For the Fallen

The patriotic ode was written by the English poet Laurence Binyon. He composed the poem in September 1914, just after the outbreak of World War I. At the time, he was working at the British Museum in London.

The fourth stanza of the poem is the most widely recited memorial verse in British Commonwealth Remembrance services. It features the iconic line, 'They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.' This stanza is traditionally recited at the conclusion of memorial parades.

Binyon famously drafted the poem while sitting on a cliff edge on the north coast of Cornwall. He was too old to enlist in the military, so he used his writing to contribute to the war effort. The dramatic, rugged coastline deeply influenced the poem's somber mood.

The poem was created to honor the British soldiers who had already died in the opening battles of the First World War. It serves as a solemn tribute to the ultimate sacrifice made by the military. The text specifically references the sounds of gunfire and the tragedy of mass casualties.