The grave of Francis Ledwidge Irish war poet from County Meath in Artillery Wood Military Cemetery, Boezinge
Francis Edward Ledwidge (19 August 1887 – 31 July 1917) was an Irish war poet from County Meath. Sometimes known as the "poet of the blackbirds", he was killed in action at the Battle of Passchendaele . Ledwidge was a keen poet writing whereever he could. From the age of 14 his works were published in his local paper, the Drogheda Independent reflecting his passion for the Boyne Valley. While working as a road labourer he won the patronage of the writer, Lord Dunsany, after he wrote to him in 1912, enclosing copybooks of his early work. Dunsany, already well known in Dublin and London literary and dramatic circles, promoted him in Dublin and introduced him to Yeats. Dunsany supported Ledwidge with money and literary advice for some years, providing him with access to & a workspace in Dunsany Castle's Library where he met the Irish writer Katharine Tynan, corresponding with her regularly. Dunsany later prepared his first collection of poetry, which successfully appealed to the Irish Literary Revival & its taste for rural poetry. Ledwidge was a keen patriot & nationalist. He enlisted (24 October 1914) in Lord Dunsany’s regiment, joining 5th battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, part of the 10th (Irish) Division. This was against the urgings of Dunsany who opposed his enlistment & had offered to support him if he stayed away from the war. He gained and lost stripes over a period in Derry and then, returned to the front, received back his lance corporal's stripe in January 1917 when posted to the Western Front, joining 1st Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, part of 29th Division. On 31 July 1917, a group from Ledwidge's battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers were road-laying in preparation for an assault during the Third Battle of Ypres, near the village of Boezinge, northwest of Ieper (Ypres). While Ledwidge was drinking tea in a mud hole with his comrades, a shell exploded alongside, killing the poet and five others
Size: 3459px × 5313px
Location: Artillery Wood Military Cemetery, Boezinge
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: artillery, boezinge, cemetery, francis, grave, great, irish, ledwidge, military, poet, war, wood
