502:, was inspired by Leighton's life and death. Hollis stated about the song, "That was someone born before the turn of the century … and dying within one year of the First World War at a young age. It was based on Vera Brittain's boyfriend. It's the expectation that must have been in existence at the turn of the century, the patriotism that must've existed at the start of the war and the disillusionment that must've come immediately afterwards. It's the very severe mood swings that fascinated me." The song correspondingly contains a variety of styles, tempos, and instrumentations.
342:
Roland's final poem, which was found in his clothes after his death was "Hedauville". Brittain found the poem unsettling and difficult to fully understand. It seemed as if perhaps Roland was predicting his own death in "Hedauville", and foresaw a different life for Vera, with a new love.
417:
Leighton is commemorated on the war memorial in the school chapel at
Uppingham and, although he did not take up his place at Merton College, his name is on the war memorial there. He is also remembered along with Edward Brittain and Victor Richardson on the war memorial at
277:, France. He sustained a catastrophic abdominal and spinal injury. While still on the battlefield, he said simply, "They got me in the stomach and it's bad," before he was rendered semi-conscious by morphine. Leighton underwent emergency abdominal surgery at
215:
Leighton subsequently used the medium of poetry to express his burgeoning love for Vera
Brittain, Edward's sister. He first met Vera when visiting Edward at Uppingham in 1913 at the age of 19. However, war was soon to intervene in their relationship.
410:, which contains her diaries 1913–1917, includes entries about Leighton and their relationship, excerpts from his letters from the battlefield and his poetry. His mother anonymously published a memoir of him called
269:
while at the Front in late 1915. This event, which took place in the summer of 1915, according to his fiancée, was unknown to anyone of his family or to her. His funeral took place according to
Catholic rites.
859:
contains images of all
Leighton's's War poetry manuscripts, letters to Vera Brittain, plus a searchable text corpora. Poems currently contain errors – for correct versions refer to published sources.
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258:
on 26 March 1915. Leighton served with the
Worcestershire Regiment in France, and was engaged in the fighting around Ypres in Belgium. Vera Brittain became his fiancée in August 1915.
955:
182:; one pupil remembered Leighton using a wheelbarrow to recover his haul from the 1914 school prize-giving. His hope was to one day become the editor of a national newspaper.
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At the school, Leighton did not have a wide circle of friends as he was regarded by his peers as being rather cold and conceited. He did however become a close friend of
223:
broke out in 1914, he was highly motivated to join the fighting by ideas of patriotism, honour and duty, and sought to get to the front. He first tried to get into the
261:
An analysis of his letters reveals that he quickly became unhappy and disillusioned by his experiences at the front describing it as "a mere trade". He converted to
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281:. However, he survived only a short time, dying of his wounds on 23 December 1915 at the age of 20 (his gravestone incorrectly states that he was 19).
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197:, the son of a Hove dentist; Mrs Leighton called the friends "the three musketeers". At Uppingham he was acting cadet officer in the
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His brother Evelyn, five years his junior, joined the Royal Navy, reaching the rank of captain; he was involved in the
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406:, a compilation of her wartime letters, edited by Alan Bishop and Mark Bostridge, and published in 1998. Brittain's
273:
In
December 1915, he was shot by a sniper while inspecting the wire, in bright moonlight, in front of a trench at
478:
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on 21 October 1914. From then on, Roland was only able to see Vera fleetingly during his brief periods of leave.
212:. In the meantime, he had developed an interest in reading poetry and writing his own verse whilst at Uppingham.
712:
156:, were both writers. Marie was the more commercially successful and wrote adventure books (the best known being
419:
232:
149:
296:
has reported that
Leighton's grave is often covered by violets in tribute to a poem he wrote for his fiancée:
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130:(27 March 1895 – 23 December 1915) was a British poet and soldier, made posthumously famous by his fiancée
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Vera
Brittain wrote several poems commemorating Leighton's life which were published in her 1918 work,
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and wrote adventure books for boys. Roland was brought up initially at "Vallombrosa" 40 Abbey Road,
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235:. After this experience, he procured a "general fitness" certificate from a local
201:. On leaving Uppingham, Leighton applied to Oxford University and was awarded the
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396:. She later immortalised him and her brother Edward in her famous memoir
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became a talented woodcut artist; she wrote a biography of her mother,
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His burial service was held at
Louvencourt church. He is buried in the
453:, with Cheryl Campbell taking the part of Vera. The role was taken by
239:
which did not make reference to his myopia, and was able to secure a
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422:; this was the church attended by the Richardson family.
669:
A Deep Cry: Soldier-poets Killed on the
Western Front
243:as a second lieutenant in the 4th Battalion of the
178:. Leighton was a prizewinning classical scholar at
166:. Her husband was the first literary editor of the
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87:
79:
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38:
30:
23:
931:British military personnel killed in World War I
749:"Original manuscript for Violets – April, 1915"
600:1914: The Oubreak of War to the Christmas Truce
572:Miller, Alissa (n.d.). Peterson, Andrea (ed.).
345:
298:
160:) and also stories that were serialised in the
956:Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism
498:' 1998 song "A Life (1895–1915)", included on
402:. Many of Leighton's letters are included in
8:
381:(And daisies are truer than passion flowers)
574:"The Roland Leighton Collection: Biography"
853:The First World War Poetry Digital Archive
578:The First World War Digital Poetry Archive
524:The First World War Poetry Digital Archive
189:, brother of future author and journalist
20:
542:
540:
865:on the Western Front Association website
429:in 1940 and awarded the OBE. His sister
199:Junior Division, Officers Training Corps
511:
366:And when the thrush sings in your wood,
863:Biography including some of his poetry
827:Alan Bishop and Mark Bostridge (eds),
475:Vera Brittain: A Woman in Love and War
926:British Army personnel of World War I
567:
565:
563:
7:
362:Again the shadowed pool shall break,
311:Blue, when his soaked blood was red,
911:People educated at Uppingham School
351:The sunshine on the long white road
333:To your dear, far, forgetting land,
315:It is strange they should be blue.)
309:(It is strange they should be blue,
286:Commonwealth War Graves Commission
14:
729:"Vera's Testament is young again"
377:And less proud too, and worthier,
319:Think what they have meant to me—
916:Worcestershire Regiment officers
556:. 20 October 1914. p. 8404.
520:"The Roland Leighton Collection"
966:Military personnel from Suffolk
921:Royal Norfolk Regiment officers
820:Paul Berry and Mark Bostridge,
323:(And you did not see them grow,
321:Life and hope and love and you.
961:Military personnel from London
875:Notes about their relationship
849:The Roland Leighton Collection
829:Letters from a Lost Generation
713:Roland Aubrey Leighton on CWGC
666:Anne Powell (6 October 2014).
632:. 23 March 1915. p. 2963.
463:Letters from a Lost Generation
404:Letters from a Lost Generation
355:The velvet clematis that clung
317:Violets from Plug Street Wood,
313:For they grew around his head:
288:cemetery at Louvencourt, near
1:
871:at Peace Pledge Union website
672:. History Press. p. 81.
445:In the 1979 TV adaptation of
373:And if he is not quite as old
337:Knowing you will understand.
645:"Casualties in the Trenches"
598:David, Saul (31 July 2014).
375:As the boy you used to know,
353:That ribboned down the hill,
693:Religion | testamentofyouth
500:his one and only solo album
364:In dimples round your feet,
327:Hiding horror from the day;
325:where his mangled body lay,
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359:Are waiting for you still.
329:Sweetest it was better so)
307:Sweet, I send you oversea.
941:20th-century male writers
936:British World War I poets
763:"Merton's Roll of Honour"
484:, Leighton was played by
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54:
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420:St Barnabas Church, Hove
370:Another stranger, sweet.
357:Around your window sill,
292:. Brittain's biographer
16:British poet and soldier
951:English Roman Catholics
449:Leighton was played by
392:, and her later volume
379:You may not let him go.
335:These I send in memory,
256:Worcestershire Regiment
106:Worcestershire Regiment
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383:It will be better so.
368:Unknowing you may meet
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210:Merton College, Oxford
128:Roland Aubrey Leighton
906:People from Lowestoft
869:Leighton’s gravestone
822:Vera Brittain: A Life
703:Brittain p. 216)
479:2014 feature film of
467:Christian Brassington
435:Tempestuous Petticoat
427:evacuation of Dunkirk
348:Hedauville. Nov 1915.
331:Violets from oversea,
80:Years of service
791:on 22 December 2010
734:The Daily Telegraph
946:Testament of Youth
836:Chronicle of Youth
629:The London Gazette
553:The London Gazette
492:as Vera Brittain.
481:Testament of Youth
447:Testament of Youth
408:Chronicle of Youth
399:Testament of Youth
390:Verses of a V.A.D.
250:He was promoted a
233:Army Service Corps
137:Testament of Youth
881:Image of Leighton
877:by Nancy Huntting
857:Oxford University
679:978-0-7524-8036-7
647:. Open University
609:978-1-473-60396-7
267:Church of England
263:Roman Catholicism
195:Victor Richardson
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813:Marie Leighton,
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477:in 2008. In the
394:Because You Died
303:Plug Street wood
245:Norfolk Regiment
180:Uppingham School
102:Norfolk Regiment
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42:23 December 1915
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793:. Retrieved
789:the original
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765:. Merton@750
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112:Battles/wars
74:British Army
44:(1915-12-23)
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901:1915 deaths
896:1895 births
795:24 November
624:"No. 29112"
548:"No. 28945"
496:Mark Hollis
459:BBC Radio 4
279:Louvencourt
221:World War I
134:'s memoir,
890:Categories
506:References
252:lieutenant
241:commission
225:Royal Navy
168:Daily Mail
163:Daily Mail
158:Convict 99
92:Lieutenant
60:Allegiance
651:14 August
414:in 1916.
275:HĂ©buterne
254:with the
203:classical
176:Lowestoft
83:1914–1915
769:19 March
529:19 March
290:Doullens
231:and the
68:Service/
817:(1916).
465:and by
838:(1981)
831:(1998)
824:(1995)
676:
606:
583:3 July
193:, and
187:Edward
70:branch
471:BBC 1
265:from
219:When
797:2017
771:2017
674:ISBN
653:2016
604:ISBN
585:2019
531:2017
152:and
98:Unit
88:Rank
39:Died
31:Born
855:by
851:in
469:in
208:at
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