Day twenty-two of the ‘advent calendar’ focusing on some of the historical/genealogical sources that I used in the writing of Barefoot on the Cobbles.

When tackling the horrors of the Western Front, I chose Abraham Tuke as my ‘point of view’ character. Research into his background revealed that he had been the editor of his college magazine. I decided that, like others involved in the Great War, he might relieve the stress of being in a combat zone by writing poetry. I re-read the classic World War One poets, Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sasson, Rupert Brooke, Lawrence Binyon and other well known names. I was also fortunate to have access to a collection of works by poets who are not household names and whose work is a little less polished, The Forgotten Tommy Poets of WW1. I tried to absorb the topics, the timbre and the language used in these poems. The subject matter frequently addressed the futility of war, the blundering of those in authority and the sheer boredom that was punctuated by death and fear. Often, a certain black humour permeates the lines that they composed. This research allowed Abraham to write his own poems; poems that I hope sit comfortably with those written during the war. I did reassure myself that he did not need to be a very accomplished poet! The poetry that I read was also very helpful in my attempt to keep the phrases, the euphemisms and the slang in period. I am not sure that my vicarious poetry writing will inspire me to write more verse but I am tempted to find time to read poetry again, something I have not done for decades.

More information about Barefoot on the Cobbles can be found here. Copies are available at various events and at all my presentations. You can order from Blue Poppy Publishing or directly from me. Kindle editions are available for those in the UK, USA, Australasia and Canada.