First World War Poetry Showcase
Poetry by Heart has compiled this showcase selection of poetry to mark the centenary
of the outbreak of the First World War. There are plenty of anthologies of First World War
poetry in existence.
Ours is different because it contains an unusually wide range of voice: some widely
celebrated, some much less well-known; some from Britain, some from Germany and
elsewhere; some men and some women; some speaking from the trenches, some from
behind the lines or at home; some describing the heat of battle, some reflecting on the
conflict from later in the century.
Taken all together, they create an extraordinary kind of witness – harrowing as well
as humbling and heartening; they present the war as a devastating moment in history,
and remind us its resonances never end.
Founded by Andrew Motion and Julie Blake in 2012, developed by The Poetry Archive with The Full English, and funded by the Department for Education, Poetry by Heart is a national poetry recitation competition open to all pupils and students in England aged between 14 and 18. The Poetry By Heart website is a shared asset of The Poetry Archive and The Full English. It is maintained and developed by The Full English as a resource for a national poetry recitation competition and for teaching and learning about poetry.