BLACK Country authors and historians Jean Weston and Marlene Price have pooled their resources to produce a book about 29 men from Lye and Wollescote who lost their lives in the Great War.

The book entitled The Lost Twenty Nine took two-and-half years to compile before being launched at Christ Church and is considered as an important milestone in the Lye and Wollescote cemetery chapels conservation project which is currently being managed by the West Midlands Historic Buildings Trust.

Marlene, who lives in Lye, and Jean, who originates from Tipton, have known each other for the past 25 years and wanted to commemorate the centenary of World War One.

Jean, who now lives in Kingswinford, said: "It's been an experience.

"The book isn't about the war, it's about the soldiers, their families and the devastating effect the war had upon them.

"Fifteen of the soldiers are buried at the cemetery in Commonwealth war graves. The other 14 were killed in action abroad and their names appear on family graves.

"We began researching all 29 of them in what started off as a modest project but we just kept discovering more and more.

"The only officer, Lt Turner from Stourbridge, was such a good story, that there's a whole chapter on him. He was killed in 1916 at the Somme. His family spent five years trying to discover what happened to him. His body was never recovered."

It's not the first time the pair have collaborated on a book.

They previously worked together back in 2010 on a history of Lye and Wollescote cemetery.

Jean said: "People under-estimate cemeteries. It's a place of huge history and tells of the people who contributed to and enriched the town. We're hoping the book appeals to all ages and that young people can learn from it."

The book has been supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and is available along with more information on the chapel conservation project at www.lyeandwollescote.info