Exhibitions

The next exhibition - scheduled to be on at Fleetood Library, Fleetwood, Lancashire from Tuesday, 1st October until Monday, 11th November 2013, is having the finishing touches put in place right now.

Last week we went along to the Wilfred Owen Story in Argyle Street, Birkenhead, Wirral to have a look at the Exhibition there, have a chat with Dean and Janet about what to do next and leave them a few copies of Volume I to sell in aid of the Wilfred Owen Story - which is entirely run by volunteers and donations from the public.

Incidentally, that T-shirt is rather special - it is from the Punk Rock Group the London Diehards, who named their band in honour of a regiment of Middlesex Soldiers who fought in WW1.

Finland

I am indebted, again, to Michael Bully of the Great War Forum for suggesting that my post regarding Finland need a little more research.

Finland was annexed by Russia before the First World War.  During the First World War more than a thousand Finnish officers and NCOs went to Germany secretly and joined the 27th Royal Prussian Jager Battalion.

By the time WW1 broke out, the German Army was organised into an Army Crops, most of which was under the command of the Prussian Army.

http://www.worldwar1.com/sfgarmy.htm

Thank you Michael.

Today's WW1 Poet: Cicely Hamilton (1872 - 1952) - British

I am indebted to Michael Bully of the Great War Forum for his kind help in find more information about Cicely Hamilton.

Cicely was born in London.  She was a poet, writer, dramatist, actress and suffragette. During the First World War,  Cicely joined a Scottish Women's Hospital and was stationed in France.  She went on to join the WAAC and after training took command of a postal unit in France.   Due to her acting experience, she joined a troupe entertaining the troops.

Cicely wrote novels, historical accounts, poetry and plays and after the war worked as a freelance journalist.

"Lest we forget..."**

Just returned from a few wonderful days on The Wirral, soaking up Wilfred Owen and May Sinclair atmosphere at The Wilfred Owen Story.   We followed the fascinating "Wilfred Owen's Wirral" trail printed by Wirral Methodist Housing Association.

While there, we met up with an old school chum of mine who organises a Knitting Group.  Following on from the contribution that Sonia Bidwell the Textile Artist/Storyteller from Scotland made to the Exhibition at the Ace Centre, I asked if any of the members of the Knitting Group would like to make something to commemorate the First World War.   So far there are a crocheted tea cosy, a knitted Balaclava and several beautiful poppies and a Land Army girl is in the pipeline, with fingerless gloves...   So there is plenty of time to get on board and come up with your own ideas for commemorating.

My friend showed me a copy of a fantastic book written by Wirral author Dave Horne and entitled "Higher Bebington's Heroes 1914 - 1919".   This 122-page work of dedication by the author lists the names of the 29 men whose names are recorded on a Memorial Tablet in Christ Church in Higher Bebington, Wirral.   There is an introduction which explains Dave's family link to the First World War and there is a map of the area in 1910.   Dave also has biographical details of the men, photographs of them and in many cases their houses and photographs of their graves.

I just had to purchase a copy of the book, so I took note of Dave's details and ordered one.  It was waiting for us when we got home and I have hardly put it down since.  When you think about it, this is just one small church in a village - one tiny corner of the world. Imagine how many other, similar Memorial Tablets there must be throughout the rest of our world!  I would like to think that eventually every single person who died in the Great War could be recorded in a similar manner. And then there are all those who helped in many different ways and whose lives were changed for ever...    I don't want much do I?

"Higher Bebington's Heroes 1914 - 1919" by Dave Horne, published in 2012 by Countryvise Ltd., Birkenhead, Wirral.

ISBN No. 978 1 906823 77 1

Book and cover design by Charles McIntyre

** Quotation from Rudyard Kipling's poem "Recessional", 1897.

Today's Poet: Lou Albert-Lasard - German

I am deeply indebted to Penelope Monkhouse, a German-British scientist who lives in Germany and is a granddaughter of the novelist, dramatist and literary critic Allan Monkhouse.

Penelope is carrying out a comparative literary study of German and English poetry.  Penelope is a poet herself and translates poetry into and from German and English.

Penelope contacted me some time ago via this weblog and offered to help me find German language poets.  She has written detailed biographies of several German language female poets of the First World War and has sent them to me and given me permission to use them - for which I am extremely grateful.

Today's poet, by kind permission of Penelope Monkhouse, is Lou Albert-Lasard (1885 - 1969).

Lou was born in Metz in Lorraine which, at the time of WW1, was in the German Empire.   She was an expressionist painter and her family were wealthy bankers.   Lou studied art in Munich and from 1912 worked for Ferdinand Leger in Paris in his studio.

In 1909 Lou married chemist/inventor Eugene Albert against her parents' wishes. Their daughter - Ingeborg - was born in 1911.   The marriage failed and Lou returned to Germany where she had an affair with the poet Rainer Maria Rilke.   They were both deeply upset by the War and Lou wrote a poem entitled "Kriegsausbruch" (Outbreak of War).

In 1928 Lou moved to Paris again and became part of the Montparnasse artist's scene.   She travelled extensively with her daughter.   In May 1940, Lou and her daughter were interned but released three months later.

During the 1950s Lou travelled again with her daughter.   She died in Paris in 1969.

Talk by Dr. Jean Moorcroft Wilson and Max Egremont at the Imperial War Museum, 9th November 2013 14.30

Now for something a little different:  Dr. Jean Moorcroft is the world authority on WW1 poets and she is giving a talk, together with Max Egremont on 9th November 2013 at the Imperial War Museum.   For those interested in WW1 poetry this is a must:

Isaac Rosenberg:   From ‘Break of Day in the Trenches’ to the German Spring Offensive 1918

IRSAC & IWM London present
 Jean Moorcroft Wilson & Max Egremont
Saturday 9 November 2013 at 2.30 p.m.
The Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ

Max Egremont

 THE LAST THROW – THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE MARCH 1918

In the war’s last years, there was a transformation, from Haig’s spring message that the British had their ‘backs to the wall’ to August 8 when Ludendorff spoke of ‘the black day of the German army’. Did the startling first successes of that spring bring the Allies near  to defeat? Was it a humiliation in particular for the British? Or were the attacks doomed before they began, as American troops started to come across and the Central Powers faced economic pressure and crumbling morale?

Jean Moorcroft Wilson

‘THROUGH THESE PALE COLD DAYS’ TO ROSENBERG’S DEATH

When the poet Isaac Rosenberg enlisted in the British Army in October 1915 it was not, he insisted, ‘for patriotic reasons’. And his experiences as a private at the Front in France, from June 1916 to his death there during the German Spring Offensive of 1918 did little to change his mind. It did, however, have a profound effect on his poetry, which gives eloquent voice to the ‘poor bloody Tommy’ and is among the greatest of the First World War. With originality of  language, thought and technique he penned some of the most devastating, yet humane words about front-line experience ever written.

Tickets £10 - available from IWM London 01223 449 353 or www.iwm.org.uk     

Enquiries: tel. 020 7387 2394.

Don't forget the Isaac Rosenberg Statue Appeal - details on www.jeecs.org.uk/rosenberg.html

Today's Poet is Welsh

Alice Helena Alexandra Williams (1863 - 1957) was born in Wales.   She was a poet, artist and philanthropist and during the First World War she worked for the French Wounded Emergency Fund and went to Paris with some of her friends to help people who were trying to find injured and missing relatives and refugees.   The extent to which life was disrupted for those who lived in the area fought over on the Western Front cannot be imagined by those of us who live in the British Isles.   Families were separated and many civilians were killed, injured and displaced so Alice's work would have been invaluable.

I have been searching for a Welsh Poet for some considerable time and I am very grateful indeed to Stephen Thomas of Other Roads Films (based in Wales) for taking the time and trouble to bring Alice Helena Alexandra to my attention.   She sounds amazing and I am looking forward very much to finding out more about her.

Henriette Charasson - France

Henriette Charasson (1884 - 1972) from France - poet.

The photo shows French soldiers of WW1 fishing by using a Rosalie Bayonet.

Photo courtesy of WW1 Buffs Facebook page.

Katri Vala - Finland

Katri Vala (1901 - 1942) from Finland was a poet, writer, critic and teacher.

Photo:  Finnish volunteers in the Prussian Army, 1915

Courtesy of WW1 Buffs Facebook Page.

Serendipity

Today's poet is Henriette Roland Holst (1869 - 1952) from Holland.   Although Holland remained neutral during WW1, their forces remained on high alert.

I should explain that in the fullness of time I hope to research all the poets on my list - which grows daily!  The plan is to write up biographical details, find a photograph and a couple of poems and print off a panel for the exhibitions.   Once that is done, details go towards the next Volume of the anthologies "Female Poets of the First World War".

