Prize Winning Poem - Under 18 Category

Here is the winning poem in the Under 18 Category.  It was written by Meredith Graham from Surrey and she read the poem out herself on the night.

“Known Unto God” by Meredith Graham

 Fields of white and row on row

The sorrow from the ground it grows,
Of wasted youth and missing names,
Through history this war was named as great,
And true,
But all they knew was dark and pain and death and blame.
 
The air’s now soft, all sounds serene,
And sunlight ‘pon the crosses gleams,
But where I stood was where men fell,
Just puppets under war’s great spell.
No thought but fight, no wish nor will,
For King and Country they would kill.

Such blood was shed, but not in vain,

As our respect shall never wane,
For those who fought and those who lost,
And those who paid the highest cost

Prize Winning Poem - Pendle Adult Category

Here is the winning poem in the Pendle Adult category.  It was written by Olwen Lund from Barnoldswick and she read the poem out herself.

"Battlefield" by Olwen Lund (Barnoldswick)

A journey long postponed, a painful pilgrimage

leads a centenarian soldier, defying his age
to revisit images that have haunted, memories that torture.
Now strength failing and conscience piercing, he fulfils
his pledge before time whisks chance away,
to lay tribute at the scene so soaked in sorrow
but now a field of poignant beauty as row after row
of white headstones catch the soft glint of morning sun.

Our veteran stands with limbs atremble at the edge

of the shallow remnants of a now tranquil trench
once scenes of such horror unimagined and visions recalled
transport him to times that can transfix the mind with grief.
Bullets whistle around him, cruelly cutting through
wistful longings for loved ones and home. Can he survive
this endless conflict and return unharmed in body?
Yes, but forever altered in anguished mind.

A sudden breeze draws him back from distant past

just like his fallen friends have oft, in years between, eerily crept
into the present, gently carried in precious remembrance.
That brave band of pals, recruited together, fought
with sterling camaraderie and are still side by side in silent grave
on innocent farmland that became a blighted battlefield
of callous and senseless slaughter as wave on wave of gallantry
was mown down on a crimson carpet of death.
 
He takes one last glance at the names on gleaming stone slabs
and whispers, “My years have been too many and yours too few
O friends so dear, comrades so fine,
I would gladly have given you some of mine”

Prize Winning Poem - UK National Category

Here is the winner of the UK National Category.  It was written by Winifred Hughes from Birkdale and read out on the night by her son Neil.

“War, No Peace” by Winifred Hughes (Birkdale)

The penalties, the price we pay,

Father, husband, brother, son,
But the battle’s won,
The battle’s won,
A growing list of dead unfurles,
At the setting of the sun,
But the battle’s won,
The battle’s won.
And in some far off distant land,
The song of death is still not done,
But the battle’s won
The battle’s won.

Prize Winning Poem - Overseas Category.

Here is the prize winning poem in the Overseas Category. It was read out at the Prize Presentation Evening by Rev Ed Saville.

"The Soldier" By Edgar Esler (New Zealand)

From every corner of the earth

The call came loud and strong
The guns of war began to boom
And his sword he girded on
He was ready to fight and bravely die
His country he did love
He’d risk his life for freedoms sake
And trust in the one above

Shells were falling thick and fast

Bursting on the ground
A fragment strikes him on the chest
And throws him to the ground
The sun goes down and it is night
Darkness comes o’er the land
On the battlefield lies a dying man
With his rifle in his hand

He dreams of his childhood days

And then his years at school
Of playing by a babbling brook
Or fishing by a pool
His body at last grows stiff and cold
His heavy eyelids close
His soul hath found eternal rest
And forever sweet repose.

Prize Presentation Evening - A Huge Success

Thank you to all the poets, prize winners, supporters, judges, sponsors and spectators who made last night's event such a great success!

A fuller report will be posted here in due course.

Feel free to leave your comments about the evening below as we'd like your feedback ready for next year's competition.

You can see our photos by following this link:
http://www.pendlewarpoetry.com/p/prize-presentation-evening-photos-2012.html

If you have any of your own photos that you'd like to share, we'd love to see them!

You can post them on the Pendle War Poetry Facebook group page.

"SELECTED POEMS 2012" Book To Be Launched At Presentation Evening

"Selected Poems 2012" - a broad collection across the spectrum of the best entries from the 2012 Pendle War Poetry Competition will be launched at the Prize Presentation evening the ACE Centre in Nelson on Thursday 18th October.

Each of the placed winners in the four competition categories receives a free copy of the book and copies of the book are also available to purchase on the night at the special launch price of £5 (instead of the usual £6).

A 50p donation from each book sold at the event will go to the Nelson & District Branch Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

Copies of the book can  be purchased via mail order by using this link: http://www.poshupnorth.com/2012/10/available-25th-october-selected-poems.html

or Prize Winners can order copies directly here:

Please note that orders will not be sent out until after 25th October 2012.

