F. W. (Frederick William) Harvey

Born in Gloucestershire in 1888, Frederick William Harvey — often known as Will Harvey — grew up with a strong sense of place that stayed at the heart of his work. He was educated at the King's School in Gloucester and later became closely associated with the circle around fellow Gloucestershire figures such as Ivor Gurney and Herbert Howells.

Harvey served in the First World War with the Gloucestershire Regiment, won the Distinguished Conduct Medal, and was later captured and held as a prisoner of war. Poems written during and around those years brought him a wide readership, and his best-known work often combines plain speech, emotional honesty, and vivid memories of home.

After the war, he worked as a solicitor and broadcaster as well as a writer. He remained deeply connected to Gloucestershire throughout his life, and his poems helped earn him a lasting reputation as a much-loved local voice whose work still speaks clearly to readers today.