Philip Edward Thomas was a British author of poetry and prose. He is sometimes referred to as a war poet, despite the fact that few of his poems actually address his wartime experiences. He began composing poetry at the age of 36, although by then he had been a successful critic, historian, nature writer, and travel writer for two decades. He enlisted in the British Army in 1915 to fight in World War I and was killed in action during the Battle of Arras in 1917, shortly after arriving in France. Edward Thomas was the son of Mary Elizabeth Townsend and Philip Henry Thomas, a civil servant, writer, preacher, and local politician. He was born in Lambeth, south London, having previously lived in Surrey. He attended Belleville School, Battersea Grammar School, and St Paul's School, all in London. Thomas's family was predominantly Welsh. Of his six great-grandparents for whom information is available, five were born in Wales and one in Ilfracombe. All four of his grandparents had been born and raised in Wales. His paternal grandparents lived in Tredegar.