Kirklees Together

A forgotten photograph tucked behind an old picture frame has helped uncover the story of a young soldier from Dewsbury who died on the battlefields of the First World War.

For former Coldstream Guardsman Derrick Lyles, the discovery became the beginning of a remarkable journey that would eventually lead him to the grave of a relative he never knew, exactly 100 years after his death.

The story began while Derrick was serving in the Falklands during the 1980s.

Back home, following the death of Derrick’s grandfather, his father decided to replace the worn frame surrounding a treasured family photograph. The picture, taken during the D-Day campaign of the Second World War, had hung on the wall for many years.

When the backing was removed, the family made an unexpected discovery

Hidden behind the photograph was an old passport-sized picture of a soldier in First World War uniform and what at first appeared to be an old penny. A closer look revealed something far more significant.

The “penny” was in fact a First World War medal inscribed with the name H. Lyles, DLI, identifying its owner as a soldier of the Durham Light Infantry.

Determined to learn more, Derrick began researching the name and eventually discovered that the medal had belonged to his great-uncle, Private Harold Lyles.

Historical records show that Harold was born in 1898 and grew up with strong links to both Dewsbury and Batley. Before the war he worked at Kilner Brothers in Thornhill Lees and had previously been apprenticed to a Batley confectioner.

He enlisted in the Durham Light Infantry in January 1917 and arrived in France in February 1918.

Just weeks later, on 21 March 1918, he was killed in action.

The date was no ordinary day in the history of the war. It marked the opening of the German Spring Offensive, one of the largest and most ferocious attacks launched on the Western Front.

Private Lyles was only 19 years old.

His remains were later recovered and reburied in Morchies Military Cemetery in northern France, where he lies today.

For decades, however, the story of Harold Lyles remained largely unknown within the family.

That changed in 2018.

One hundred years after Harold’s death, Derrick travelled to France to visit the grave for the first time. Standing in the cemetery at Morchies, he laid family photographs on the headstone, including images of relatives who had continued the family’s tradition of military service.

It was a deeply personal act of remembrance that connected generations separated by war and nearly a century of history.

Military service runs through the Lyles family

Derrick himself served with the Coldstream Guards for 34 years before retiring in 2015. Now aged 66 and living in Hornsea, he reflects on a family history stretching from the trenches of the First World War to modern military service.

The connection was strengthened further when Derrick’s brother, Adrian Lyles, a retired Bradford police officer, attended a remembrance event at Batley War Memorial and found Harold’s name among those commemorated there.

Today, Harold Lyles is remembered not only on war memorials in Dewsbury and Batley, but also by the family who rediscovered his story through a chance discovery hidden behind a picture frame.

As Remembrance approaches, Derrick hopes that sharing Harold’s story will help ensure that the sacrifice of one young man from Dewsbury, killed on the first day of a major battle more than a century ago, is never forgotten.