You may not have heard of him but back in the early half of the 20th Century, JACK LEMM was a household name here in Wales. As the Strongman star of fairgrounds and Music Hall, he was famed for his feats of strength, wrestling and his dangerous headlining act, The Whirl of Death. Times and entertainment trends change, however, and now the once-famous showman is almost forgotten.
For one man, however, the story of the strongman had special meaning. Glaswegian STEVEN BLOCKLEY had always thought that his Great Grandfather deserved to be better known.
Steven told us…..
“I never actually met Jack. I grew up listening to my uncles and aunts telling fascinating stories about all his incredible achievements around the Swansea area and I always knew I wanted to write a book to bring them to a wider audience. As I dug further into his past, however, even I was surprised by what I found.”
Looking into the background of Jack, Steven and co-author DAVID J THACKER uncovered a rich life story and the perfect antidote to our troubled times.
Steven continues…..
“Jack lived through some harsh years – he was on HMS Lion at the Battle of Jutland in World War 1 and was a survivor of the Swansea Blitz in the Second World War – but his focus was always to put family first and to provide for everyone at home, even if doing so took him away from them.”
In the book, THE WELSH HERCULES David and Steven tell the story of Jack, from his humble beginnings on Swansea Docks through to becoming a renowned Boxing coach and fairground star. It takes him through two World Wars, as a survivor of the Battle of Jutland and the Swansea Blitz, and introduces a whole new world of Showmen, acrobats and colourful characters.
At its heart however, Jack’s story is one of family – of the challenges met, the hearts won and the enduring romance of a Showman and his wife.
David takes up the story.
“Jack came from a Greek family and his given surname was actually Lamnea, but his exploits on stage and at fairs all over the UK, including at Neath, were not always popular, especially with his authoritarian father. A lot of the tension in our book comes from that relationship, of a son trying to live up to the ideals of his father.”
The resulting book, THE WELSH HERCULES, took over a year to research and write but in doing it Steven found a kind of resolution.
“While we were writing the book, I turned 60. At that age, Jack was still doing 40 shows a day at the fairgrounds and even after he retired, he was helping roadworkers outside his house to fix the roads! Age really was just a number for him and I think that’s a great attitude to have.”
THE WELSH HERCULES by Steven and David is available in ebook (£6.99) or paperback (£10.99) from HERE.
