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Quote by Ivor Gurney

“In the mind of all the English soldiers there is absolutely no hate for the Germans, but a kind of brotherly though slightly comtemptuous kindness - as to men who are going through a bad time as well as ourselves.”

Quote by Ivor Gurney

Work

Ivor Gurney: collected letters

This book presents a collection of letters from Ivor Gurney, offering insights into his personal life, creative process, and the social and cultural context of his time. more

Author

Ivor Gurney
Ivor Gurney

Ivor Gurney was an English composer, poet, and painter, celebrated for his contributions to the early 20th-century musical landscape. Born on August 28, 1890, in Gloucestershire, England, Gurney's life was marked by his artistic talents and personal struggles. His service in World War I had a profound impact on his mental health, yet he persevered in his musical and poetic endeavors. Gurney's compositions, encompassing orchestral works, songs, and chamber music, are admired for their lyrical charm and emotional intensity. He passed away on December 26, 1937. more

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“I wish those people who write so glibly about this being a holy war and the orators who talk so much about going on, no matter how long the war lasts and what it may mean, could see a case of musterd gas - the poor things burnt and blistered all over with great musterd coloured suppurating blisters, with blind eyes, all sticky and stuck together, and always fighting for breath, with voices a mere whisper, saying their throats are closing and they know they will choke.”

“Some men of the line regiment who had appeared on our right started running back. I shouted out to them to halt, but they took no notice. I pulled out my revolver and very nearly shot at them, but I thought it wouldn't do any good, as they all had their backs to me so would have thought that anyone hit was hit by a German bullet. If I ran after them my men might think I was running away. So I took my men on!”

“At 8 o'clock in the morning a dense throng of workers - almost 10,000 - assembled in the square, which the police had already occupied well ahead of time. Karl Liebknecht's voice then rang out: 'Down with the War! Down with the Government!' The police immediately rushed at him. For the first time since the beginning of the war open resistance to it had appeared on the streets of the capital. The ice was broken.”