CROSLAND & BURRAGE

[bobpike]

I am a little confused and wondered what Pals thought. I have a book of poems entitled “War Poems By "X" published Garden City, New York by Doubleday, Page & Company in 1917.

Researching who”X” is leads me to Thomas William Hodgson CROSLAND.

I also have a book “War is War” by Ex-Private X identified as Alfred M Burrage who in early 1917 joined the Artists Rifles (28th Battalion, London Regiment) and served until he was evacuated due to trench foot in April 1918.

Crosland was 49 when war broke out, why did he use the pseudonym X just for this book of poems and in view of the dedication below in “War Poems” is it possible that the poet was Burrage rather than Crosland?

 Bob Pike

The dedication reads

 

TO

THE ARTISTS RIFLES

BELOVED OF MARS AND MINERVA

IN THE

FIRST BATTALION

OF WHICH

REGIMENT

I HAVE MANY FRIENDS

NAM UT OMITTAM

PHILIPPUM

THIS BOOK IS

RESPECTFULLY

DEDICATED

[Dust Jacket Collector]

Without any evidence to the contrary I suspect it to be a simple coincidence that both men were in the same unit. Reilly in her bibliography of WW1 poetry identifies the poet 'X' as Crosland who may have wished to disguise the fact of not being a serving soldier. Burrage used the pseudonym to hide the fact that he was a serial writer of love stories for magazines.

[bobpike]

Thank you,

You may well be right, but there is no record of Crosland serving, in the Artists Rifles Roll of Honour (Burrage is listed as 1643 served overseas), but at nearly 50 that's not surprising. As for Reilly she lists four books of poems, all attributed to Crosland, except War Poems, three published during the war.

A final thought the poems seem to have an air of front-line experience which only Burrage had, what do you think?

 

July 1, 1916

We were unprepared,

We were most unwise;

We have been like that

For centuries—

But we've taught ourselves a thing or two

And we're muddling through.

 

Twenty-three months!

Twenty-three Men!

Oh, the muddle

And muddle again!—

One can't deny it, because it's true—

But we're muddling through.

 

Shells and soldiers,

Piles and files;—

The roar goes up

On seventy miles:

We know now what we always knew-

We shall muddle through!

 

Oh, Banner of ours

That shines in the wars,

Oh, excellent bars

Red, white, and blue,

With glory in every fold of you-

We shall muddle through!

 

[Dust Jacket Collector]

I don't know. I've read other poems by non-combatants that sound convincing so it's probably not a difficult thing to pull off. The dedication in the poetry book only says he has friends in the battalion so not necessarily claiming to have been in it. My copy of Reilly lists four books under Crosland one of which is 'War Poems'. I have the jackets on both books but sadly neither gives any further information.