A full list of the poems included in the book is as follows:

 ENTRANTS AGED UNDER 18
WAR by Emily Boothman, Padiham
KNOWN UNTO GOD by Meredith Graham, Camberley
DEAR GRETA by Megan Farrimond, Westhoughton
A PICTURE OF SHANGRI LA by Samman Mahmood, Nelson
THE MASK by Priyanka Pal, Delhi, India

LOCAL PENDLE ENTRIES

SEWING SOCKS by Jenny Palmer, Twiston nr Downham
A SOLDIER’S THOUGHTS by Les Bond, Accrington
WHY, oh WHY? by David Walker, Barrowford
BARNSTORMERS by William Stephenson, Colne
ALL PALS TOGETHER by William Eddleston jr, Hapton
FOUR DAYS IT TOOK by LA Pocock, Pendle
FROM VINNY, BY IRENE by Irene Westell, Accrington
THAT BEACH by John Williams, Colne
TEARS AND SCORPIONS by Tony Howarth, Colne
REMEMBRANCE DAY by David Walker, Barrowford
A SOLDIER FROM BARNOLDSWICK by Glenys Thompson, Barnoldswick
T’IS TIME…by Beverly McKiernan, Colne
COME! ...... FOLLOW ME.by David Lightbown, Padiham
BATTLEFIELD by Olwen Lund, Barnoldswick
THE QUIET SOLDIER by Heather Sheldrick, Barnoldswick
NEVER QUITE FORGOTTEN by Ralph Woolnough, Blacko
THE CONVOY by Bob Walker, Burnley

UK NATIONAL ENTRIES

METAL AND MUD by Glyn Bailey, Poulton le Fylde
QUIET HERO by Mary Hodges, Scorton
FOR MY DAD by Vivien McCord (nee Tenny), Rochdale
TOMMY’S WAR by Hazel Gibb-Shacklock, Stretford, Manchester.
BACK FROM THE STREETS by Tina Morris, Bilsborrow
NO MAN’S LAND by Stephen J Cribari, London
WAR, NO PEACE by Winifred Hughes, Birkdale
THE CENOTAPH by Dorothy M Rawnsley, Thornton Cleveleys
WAR by Luke Bowden, Hull
DO NOT FORGET by Katherine Wroe, Rochdale
FROM THE ASHES by Guy Hayward, Hythe, Kent
REALITY –2007 by Layla Claridge, Oxfordshire
APATHY  by Anthony Owen, Coventry
MEMORIES OF A SOLDIER by Anthony Richard Andrews, Settle, North Yorkshire
CHRISTMAS 1941 by Caroline M Davies, Wing Nr Leighton Buzzard
IN MEMORY OF THE ROYAL MARINES BAND DEAL BOMBINGS...by  David Lilburn MBE, Crawley
IN THE FACE OF WAR by Yvonne Fielding, Poulton le Fylde
INGLEBOROUGH ROAD PLAYING FIELD by Les Highton, Sevenoaks, Kent
JUSTIN by Christian Ward, Hampton Wick

OVERSEAS ENTRIES

THE WORLD BLASTS EVERYDAY by Fabiyas MV, Kerala State, India
THE FARM SOLDIERS by Sammy Duncan Musungu, Caracas,Venezuela
STAY by Maumo Motloung, Johannesburg, South Africa
A SOLDIER’S THOUGHT by Christopher J S Adde, Sierra Madre, USA
YET THE SOLDIER STILL MARCHES by DJ Schafer, USA
THE SOLDIER by Edgar Esler, New Zealand
10 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT by johnlemmon…  Australia
I DIDN’T FEEL THE BULLET by Peter Parsley, Belgium
TEARS OF YESTERDAY By Emmanuel Ugokwe, Nigeria
PUDDLES by Neil Leinwohl, Rockville Centre, NY, USA
WEAPONS by Saurabh Mishra, Uttar Pradesh, India
THE CONGOLESE GORRILA WARFARE by Lazola  Pambo, Queenstown, South Africa
KEEPING FAITH by Punya Samanthapali, Sri Lanka
NO MENS' LAND By Subhasish Das, Assam, India

Book Your Tickets For the 2012 Prize Presentation Evening - Thursday 18th October

Tickets are now on sale for the Prize Presentation Evening, which will be held at the ACE Centre in Nelson on Thursday 18th October at 7.30pm.

Most of the winners from the various categories will be present to receive their prizes from Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson and to read out their poems on stage.

The second part of the evening will feature the East Lancashire premiere of the Bullets & Daffodils show about the life and works of World War One poet Wilfred Owen, with new music and songs by Wirral singer songwriter Dean Johnson.

There will be a "launch night special offer" opportunity to buy the "Selected Poems 2012" anthology containing many of the best entries from the competition for a reduced price before it goes on general sale.

There will also be a display and collection by the Nelson & Distrct branch of the Royal British Legion and

Tickets for this not to be missed evening are selling fast!

To make sure of your seat, call the ACE Centre Box Office now on 01282 661080  or book online at: http://www.ticketline.co.uk/bullets-and-daffodils#bio