The Power Of War Poetry

Dug in at Morlancourt, northern France, in July 1918. Nothing prepared the poets of the Great War for the sights they would witness and record. Getty images

The Power Of War Poetry, From The Western Front To Helmand Province -- Harry Ricketts, The Independent

As David Cameron chooses 'Dulce et Decorum Est' for National Poetry Day on Thursday, our writer salutes the men who changed our view of conflict.

David Cameron's recent choice of Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" as his favourite poem may seem surprising – for a moment. He is, after all, Prime Minister of a country involved in a protracted, much-debated war, and Owen's mind- and stomach-churning account of a gas attack hardly underplays the horrors of combat:

Read more ....