dumbfoundry

Ellis Humphrey Evans is better known today by his bardic pen-name, Hedd Wyn.

He signed that name, which means "white peace", under a poem he submitted to the 1917 National Eisteddfod, held in Birkenhead, Merseyside.

By the time that poem was announced as winner of the Eisteddfod chair, Hedd Wyn had been killed in action on the Western Front.

He may not have the worldwide fame of other celebrities who died young, including James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, but a film of his story was nominated for an Oscar in 1993.

And in Welsh-speaking society, Hedd Wyn is every bit as famous as Dean and Monroe are in the English-speaking world.

This entry was posted by Ivy on Tuesday, March 29, 2005 at 1:24 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.