| For all its horrors, the First World War did produce one fine thing: an amazing outpouring of poetry, written by the men who had suffered – and, often, died – in the rat-infested, mud-filled trenches of France and Belgium. So when the Second World War was declared in 1939, there was every expectation that another flowering of poetry would result … but it didn't.
Unlike the experience of the previous generation, the literary masterpieces that came out of this new conflict were mainly prose. However, there was a handful of 'soldier poets' whose work has been shamefully neglected.
This website and the television documentary that it complements concentrate on the lives and work of two of these poets: Alun Lewis and Keith Douglas, both of whom died during the war while still only in their 20s.
There is also an examination of the possible reasons why 'soldier poets' were so much more uncommon during World War II. Finally, the 'Find out more' section provides extensive opportunities for taking this subject further, through books, websites and other channels of information.
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