Oxonmoot 2024

J.R.R. Tolkien served in the British Army during the Great War and witnessed his sons serving in the Second World War. The impact of both wars is threaded through his literary work. Yet, Tolkien's view on war, heroism and the enemy are far from the military propaganda he was confronted with. He detested the allegory comparing Orcs and Germans: "I’ve never had those sort of feelings about the Germans. I’m very anti that kind of thing", Tolkien stated in an interview with the Sunday Times Magazine in 1967.

Looking at Tolkiens's letters, interviews and his literary work, this talk tries to trace Tolkien's views on war in general and on the soldiers in particular. Historic photographs and collectible cigarette cards from the German side of the Great War could give further insights.