Central to modern day perceptions of World War I are the poets who seemed to speak so clearly for those who are often called the "lost generation".

Among the ranks of the poets are such famous names as Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, as well as many less well-known, including John McCrae, who wrote the often quoted In Flanders Fields in 1915.

Now anyone interested in studying World War I poetry and literature can access a host of manuscripts, photos and other archive material and follow "virtual seminars" on the subject at a website which has been set up by Oxford University.

The project was developed up by Dr Stuart Lee, of the university's Centre for Humanities Computing. He said that one of the reasons he set up the site was because of the popularity of literature from the period of the Great War.

People remain fascinated by the history and literature of the Great War

"It is often referred to as a changing moment in British society... and has haunted us ever since," he said.

The site draws on rare resources from Oxford University, the British Library, the Imperial War Museum, the Public Record Office, the Owen estate and the University of Texas.

Its intention is to allow students one-stop access to original material scattered around the world, which would be difficult for them to get in any other way.

Dr Lee has also developed a digital archive comprising of all the manuscripts of Wilfred Owen's war poetry, a selection of his letters and photographs and a complete run of The Hydra - the journal produced at the Craiglockhart Military Hospital where he was treated.

Dr Lee said: "The Internet is often criticised for its triviality and ephemeral nature.

Students can study copies of the poet's original manuscripts

"But this project is using it to bring the memories of the World War I back to prominence, making all kinds of resources available to schools, universities, and the general public for free."

So far, many of the seminars have been used in schools and universities around the world as part of traditional courses.

And Dr Lee said that dealing with the original sources has had an impact on some scholars.