Edward Thomas

Philip Edward Thomas was a British poet, essayist and novelist. Although he is commonly considered as a War Poet, his career in poetry actually followed his success as an established writer and literary critic. Thomas joined the First World War in 1915 and was killed in action during the Battle of Arras in 1917. Thomas could have avoided enlisting as he was a mature married man, however, he was unintentionally influenced by his friend Robert Frost and the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’. Thomas’ widow was told her husband had a “bloodless death” in order to save her feelings, however, he was actually shot clean through the chest.