Tag Archives: Robert Quilter Gilson

Gardening the corner of a foreign field

Posted on 25 May 2017 by

As the Commonwealth War Graves Commission marks its centenary, I recall a 2014 visit to Flanders and northern France when I spoke to the gardeners who keep the cemeteries pristine. With its postcards of poppies and memorials, its hotels and … Continue reading →

Posted in Research tangents | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Robert Quilter Gilson, TCBS – a documentary

Posted on 11 May 2016 by

When Tolkien writes in the Foreword to The Lord of the Rings that ‘by 1918 all but one of my close friends were dead’, he is referring to his friends in a clique formed at school but later bonded by … Continue reading →

Posted in Research tangents, Tolkien in the First World War | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Tolkien’s ‘immortal four’ meet for the last time

Posted on 25 September 2015 by

Best Article, Tolkien Society Awards 2016 Also available in Spanish and Portuguese. One hundred years ago today, four young men convened in an English town, not having seen each other for some time. What makes this trivial event significant is … Continue reading →

Posted in Research tangents, Tolkien in the First World War | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Why World War One Is at the heart of Lord of the Rings

Posted on 29 July 2014 by

It’s sixty years since the publication of J.R.R. Tolkien’s first volume of The Lord of The Rings. Why was he so inspired by the Great War—and a group of schoolfriends? War runs like iron ore through the bones of Tolkien’s … Continue reading →

Posted in 100 years of Middle-earth, Tolkien in the First World War, Tolkien’s creative spirit | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment