THE lives of shell-shocked soldiers wrongfully executed for 'desertion' will be commemorated with a much-anticipated acoustic gig to coincide with Armistice weekend.
Reg Meuross will play the Acoustic Tearoom at the Masonic Hall in Kirkby Stephen on November 12, with a performance set to include his much-loved song 'And Jesus Wept', which tells the story of one of these soldiers.
'And Jesus Wept' came after Meuross contacted the family of Harry Farr - a 25 year-old soldier killed by firing squad for 'desertion' after he suffered shell shock at the Battle of the Somme.
Meuross wrote his song to tell Harry's story, along with that of Harry's 22-year-old widow and their three year-old child. Harry's wife lost her job and received no widow's pension as a result of the 'shame' of her husband's death. Harry Farr and 305 others who met the same fate were pardoned in 2006.
In the mid-1980s Reg Meuross formed the Panic Brothers with Richard Morton, mixing Americana with humour and slick harmonies. Then came the Flamingos, Hank Wangford, and now is firmly established as a solo artist.
The Acoustic Tearoom started life 20 years ago from a simple idea to bring the best in acoustic music to a very small venue in the Eden Valley.
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