Written by those who were involved at the time, this is a thoughtful and powerful selection of poems that capture many different experiences of war. The soldiers’ view is reflected in familiar poems such as Wilfred Owen’s haunting Dulce Et Decorum Est and Rupert Brooke’s Death. There are also many women’s voices here including Vera Brittain’s touching To My Brother and Jessie Pope’s more upbeat War Girls.
Poems from the First World War Published in Association with Imperial War Museums Synopsis
Poems from the First World War is a moving and powerful collection of poems written by soldiers, nurses, mothers, sweethearts and family and friends who experienced WWI from different standpoints. It records the early excitement and patriotism, the bravery, friendship and loyalty of the soldiers, and the heartbreak, disillusionment and regret as the war went on to damage a generation. It includes poems from Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke, Vera Brittain, Eleanor Farjeon, Edward Thomas, Laurence Binyon, John McCrae, Siegfried Sassoon and many more. The Imperial War Museum was founded in 1917 to collect and display material relating to the 'Great War', which was still being fought. Today IWM is unique in its coverage of conflicts, especially those involving Britain and the Commonwealth, from the First World War to the present. They seek to provide for, and to encourage, the study and understanding of the history of modern war and wartime experience.
Gaby Morgan is the Editorial Director for Non-fiction, Poetry and Licensing at Macmillan Children's Books. She has compiled many bestselling anthologies, including Read Me and Laugh: A Funny Poem for Every Day of the Year, In My Sky at Twilight: Poems of Eternal Love, Fairy Poems - which was short-listed for the CLPE Award - and A First Poetry Book with Pie Corbett.