The aim is to be as inclusive as possible - it is not an academic study and the poems are not reviewed.  I feel poetry is extremely important and rather personal.   Some people have suggested that poetry needs to be read aloud - I feel it is up to each individual to decide what suits them best.  One size doesn't fit all!   Some people just don't see the point of poetry;  others cannot get enough.  Others still eventually find a gradual appreciation and even write their own poems.

Serendipity appears to play a huge part in my project.  I am very grateful indeed for the help, guidance and moral support I have received.   This gives me the strength to keep going.

Special thanks today go to:

Professor Margaret Stetz, who is Mae and Robert Carter Professor of Women's Studies and Professor of Humanities at the University of Delaware, Newark, USA, who I found when reading through the website of the newly-created May Sinclair Society.

May Sinclair, you may recall, was the first poet I discovered, having found out that she was born in Rock Ferry on The Wirral.

Professor Stetz sent me a very supportive and encouraging e-mail and I think it would be wonderful to forge a link with the University of Delaware.

Thanks are also due to:

-  Suzanne Raitt, USA - also of the May Sinclair Society -

-  Stephen Thomas of Other Roads Films - www.otherroadsfilms.co.uk - who discovered the most wonderful Welsh language poem written in 1916 by someone called Sarah Davies and featured on the website - www.peoplescollectionwales.com - Welsh Voices

I understand there is a documentary about Ivor Gurney in the pipeline - thank you Stephen can't wait to see that.   News of that is on Tim Kendall's weblog.

-  Kristine Homes of Sheffield University, who sent me details of her Luxembourg language work.

Thank you all very much indeed - your help is very much appreciated.

Onwards!

Today's Poet: May Ziade from The Lebanon

The Lebanon was part of the Ottoman Empire at the start of the First World War.

May was born Marie Ziadeh in Nazareth in 1886 and died in Cairo in 1941.   Her work in French, Italian, English and Arabic constitutes some of the most important poetry and prose written by women in the Arab world.  She was also a supporter of the emancipation of Arab women.   In 1921 May organised a Conference entitled "Le but de la vie", calling upon Arab women to aspire towards freedom without losing their femininity or their own cultural identity.

I am extremely grateful to the following people who I have discovered through various serious poetry appreciation pages on Facebook for having been able to include May Ziade in my List of Female Poets of the First World War:

Suzanne Daou - writer and translator from The Lebanon - who found me a great deal of information

Marietta - a modern Lebanese poet - who suggested I contact Suzanne

Michael J. Whelan - a modern Irish poet - who suggested I contact Marietta

Thank you all so much - your help, support and advice means a great deal to me.

I hope to include details of May in my next exhibition and also in Volume II of "Female Poets of the First World War".

Today's Female Poet of WW1 is Elsie Mewis from Birmingham

I first discovered Elsie (seen on the left in a photo from Bourneville Works Magazine in 1915 - Elsie is the lady on the right of the photo) in Elizabeth A. Marsland's beautiful book "The Nation's Cause  French, English and German Poetry of the First World War" (published by Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon in 1991).

On pages 90 - 91, Elizabeth mentions that Elsie published some of her poetry in pamphlet form during WW1 and raised a great deal of money for the War effort.   I just had to find out more and my efforts have paid off.

Elsie Mewis was born in Birmingham in 1888 and began working at the Cadbury's Factory in Bourneville in 1908.   That is a coincidence indeed because Cadbury's was one of Father's biggest clients and he once took us all to Bourneville for a few days where we had a tour of the factory.  We saw all the amazing facilities for staff, which included chiropodist, hair dresser, etc. and we also saw a Cocoa Tree growing in a huge greenhouse.

Elsie was a prolific reader, a keen gardner and rambler and a firm supporter of the YWCA and, at the end of WW1, The League of Nations.

Elsie worked hard and passed all the exams she sat at Birmingham University.  She was, according to her fellow workers at Cadbury's, where she became a Forewoman, "sociable and sympathetic with a pleasing and attractive personality".   She was elected onto the Board of Trustees of the Pension Fund.

Elsie wrote poetry all her life and often performed her own work in public.   She retired from Cadbury's in 1943 and died in 1963.

I am grateful to Mondelez International who now own and run Cadbury's for their kind assistance.  They supplied the elements enabling me to piece together Elsie's life story.

If anyone has any personal knowledge of Elsie do please get in touch.

Poppies

Several Facebook groups have re-posted the news that a scheme to purchase poppies and sew them all over the British Isles to commemorate WW1 in time for next year has been refused funding by the Lottery, in spite of apparently being endorsed by Prince Charles and Cameron.

