Poetry reading: The Hours, lived experience of conflict
How can the armed forces and veterans use poetry to express the realities of war?
Watch actor Tom Mison, standing by the Grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, read the poem The Hours by Sebastian Marziano. As part of Westminster Abbey Institute's Call to Words event in November 2025, we invited serving members of the armed forces and veterans to submit original poetry reflecting their experiences of service, deployment, and conflict. This poem was selected by our panel, displayed in Poets' Corner and read at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior by actor Tom Mison at the event.
Show More
Westminster Abbey Institute aims to nurture and revitalise moral and spiritual values in public life and service. This poem came from one of their programmes for the public: https://www.westminster-abbey.org/institute/public-programmes
