Voices

Throughout history writers, artists and poets have faced death, imprisonment, torture and exile for expressing their thoughts and views. This is typified by the cases of poet Ashraf Fayadh, and artist Ai Weiwei. Freedom of expression provides an outlet for thought, reflection, comfort or anger, and frustration. It is recognised as a basic human right, and a sign of a democratic country. In times of war or other turmoil it can be curtailed by the authorities.

By the end of the 1800’s British society was an increasingly literate one due to universal education. Literacy and a thirst for knowledge saw newspapers and pamphlets, poetry and literature flourishing. However, with the onset of war in 1914 this meant certain restrictions would be imposed.

The First World War was fought for many reasons. One proposition was that it was not being fought directly to protect Britain from invasion nor to add to its empire. The rest of Europe was resisting invasion and was trying to recover invaded territory. David Reynolds in ‘The Long Shadow’ explains “Essentially, Britain’s public case for war was grounded more in morality than self-interest – to defend the principles of freedom and civilisation”. Britain was unique in the numbers of men who voluntarily enlisted, whereas in Europe military service was a requirement. 2.5 million men chose to enlist and constituted the second largest army in the world – “freely fighting for the freedom of others – that is what made the British feel distinctive” (D. Reynolds).

At the beginning of the war censorship and propaganda were entwined. Propaganda, encouraging men to fight, and censorship of newspapers, soldiers’ letters, photos and telegrams to prevent vital information getting into enemy hands. Censorship aimed to prevent bad news being published. War poetry at the start of the war supported the patriotic fervour, but by 1916 the tenor began to change. It explains how poetry was permitted but prose was censored. In March 1916 conscription was introduced for single men 18-41 since the war was no longer going to be ‘over by Christmas’ The ever rising death and casualty rate, and falling morale in France forced a second Act passed in May 1916 extending conscription to married men.   Newspaper journalists had to be ‘state’ approved and had not been allowed to go to the Front until 1915. News of the war appeared in magazines like ‘Punch’ and ‘The Wipers Times’ and independent newspapers. Hunger for news from a literate public demanding facts and news could not be ignored. Local papers published poetry and news gleaned from the letters sent home to families. National papers did not have so much freedom.

Those who opposed the war were imprisoned and threatened with the death sentence. 16,000 conscientious objectors were identified; 34 received death sentences which were never carried out. 750,000 civil tribunals were held to hear the cases of objectors. Many were sent to work on farms to undertake ‘work of national importance’. Others were sent as stretcher bearers to the Front. Some 843 objectors spent two years in prison, 10 died there. 142 had life sentences imposed on them and lost the right to vote.

War poetry appeared in publications such as The Nation, The Hydra and local newspapers. The war had an enormous number of highly educated soldiers from all classes of society. Ivor Gurney’s ’Severn and Somme’ was published in 1917. Siegfried Sassoon’s poem ‘To Any Dead’ printed in The Times in 1917 denounced the war. However, the first war poetry came from civilians. 2,225 people wrote some form of poetry during 1914 – 18. Wilfrid Gibson’s poems appeared in The Nation in 1915. 500 women were writing and publishing poetry. Soldiers at the Front wrote poetry and sent it home. Common themes of solace, allowing the mind to make sense of the horrors and losses war brings, expressing grief, criticism of how the war was being managed. Poetry was sold to raise funds for ambulances and hospitals. Poetry evenings were held to raise funds for the war effort. The war had an enormous number of highly educated soldiers.

So, why was poetry not censored to a harsher degree? C N Trueman in Poetry and World War concludes:

“As many of these poems rely on interpretation as opposed to clear facts, the poets bypassed any form of military censorship that certainly would have occurred if they had simply written out their thoughts as prose”.

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Jackie Tweedale

Appendix

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