Meet the war veteran who has been banned from reading pacifist poems on Remembrance Day

You mean war hero?

Mr Evans, 92, served with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment during the Normandy campaign in the Second World War.

He must have a place of honour on Remembrance Day?

For 25 years, Mr Evans has recited poetry at the annual Remembrance Day service in the Shropshire village of Wellington, near Telford, but he is disappointed after being "sacked" this year.

What for?

During last year's service, Mr Evans strayed from his usual script and read his own pacifist poems. He recited his work, Lessons, which read: "I remember my friends and my enemies too / We all did our duties for our countries We all obeyed our orders / Then we murdered each other / Isn't war stupid?"

The Pity of War?

Mr Evans said that the pivotal moment in shaping his views was a battle in Caen in 1944, which resulted in 70 per cent casualties. "That was the point that I realised that war was just so stupid and I wished I had no more to do with it," he added.

Haven't plenty of service people who have actually seen battle formed the same conclusion?

The Great War poet Wilfred Owen certainly did. But according to Catherine Wyld, treasurer and standard-bearer for the local Royal British Legion, Mr Evans's poetry "offended many, many people" and "most people were horrified".

She explained that they aren't sacking him and he was welcome to read again if he stuck to the script, but he had refused to do so.

Not so 'dulce et decorum est', then?

Mr Evans said: "I still don't know who I offended, or what I said to offend them. I have no intention of upsetting anybody. I'm a pacifist - and pacifism isn't supposed to upset people."

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