Drummond Allison

Ross Davies (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.08: English Writing and Culture of the early Twentieth Century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Peter Childs (Birmingham Newman University), Louise McDonald (Birmingham Newman University), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow)

Dates

Born 1921
Died 1943
Activity 1940-1943

Places

Born in Surrey
Active in United Kingdom

Activities

Primary

Poet

Other

Soldier

Resources

Allison's Works

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Perhaps not since Rupert Brooke has a war poet so inspired as many fellow-poets as Drummond Allison, who was killed on the Italian front in December 1943. Allison was twenty-two, and had been in harm’s way for just two weeks less one day. He met his death leading an infantry attack over a few yards of ground more reminiscent of the Kaiser’s than Hitler’s War. Ever since, fellow-poets have paid tribute to Allison’s energy, charm and vigorous, even audacious verse.

Allison left behind just one collection, The Yellow Night (1944), yet fellow-poets who have written verse in tribute to him include Robert Conquest, Robert Greacen (two poems), Sidney Keyes, John Lehmann, Roy McFadden, David Wright and David Kessel. In memoirs, John Heath-Stubbs, Michael Meyer and (again) David Wright are

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3150 words

Citation: Davies, Ross. "Drummond Allison". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 January 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12600, accessed 27 November 2024.]