The War Poetry Website
The War Poetry Website
National Memorial Arboretum sculpture, Alrewas, UK
Falklands War
2 April 1982 - 14 June 1982
Britain saves the Falkland Islands from the Argentinian Invasion
40th Anniversary 2022
This was a short war but closely fought war with a devastating impact on the lives of many servicemen and their families. A number of these men wrote poetry at the time and shortly after the war. Poems by three of them appear on this website. There are far more poems by British servicemen, Falkland Islanders, and Argentinians in the Falklands War Poetry collection.
BOOK NEWS
Urgent update
At the present time you are unlikely to find new copies in bookshops of seven war poetry and remembrance titles published by Saxon Books, though all titles are still in print. Second-hand copies may well be found.
Extraordinary events have led to these books, and those of many other publishers, being stored in temporary warehouse accommodation and are currently not available to supply to booksellers. This is because the warehousing company holding stocks is transferring millions of books to new warehouses and the process has hit major logistical difficulties. Huge quantities of books are awaiting transfer to a new distribution centre from which they may be selected and dispatched.
Books affected include
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Minds at War - a major anthology of poetry of the First World War. (Illustrated)
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Out in the Dark - a collection of First World War poems in context and with basic notes (Illustrated)
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Falklands War Poetry
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French Poems of the Great War
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Cockerels and Vultures poems by a French First World War poet
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Remembrance Poems and Readings
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Kosovo War Poetry
The problem for book buyers
The books listed above can realistically only be bought second-hand and any new copies of our titles held by booksellers are likely to be offered at very high prices. As an example, today (25 March 2022), Amazon's website offered links to vendors of second-hand copies and new copies of Minds at War - "21 Used from £0.75, 2 New from £53.061".
This extraordinary situation is calamitous for many companies. We, like many publishers, are in the hands of the warehousing company. A spokesperson has been unable to offer an expected date for availability.
David Roberts
Poems of the First World War
Our First World War section includes some of the most famous war poems of all time by Wilfred Owen and others. The basic notes provided with some of these poems will be useful for students.
25 First World War poets
Short accounts of their lives, but with fascinating additional details on Wilfred Owen and one or two other poets.
Don't miss the links at the top of the page, above the red boxes - including dropdown menus with many more topics.
Edward Thomas, Rupert Brooke and Thomas Hardy, just three of the poets that you can find biographical information about on this website.
Choosing war poetry books
Modern War Poetry
The modern war poems found on this website are mainly by men and women with first hand experience in wars of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. They include poems of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Falklands, Vietnam, Africa and the Israel/Palestine conflict. Some of these poems may be found in the Remembrance section of this website.
Some modern war poems are by men and women affected by war or concerned about its affects. Click here to view list of modern war poetry sections links.
The drop-down menus from the menu bar across the top of the page offer dozens of pages of war poetry and information about poets and background to the poems.
The first wounded - John Lavery's painting. One of dozens of original First World War paintings to be found in We Are The Dead, edited by David Roberts.