on and captured a German machine-gun and its detachment as well. Meanwhile the rest of the company had pushed forward on the right and established themselves in the vicinity of Dry Lakes. Here the company commander was killed after organising a successful attack upon a machine-gun which was taken, together with 5 Germans. The leading platoon managed to reach Herenthage Chateau and the paltoon commander and his surviving men accepted the surrender of the garrison. There were 50 prisoners to bring back, but few, if any, of the party survived the terrific shell fire encountered on the way. What remained of this company of the 10th withdrew during the morning to a position in Jasper Avenue.The Somerset Light Infantry who led the brigade attack upon the right, had passed through Inverness Copse and would have taken Jap Trench if the left battalion had not been held up at their first objective. To conform to their line on their left the Somersets now had to fall back to a position in the copse, astride the Menin Road. At 8.50am they asked for reinforcement. Two platoons from one of the reserve companies of the 10th went forward and dug a post north of the copse, where they were in touch with the Cornwalls who were lying in a chain of shell-holes in front of the trench they had taken. At eleven o clock more reinforcements were required and a company of the 10th were sent forward to the western edge of Inverness Copse. In response to later appeals more of the 10th were put in, till, by evening, the whole battalion had gone into the copse to reinforce the line. The night was comparatively quiet, but at 4.30 in the morning of August 23rd British tanks arrived upon the scene and at once became a target for the German guns. One tank, which had evidently lost its bearings, travelled along the northern outskirts of the copse and fired upon the post there, wounding 2 men. Afterwards it was put out of action, being hit twice by German shells. No ground was gained on this day and at night the hostile shell fire was much heavier, while our own gunners put down a heavy barrage. In the small hours of the next morning, when the German bombardment was worse than ever, the Cornishmen on the left sent up an S.O.S. signal and reported that the enemy had broken through. All at Clapham Junction, the headquarters of the 10th, turned out and 2nd Lt. Lodge was killed by a machine-gun bullet as he led his men forward to the north-west corner of the copse. The Germans came forward in groups all along the line with parties bearing flame throwers and light machine-guns. That the attack was not delivered with greater weight is to the credit of the British artillery. Even so the line north of the copse had to be withdrawn, the post occupied by the 10th since the morning of the 22nd b eing the last to retire. Pte. Warden was captured here and was kept in a shell-hole close to the British line. There were about 20 Germans present and the prisoner was given water and cigarettes. During the day one German asked to be taken over to the British as a prisoner and another who overheard, asked if he might come. Thus there rejoined the 10th at dusk Pte. Warden, in German equipment, carrying a German rifle and accompanied by two stalwart Bavarians, one of whom wore the Iron Cross. The other men from this post had joined their company which held on inside the copse north of the road. Here Capt. Jerwood put up a stout defence, despite withdrawal's upon the flanks, repulsing the German attacks by rifle-grenade, Lewis gun and rifle fire. At 3.30pm he had to withdraw to the extreme north-west corner owing to heavy casualties from our own guns. 2nd Lt. Dennison, leading his own platoon and some stragglers collected on the west edge of the copse, had held a defensive flank on Capt. Jerwood's left and retired in conjunction with that officer after 24 of his 80 men had been killed by our own artillery. Some riflemen who had reinforced him suffered to an equal extent. The right of the line held fast in the neighbourhood of the Dry Lakes. Two platoons drove off an attack form the south and afterwards helped to re-establish the centre of the line. 2nd Lt. Harold Storey, who was the leader here, continued in command after being wounded and sent back valuable reports.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Coalville Times article - Friday October 5th, 1917

LOCAL CASUALTIES

Private John Lyons, Durham Light Infantry, is officially reported missing since August 23rd last, the information being conveyed to his wife, who lives at the Hall Croft, Shepshed, by a lieutenant of the company in France and also from York.

Research undertaken and submitted by Andy Murby 24/12/2017