's Blogs

<p>Just imagine: it's November 1916, the Battle of the Somme, and you're standing knee-deep in ice-cold, muddy water in a trench somewhere in Northern France. You're freezing, dirty, hungry and terrified. All around is the stench of death. You're an ordinary soldier, you've no idea what you're fighting for, in fact you don't really care, you're just glad that you've managed to survive so far and can't wait to get home. Oh yes, and one other thing - you're gay. Not only that, you're in love with the 18-year old soldier next to you who cries himself to sleep every night because he's so scared. But you've never dared tell him how much you love him. Then suddenly a whistle blows, further down the line the officer draws his pistol and gives the order to go over the top. Your heart lurches. Already the enemy machine-guns are firing, bullets are crackling over your head. You haul yourself over the edge of the trench and start running towards the enemy lines when you hear an unearthly shriek. You turn and see the boy you love lying on the ground in a pool of blood, his entrails hanging out, screaming for his mother. The last thing you see before you run on is the light going out in his eyes. This is what this collection of poetry is about - love poems written by gay men who fought in the Great War. As someone who served in the army I can promise you that the emotions and images described are absolutely true. The title and author are in the picture below, the ISBN is 0715628798. It may only be available in a used copy now. Do try and get one,but beware-it isn't for the faint hearted.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/P4ir1fF.jpg" alt="" width="131" height="200" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">