Armistice 2018: soldier's lost war poems published 100 years later...

Alick Lewis Ellis witnessed first hand the horrors of the Great War where he served as a paramedic in France and Belgium. He saw three years of active service on the front and fought at both

the Battle of the Somme and Ypres as well Gommecourt, Arras and Cambrai. His horrific experiences inspired him to write a series of compelling poems relaying exactly what life was like in

the trenches. The subjects of the poems are moving, touching on the sadness of death and pain of suffering through so much violence, and inspiring as he describes his admiration for the men

his is fighting with. However some in the collection make the reader smile as they explore the gallows humour of the trenches and offer hope and optimism for a future without war. Born in

1887, Mr Ellis had nine siblings and entered the family business as a grocer in Terrington St Clement in Norfolk. By the time the war broke out he was living as a self-employed grocer in

Greenhithe, Kent with one of his widowed sister and an older brother. He volunteered for the Territorial Army in February 1915 and served with Royal Army Medical Corps as part of the 56th

(1st London) Division who were based at the Duke of York’s Barracks in Chelsea. Mr Ellis was one of the fortunate ones to survive the war but little is known of his later life. He died in

Bedford in 1953 and his collection of heart-wrenching poems were forgotten about until they were discovered in a loft. They were handed anonymously to Dan Hill of the Herts at War Society in

2017. Mr Hill tracked down Alick’s living family who put together the book, titled ‘Field Dressings by Stretcher Bearer.’ Pat Russell, Mr Ellis’s great-niece, said: “This has been a journey

of discovery for all our family and it hands on a tangible legacy to the next generation. “In this centenary year of the Armistice, we are thrilled that it is one of many creative pieces

that ensure we will never forget those who paid, and those who still pay, the ultimate sacrifice.” Field Dressings by Stretcher Bearer: The Poems of Alick Lewis Ellis can be purchased by

visiting fielddressings.co.uk