A DREAM WITHIN THE DARK
A DERBYSHIRE POET IN THE TRENCHES
By Victor Piuk
Derbyshire Libraries & Heritage Department 2003 - ISBN 0903 463 717 - A4 size paperback - 88pp - £5.95 / €10
The Derbyshire poet, William (Will) Streets, was killed while serving as a Sergeant in the 12th York and Lancs (Sheffield Pals) at Serre on the bloody 1st July 1916. He was one of several poets who died that day, but despite the amount of poetry he left behind, he has become one of the more obscure and forgotten poets who died in the Great War.
Vic Piuk, who lives on the Somme, has been researching Will Streets for many years. Finally the true story of his life, work as a miner, love of literature and poetry, and service on the Western Front has been told. For someone who came from a humble background, Streets' passion for poetry was unwavering, and unlike many of the poets who died on the Somme in 1916, he had lived to see some of his verse in print.
Well written, and meticulously researched, the book ends with the dramatic events of the 1st July 1916, when Will's battalion was all but wiped out in the attack at Serre. An excellent and imaginative book, and thoroughly recommended.
Copies can be bought in the shop at Delville Wood on the Somme, or obtained direct from the author at:
