Sidney Arthur Kilworth Keyes (27 May 1922 – 29 April 1943) was an English

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Life

Early years and education

Keyes was born on 27 May 1922. His mother died shortly afterwards and he was raised by his paternal grandparents. Keyes started writing poetry when still very young, with

Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's '' ...

, Rilke and Jung among his main influences. He attended Dartford Grammar School and then boarded at

Tonbridge School (God Giveth the Increase) , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = , president = , head_label ...

(Hillside, 1935-1940) during his secondary education, after which he won a history scholarship to

Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...

. While at college, Keyes wrote the only two books of his lifetime, ''The Cruel Solstice'' and ''The Iron Laurel''. During his time in Oxford, Keyes fell in love with the young German artist

Milein Cosman Emilie Cosman, known as Milein Cosman, (31 March 1921 – 21 November 2017) was a German-born artist based in England. She is best known for her drawings and prints of leading cultural figures, dancers and musicians in action, such as Francis Baco ...

, but his love was not returned. He also befriended fellow poets

John Heath-Stubbs John Francis Alexander Heath-Stubbs (9 July 1918 – 26 December 2006) was an English poet and translator. He is known for verse influenced by classical myths, and for a long Arthurian poem, ''Artorius'' (1972). Biography and works Heath-Stub ...

and Michael Meyer, edited ''The Cherwell'' magazine, and formed a dramatic society. ''The Iron Laurel'' was published during

in 1942, when Keyes was 20 years old. His poetry was also published in the ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British Political magazine, political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney Webb, Sidney and Beatrice ...

'', '' The Listener'' and other poetry journals.

Military service

Keyes left Oxford and joined the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

in April 1942,Hynes 1990, p. 298 entering active service that same year. He was soon commissioned in the Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment and served with his regiment's 1st Battalion, part of the 4th Division, to fight in the final stages of the

Tunisian campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. Th ...

in March 1943.Kendall 2006, p. 185 Prior to his service, Keyes had already written more than half of the 110 poems that would later be gathered in ''The Collected Poems of Sidney Keyes''. During combat, he was reported to have continued writing poetry. However, these works have not survived.

Death

Keyes was killed in action on 29 April 1943, covering his platoon's retreat during a counter-attack, shortly before his 21st birthday. It has also been stated that he died at the hands of the enemy, following his capture.

Recognition

In 1943, Keyes was awarded the

Hawthornden Prize The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender, who was born at Hawthornden Castle. Authors under the age of 41 are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature", which can be written ...

for ''The Cruel Solstice'' and ''The Iron Laurel''. He has been described as one of the outstanding poets of the Second World War.

Footnotes

Bibliography

* * * * * * * Roy, Pinaki. “Sidney Keyes: ''The War-poet who ‘groped for Death’''”. ''

War, Literature and the Arts ''War, Literature & the Arts'' is an American literary magazine that publishes short story, stories, poems, essays, reviews, and visuals related to war and military affairs. It was established in 1989 and is based at the United States Air Force Aca ...

'' ( U.S. Air Force Academy) (ISSN 2169-7914), 26 (1), 2014: http://wlajournal.com/wlaarchive/26/Roy.pdf

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Keyes, Sidney 1922 births 1943 deaths British Army personnel killed in World War II People educated at Tonbridge School Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford World War II poets 20th-century male writers 20th-century English poets Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment officers