Trench poem makes a mark

Sitting in his rat-infested trench, while he waited for the order to advance, he picked up his pen and field notebook and began to write... knowing that these could be his last words.

The poem, signed Philip Johnson, was written by Lieut John Stanley Purvis and was entitled From Steyning to the Ring. Now the original poem has been presented to Steyning Museum for safe keeping.

After Lieut Purvis wrote the poem, his notes were discovered and the poem was published in the London Daily News in 1917, assuming they had been found on the body of a soldier who died in the bloody battle.

In fact he survived the war and went on to live a rich and full life.

For full story and the poem, see West Sussex Gazette May 27