War+Poetry+-+Context+Information

This information explains a little about what was happening during WW1, how people were feeling and what was happening in response to all of this...

1914 – 1916 – 1st half of the War

Britain was in the throes of WWI. As a nation they were excited about war. They believed the war was just and would advance Britain – it was worth it!

Soldiers volunteered to join the army. They saw it as an important way to prove their manhood. Parents, sisters, lovers were proud of their young men going off to war. They were heroes; they were fighting for everyone at home; they were fighting for the homeland.

These young men were idealistic. They believed they were going to a glorious war. When soldiers died, people at home, on the home front, were saddened but proud that those men had given their lives, sacrificed themselves for the betterment of Britain.

There was a huge amount of lying by omission going on at home. Families didn’t know loved ones had died, they didn’t know that soldiers were starving, ill equipped, had little or no shelter. The war was a mess. It was not glorious to go to battle and kill others. Little did they know, men were suffering dreadful deaths, long drawn out and lonely deaths. These men were often crying out for their mothers as they lay dying – even grown men.