Geoffrey Bache Smith (1894 – 1916) – British Poet

Geoffrey was born in Staffordshire on 18^th October 1894. 

He was edycated at King Edward’s School,

Birmingham at the same time as J.R.R. Tolkien, where they founded the literary “Tea Club and Barovian Society” (TCBS). 
 

Geoffrey was commissioned as a Lieutenant into the 19^th (Service) Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers.  Wounded by shrapnel on 29^th November 1916, Geoffrey died on 3^rd December 1916 and was buried in Warlincourt Halte British Cemetery, Saulty, France.  

The WW1 poetry collection of Geoffrey Bache Smith – “A Spring Harvesst” – was published in 1918 by Erskine Macdonald, London.  One of his poems was included in “The Valiant Muse:  an anthology of poems by poets killed in the World War”, edited by Frederic W. Ziv and published in 1936 by Putnam, New York.  You can read more of Geoffrey’s poems on Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/files/48371/48371.txt

 

Afterwards

-  Afterwards, when

The old Gods' hate
On the riven earth
No more is poured:

When weapons of war

Are all outworn
What shall become
Of the race of men?
 
One shall go forth
In the likeness of a child:
Under sere skies
Of a grey dawning: 

One shall go forth

In the likeness of a child,
And desolate places
Shall spring and blossom:

One shall go forth

In the likeness of a child:
And men shall sing
And greatly rejoice:

 

All men shall sing
For the love that is in them,
And he shall behold it
And sing also.

With thanks to Skip Downing for additional information