Reilly 127.

220. FRANKAU, Gilbert. SELECTED VERSES. 1943. MacDonald. Dw dusty. £12.00

World War 1 poet. Recommissioined in the RAF in 1940, then invalided out in 1941

> Gilbert Frankau was commissioned into the 9th Battalion, East Surry Regiment in October 1914. In March 1915 he transferred to the Royal Field Artillery. He fought at Loos, Ypres and on the Somme. In October 1916 he was appointed a Staff Captain in Italy, working in counter-propaganda. He was invalided out of the army with shell-shock in February 1918. He also served in the RAF Volunteer Reserve in the early part of the Second World War.
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> He was notorious for his post-war hatred of the Germans. He wrote a number of poems with this as their theme. He would not countenance any idea of fellowship or forgiveness. His poem 'Poison', written in April 1919 about the first use of poisonous gas by the Germans in April 1915 is a good example of this. So is 'The Reason', written in November 1918, which begins with the lines: 'You ask me why I loathe these Germans beasts / So much that I have dedicated self - / Brains, heart, and soul - to one black creed of hate...' Even allowing for the exaggeration of poetic license, it is pretty strong stuff.
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