The War Poems of Siegfried Sassoon

Siegfried Sassoon was one of the first to write poetry about the brutal reality of war, based on his real-life experiences in the trenches. He served in World War I on the Western Front and was awarded the Military Cross for bravery under fire. However, he later became a convicted pacifist, threw his Military Cross into the Mersey river, and continued to write and publish poems and political statements against the war. His poems capture the despair he felt towards the war overall, and he paints vivid word pictures that make the reader "pray you'll never know, the hell where youth and laughter go". (Summary by Elizabby)

Note: This work is in the public domain in the USA and Canada. If you are not in the USA, please verify the copyright status of these works in your own country before downloading, otherwise you may be violating copyright laws. (1 hr 38 min)

Chapters

Prelude: The Troops	1:43	Read by KHand
Dreamers	1:04	Read by KHand
The Redeemer	2:49	Read by asterix
Trench Duty	1:19	Read by asterix
Wirers	1:30	Read by asterix
Break Of Day	3:59	Read by asterix
A Working Party	3:28	Read by asterix
Stand-To: Good Friday Morning	1:07	Read by asterix
'In The Pink'	1:32	Read by asterix
The Hero	1:30	Read by asterix
Before The Battle	1:06	Read by asterix
The Road	1:36	Read by asterix
Two Hundred Years After	1:16	Read by asterix
The Dream	2:37	Read by asterix
At Carnoy	1:02	Read by asterix
Battalion Relief	2:04	Read by asterix
The Dug-Out	0:55	Read by asterix
The Rear-Guard	2:11	Read by asterix
I Stood With The Dead	1:20	Read by asterix
Suicide In Trenches	1:05	Read by asterix
Attack	1:24	Read by asterix
Counter-Attack	2:53	Read by asterix
The Effect	1:49	Read by Mark Hissong
Remorse	1:38	Read by Mark Hissong
In An Underground Dressing-Station	1:08	Read by Mark Hissong
Died Of Wounds	1:10	Read by asterix
'They'	1:11	Read by asterix
Base Details	0:59	Read by asterix
Lamentations	1:10	Read by Mark Hissong
The General	0:54	Read by Mark Hissong
How To Die	1:14	Read by asterix
Editorial Impressions	1:24	Read by Mark Hissong
Fight To A Finish	1:14	Read by asterix
Atrocities	1:15	Read by Mark Hissong
The Fathers	1:09	Read by Mark Hissong
'Blighters'	0:54	Read by asterix
Glory Of Women	1:11	Read by Mark Hissong
Their Frailty	1:06	Read by Mark Hissong
Does It Matter?	1:10	Read by asterix
Survivors	1:10	Read by asterix
Joy-Bells	1:13	Read by asterix
Arms And The Man	1:15	Read by Mark Hissong
When I'm Among A Blaze Of Lights	1:08	Read by Mark Hissong
The Kiss	1:03	Read by asterix
The Tombstone-Maker	1:23	Read by Mark Hissong
The One-Legged Man	1:14	Read by Mark Hissong
Return Of The Heroes	1:18	Read by Lucretia B.
Twelve Months After	1:35	Read by carlacortes
To Any Dead Officer	3:07	Read by Mark Hissong
Sick Leave	1:18	Read by carlacortes
Banishment	1:12	Read by Philip Panos
Autumn	0:53	Read by Philip Panos
Repression Of War Experience	2:28	Read by Philip Panos
Together	1:16	Read by Mark Hissong
The Hawthorn Tree	0:58	Read by asterix
Concert Party	2:00	Read by Mark Hissong
Night On The Convoy	1:40	Read by Beth Thomas (1974-2020)
A Letter Home	3:10	Read by Beth Thomas (1974-2020)
Reconciliation	0:50	Read by Beth Thomas (1974-2020)
Memorial Tablet (Great War)	1:01	Read by Beth Thomas (1974-2020)
The Death-Bed	2:44	Read by Beth Thomas (1974-2020)
Aftermath	2:02	Read by carlacortes
Song-Books Of The War	1:37	Read by Drew Johnson
Everyone Sang	1:05	Read by Drew Johnson

Reviews

HEARTBREAKING.

(5 stars)

tripet

I HAVE LISTENED TO THESE AND REALLY FELT I WAS THERE, I HAVE LISTENED TO MANY WAR AUDIOBOOKS WRITTEN BY THOSE 'OVER THERE'. SO DESCRIPTIVE BUT VERY HEART RENDING. SO REAL, SO SAD.

Thought Provoking And Unafraid to Be Blunt

(3 stars)

Chelsea R.H

nice. thought provoking poems that show the true brutality of war. unfortunately I didn't really like any of the narrators, however it is a worthwhile listen

(4 stars)

Bundnik

Very good readings for the most part. The mix of accents has benefits and downsides. My thanks to all of them for contributing to this free resource!

Very Good