Background

Alun Lewis was born on July 1, 1915, in Cwmaman, United Kingdom, to the family of two school teachers - Thomas John Lewis and Gwladys Elizabeth (Evans) Lewis. Despite the poverty of the surrounding region, he grew up in a close, happy family. Alun had a younger sister, Mair, and two brothers.

Education

In 1920-1926, Alun studied at Glynhafod elementary school. Then, during the period from 1926 till 1932, he attended Cowbridge Grammar School.

In 1932, Alun enrolled in the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth (present-day Aberystwyth University), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1935. The same year, in 1935, Lewis entered the University of Manchester, where he received a Master of Arts degree in History in 1937.

Career

During the period from 1938 till 1940, Alun served as a teacher at Lewis School, Pengam. After a brief teaching career and despite moral misgivings, based on his pacifist beliefs, he enlisted in the Royal Engineers in early 1940, serving with the corps till 1941. In 1942, Lewis joined the South Wales Borderers and was sent to India to fight in World War II. Alun continued to serve in India till 1943.

Despite his beliefs, military life proved stimulating to Lewis, providing material for "Raiders' Dawn", a poetry collection about army life in training camps, that was published in 1942, and for "The Last Inspection", a collection of short stories, covering the same topic. These works explore the fears, frustrations and boredom, experienced by soldiers, who are enlisted, but not yet on active duty, waiting to be sent to war. Both of these works were widely praised by critics, who saw Lewis as an heir to the great Romantic poets. Some even wrote that he was a better poet than his contemporaries, Dylan Thomas and R. S. Thomas. In addition to his military experiences, Lewis also wrote of his love for Gweno Ellis, his wife, in several of his poems and letters.

Sadly, Lewis's life was cut short in 1944, when he died in the course of the campaign against the Japanese, while on active duty in Burma (Myanmar). A loyal and committed officer, Lewis was offered the chance to leave his unit and be given a position away from the front. He refused, choosing to stay with his men. On a patrol mission in the Goppe Pass, Lewis died under conditions, that were never fully explained. He was twenty-eight years old. Some sources note that it was a case of suicide, as Alun was found shot in the head, after shaving and washing, near the officers' latrines, with his revolver in his hand. An army court of inquiry charitably concluded, that Lewis had tripped and that the shooting was an accident.

Most of Lewis's works were published posthumously. The second collection of his poems, "Ha! Ha! Among the Trumpets", appeared in 1945. A collection of letters, "Letters from India", was published in 1946, and "In the Green Tree", a selection of letters and short stories, came out in 1948.

Achievements

• Alun Lewis was one of the best-known English-language poets of the Second World War. "Raiders' Dawn and Other Poems" (1942) is his most remarkable work.

Works

More photos

• book

  • In the Green Tree

    (Through his letters home and six short stories, Alun Lewi...)

    1948
  • A Cypress Walk

    (This work contains letters, inspired by Alun Lewis and Fr...)

    2006
  • Raiders' Dawn and Other Poems 1942
  • Last Inspection and Other Stories 1942
  • Ha! Ha! Among the Trumpets. Poems in Transit 1945
  • Letters from India 1946
  • Selected Poetry and Prose 1966
  • Alun Lewis. A Miscellany of His Writings 1982
  • Alun Lewis: Letters to My Wife 1989

Views

Lewis was interested in people and culture of India and he was remarkably free from the colonialist attitudes many of his countrymen shared toward that nation. In addition, he was a pacifist, who wanted to help defeat fascism.

Personality

Alun Lewis was a clever, passionate and charismatic man.

Quotes from others about the person

• "Compassion is the outstanding quality, which quickens all Lewis's work." - Gordon Symes

Interests

• Writers

  Edward Thomas

Connections

In 1939, Lewis met Gweno (Ellis) Lewis, a teacher, whom he married on July 5, 1941. Moreover, during his military service, Alun had an affair with Freda Aykroyd, a devotee of literature and the wife of a British scientist. Their affair lasted until Lewis's mysterious death in March 1944.

Father:

Thomas John Lewis

Mother:

Gwladys Elizabeth (Evans) Lewis

Sister:

Mair Lewis

Wife:

Gweno (Ellis) Lewis

Partner:

Freda Aykroyd

References

• Alun Lewis: A Life
  1974