Chance Memory: The story of a York war poet Sue Mendus
Event details
In 1927, the author Ernest Raymond wrote of a poem called Chance Memory, ‘it is simple and perfect … unrivalled in our war literature’.
The poem was apparently written in 1916 in the trenches of the Western Front, and the poet’s name was Philip Johnson. Chance Memory was (and remains) one of the best-loved of all the many poems of the Great War, and yet for over half a century no one knew who Philip Johnson was.
Join Sue Mendus of the University of York as she explains how the mystery of his identity was solved, and traces the link between this poet of the Great War and the city of York.
Presented by the Sheldon Memorial Trust.
This event is hosted live on Zoom Webinar. You’ll receive a link to join a couple of days before the event takes place and a reminder an hour before. During the event, you can ask questions via a Q&A function but audience cameras and microphones will remain muted throughout.
About the speaker
Sue Mendus is Professor Emerita in Political Philosophy at the University of York. She taught Politics and Philosophy at the University from 1975 until her retirement in 2012. She is now a volunteer guide at York Minster and a Director of the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust.