Adlestrop Remembered: A Poetry Anthology from the Centenary Competition

'Adlestrop' by Edward Thomas is one of Britain's best-loved poems conjuring up a picture of an idyllic countryside glimpsed before the horrors of the First World War and the poet's own death in 1917 at Arras. On Midsummer's Day, 24 June 1914, Edward Thomas made his memorable journey on a steam train from London to Ledbury which happened to stop 'unwontedly' at Adlestrop Station. His recollections of that hot afternoon were later distilled into the poem. To celebrate this occasion the village of Adlestrop organised a centenary poetry competition and this anthology contains, not only the winning poem by David Sutton, but almost forty of the best of the entries. In all, two hundred poets from all over the world were moved to send in a poem inspired by the original. Some are funny, others poignant but all show the talent of their creators. The judge, PJ Kavanagh, remarked at the prize giving ceremony, 'As for the standard of the entries, nearly two hundred, it seemed to me surprisingly good, considering the conditions of the competition, I was very impressed...This poem, to me, stood out, but the choice of runners-up was difficult, there were so many to choose from.'