Joseph Lee (poet) facts for kids

Joseph Johnston Lee (1876–1949) was a talented Scottish writer, artist, and poet. He is best known for writing about his experiences as a soldier and a prisoner of war during World War I. Many people call him "Scotland's 'Forgotten' War Poet" or "Dundee's forgotten war poet." He also had a famous disagreement with Robert Bridges, who was the official poet laureate at the time, about the poems of Robert Burns.

Biography of Joseph Lee

Early Life and Creative Start

Joseph Johnston Lee was born in Dundee, Scotland, in 1876. He was one of nine children. His grandfather, Sergeant David Lee, had fought in the Napoleonic Wars. Joseph started working when he was only 14 years old. He first worked in a lawyer's office. Later, he worked at sea as a stoker on a steamship.

While in Dundee, he took art classes at the local YMCA. By 1904, he was working as an artist in London. He drew cartoons for a group called the Tariff Reform League. He also studied art at Heatherley's School of Fine Art.

In 1906, Lee returned to Dundee. He began writing, producing, and editing local magazines. These included The City Echo and The Piper O' Dundee. In 1909, he started The Tocsin, a monthly magazine. It supported the labour movement in Dundee. Important figures like Keir Hardie praised it. Lee also drew many pictures for these magazines. Sometimes he used the name 'Crowquill'. He even drew cartoons of Winston Churchill, who was a Member of Parliament for Dundee.

In 1909, he joined John Leng & Co., a newspaper publisher in Dundee. He often wrote poems for their weekly newspaper, The People's Journal. He later became the editor of this paper. His first book of poems, Tales o’ Our Town, came out in 1910. In 1914, a play he wrote, Fra Lippo Lippi, Painter of Florence, was performed. This was his second play.

Joseph Lee was also a popular illustrator. His drawings appeared in books like Dundee from the Tramcars (1908). They were also in Lochee as It Was and as It Is (1911).

Serving in World War I

Even though he was almost 40 years old, Lee joined the army in 1914. He became a soldier in the 4th Battalion of the Black Watch. This was Dundee's local army group. He eventually became a Sergeant. He joined despite being older and having asthma. Many of his friends also disagreed with the war.

Some people think he was inspired by his grandfather, who fought at Waterloo. Lee even wrote a poem about this in 1915. He might also have been caught up in the strong patriotic feelings in Dundee. His time in the war became the most important part of his writing career.

The 4th Black Watch went to France in 1915. They fought in battles like Aubers Ridge and Loos. While fighting, Lee sent sketches and poems back to Scotland. He became known as 'the Black Watch Poet'. These poems were later put into two books: Ballads of Battle and Work-a-Day Warriors.

In 1917, he became an officer, a second lieutenant. Later that year, he was reported missing. Joseph Lee had been captured by the enemy. He became a prisoner of war in Germany. He was held in camps at Karlsruhe and Beeskow. During his time as a prisoner, Lee kept journals. He filled them with sketches and notes. These journals became a book called A Captive in Carlsruhe, published in 1920. It told the story of his time as a POW.

Later Years and Return to Dundee

In 1924, Joseph Lee married Dorothy Barrie, a well-known viola player. They settled in Epsom, England. Lee became a sub-editor for the News Chronicle newspaper. He also continued his art studies at the Slade School of Art.

From 1940 to 1944, he was a member of the Home Guard. This was a defense organization during World War II. He returned to Dundee in 1944. Joseph Lee passed away there in 1949.

Music Inspired by Lee's Poems

Some of Joseph Lee's poems have been turned into songs. A musician from Dundee, J. F. Heyde, created music for poems from Ballads of Battle. This music was published in 1916. In 1917, more songs were released, also set to music by Heyde.

In 2015, a new musical version of Lee's poem 'The Listening Post' was performed. This happened at an event in Dundee. It marked 100 years since the Battle of Loos.

Joseph Lee's Reputation as a Poet

When Joseph Lee's war poetry was first published, it received much praise. His poem The Green Grass was called one of the best war poems by John Buchan. In 1918, The New York Times said his work was "rather widely quoted."

Lee's fame as a war poet was once as high as famous poets like Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, and Rupert Brooke. However, as Owen's and Sassoon's poems became more popular, Lee's work was less remembered.

His biographer, Bob Burrows, suggests a reason for this. Lee did not have a powerful supporter to promote his poetry. Also, Lee survived the war without major injuries. He went back to being a journalist after being released from Germany. Burrows also thinks Lee did not aim to be a huge literary figure. He did not push his work much. His working-class background might also have made it harder for his poetry to gain wide fame.

Some experts note that Lee's work is hard to put into one group. He was not completely against the war. But he was also not a "naive patriot" who blindly supported it. This might be why his poetry became less known after World War I.

Joseph Lee's Reputation as an Artist

Before World War I, Joseph Lee was a very important artist for Dundee's newspapers and magazines. His war illustrations were also very significant. He drew them at the front lines. They were published with his poems. These drawings made his book Ballads of Battle feel very real and powerful.

In 1915, the People's Journal featured a full page about his artwork. It was titled "'Dundee's Own' Artist at the Front." Some of his war sketches were shown in an exhibition. This was at the Albert Institute in Dundee, now called the McManus Galleries.

After the war, when he was in London, Lee sketched many famous people. These included composer Edward Elgar and writer Edith Sitwell.

Legacy of Joseph Lee

Joseph Lee's personal papers are kept at the Archive Services of the University of Dundee. These papers include his letters with Robert Bridges. They also have materials from his time as a prisoner of war. The collection also contains copies of his books and related items. There is even a letter from Keir Hardie.

More than 250 of Lee's drawings are held by the University of Dundee Museum Services. This includes drawings he made while a prisoner of war. In 2005, the University of Dundee held an exhibition about Lee. His great-niece opened it. In 2011, parts of his papers were shown in another exhibition. This exhibition marked Remembrance Day. A major exhibition of Lee's work was also held at the University from August to November 2016.

A book about Joseph Lee, written by Bob Burrows, was published in 2004.

The University of Dundee owns two portraits of Lee. One is from 1921 by Henry Young Alison. The other is a 1913 lithograph by Stewart Carmichael. Another portrait of Lee, by David Foggie, is at the Dundee Art Galleries and Museums Collection.