Bertram Warr
Bertram Warr was a Canadian poet born on December 7, 1917, in Toronto. His early life was marked by the challenges of the Great Depression, which shaped his socio-political views, particularly his socialist beliefs. After completing high school, he pursued studies at the University of Toronto while working as a clerk. In 1938, he stowed away on a ship to England, where he continued his education at Birkbeck College and began writing poetry. Warr served in the Royal Air Force during World War II and published a collection of fourteen poems titled "Yet a Little Onwards" in 1941. His poetry often reflects themes of social critique and war, capturing his experiences in London during the conflict. Tragically, Warr's life was cut short when his bomber was shot down in 1943, just shy of his 26th birthday. Despite his limited publication during his lifetime, his work has been posthumously recognized and remains significant in the study of war poetry, particularly for its unique perspective on World War II.
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Subject Terms
Bertram Warr
Poet
- Born: December 7, 1917
- Birthplace: Canada
- Died: April 3, 1943
- Place of death: Over Essen, Germany
Biography
Bertram Warr was born in Canada on December 7, 1917. He grew up in Toronto in a family made poor by the Great Depression. After high school, he continued his studies in evening classes at the University of Toronto while holding a day job as a clerk.
In April, 1938, he worked as a porter at a resort hotel in Ontario and later went to Halifax with one of his friends. The two young men stowed away on a passenger ship bound for England and worked as stewards on the vessel until they reached port. In England, Warr resumed his studies by taking classes at Birbeck College at the University of London. He supported himself through whatever work he could find. During this time he began writing poetry and developed strong socialist beliefs.
Warr chose to remain in England during World War II, becoming a member of the Royal Air Force and serving with other men from Canada. In 1941, he published a broadsheet of fourteen poems, “Yet a Little Onwards.” This was the sole publication of his poems during his lifetime, although thirty-five other poems were printed posthumously. Although his poetic output was limited, his work was admired by a number of influential writers who saw great potential in the young man.
Many of Warr’s poems demonstrate socialistic as well as religiously skeptical themes. Like others of his generation, he believed that the war was part of a larger movement, a class struggle that would eventually bring about a new world order. Warr’s best poems, however, are those in which he describes in a terse, yet often surprisingly delicate manner, his experiences of war and living in London during war time.
On April 3, 1943, Warr’s bomber was shot down over Essen, Germany, and the poet was killed. He was only twenty-five years old, too young to have fully escaped the influences of poetic models such as T. S. Eliot and the poets of World War I. Nonetheless, his work showed great promise and his loss was felt keenly in the British poetic community. In 1970, his poems were collected and published in Acknowledgement to Life: The Collected Poems of Bertram Warr. Perhaps the most poignant piece of writing in this collection was an essay in which he predicted his own death during the war.
Warr’s work will undoubtedly be remembered for its contribution to the genre of war poetry, a genre in which World War II is less well represented than either World War I or the Vietnam War. The promise of his youth and the tragedy of his death continue to make him an interesting subject for study.