What, you may ask, has the planting of poppies to do with Female Poets?  Well, I think I have already mentioned on this weblog that the idea of using poppies as a means of commemoration came from Moina Belle Michael, an American poet who worked for the YMCA during the First World War.  Moina had read Canadian Medical Officer John McCrae's famous poem "In Flanders Fields" and was determined not to 'break faith'.

John McCrae's story is sad. He was born in 1872 and served on the Western Front as a Medical Officer.  He wrote the poem after the funeral of his friend Lt. Alexis Helmer who was killed at the Second Battle of Ypres.  McCrae noticed some poppies were blooming in the cemetery. They appeared to be the only flower that flourished in the mud and mess.   McCrae apparently threw his poem away (as one does!) but it was rescued by a fellow officer who sent it to "Punch" Magazine in England.  They published "In Flanders Fields" on 8th December 1915.   Following his service at the Front, McCrae was sent to work in a military hospital in Bologne - away from the shells. He fell ill on 27th January 1918 with Pneumonia and died the following day.

The main Facebook Groups involved are WW1 Buffs, Centenary News, and Remembering World War One.  If you have't joined any of these groups they are extremely interesting - here is the link to Stanley Kaye's Remembering World War One Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/rememberingworldwarone/?fref=ts

It has been said that scattering poppies indiscriminately is not a good idea - Health and Safety and all that.  However, I just cannot see how the wind and the birds can be stopped from scattering seeds - can you?

Don't forget the purple poppies in remembrance of the animals who died during the Conflict will you - details from Animal Aid.

Picture:  Mary Riter Hamilton's painting "Trench with Duckboards and Poppies" - http://latefruit.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/a-painter-of-battlefields-mary-riter-hamilton/

Mary was commissioned to go to Flanders by the Canadian Amputees Association who gave me permission to spread the word about her wonderful work as long as I mention them.  Thank you.

Acknowledgements

As you know if you have been following my weblog, I am hoping to include poets from as many countries of the world as possible because I think the First World War changed the world completely.

Today, with the help of some of the wonderful contacts I have found on Facebook, I have managed to find a poet from The Lebanon and will research her as soon as possible.

Having written many letters all over the world and contacted many university professors and experts by e-mail, it is heartening to know that in the long run it is 'people power' that still makes all the difference.

Onwards!

Today's Poet: Helena Jane Coleman from Canada

Helena Jane Coleman (1860 - 1953) was born in Newcastle, Ontario, Canada.  She was a music teacher, writer and poet.

Canada answered the call to arms in 1914.  The first contingent of the Canadian Army expeditionary force that arrived in England on 16th October 1914, was equipped with a "motor machine-gun corps" of twenty armoured cars. 

This formation - the first in the First World War designed and equipped right from the start as an armoured force - was the outcome of the enterprise shown by Raymond Brutinel. 

Brutinel had served in the French Army and became convinced of the value of the machine-gun. Living in Canada at the outbreak of war in 1914, he persuaded wealthy business contemporaries led by Sir Clifford Sifton to join with him in raising and equipping a brigade of motor machine-guns.

Brutinel purchased a total of twenty vehicles : eight were made into Machine Gun Carriers, five were for Ammo and supply carrying, four were for Officer Transport, one carried petrol, one was a repair vehicle and the last one was an Ambulance which the Autocar Company donated. All were made mechanically identical so parts could be swapped around.

From the website: http://www.landships.freeservers.com/

Today's Poet: Dora Gabe from Bulgaria

Dora Gabe (1866 - 1983) was a Bulgarian poet.

Bulgaria entered the First World War on 15th October 1915 on the side of the Central Powers when they declared war on Serbia.

Picture - Bulgarian Soldiers in WW1.

Today's Poet: Cecilia Meireles

Cecelia Meireles (1901 - 1964), from Brazil.

Comments about the Exhibition at the Ace Centre and Female Poets of the First World War

Here are two of the comments received so far:

The Exhibition at The Ace Centre, Nelson, Lancashire:

"I liked the fact that you included poems in other languages.  There was one poem in particular which talked about a town before the War when four different languages were spoken - how that enriched the experience. Language can be a great divider but there was something about seeing the poems in other languages that felt quite unifying".  Helen, Lancashire.

Thank you Helen - I could not have put it better - what you have said explains why I feel it important to include the poems in their original language if possible, rather than having a translation, though both would be ideal probably. LL

Draft Viewing Of Volume I of Female Poets of the First World War:

"I like the way you include photos of the poets - this seems somehow to bring the book together and give one a real feel for what the times and the lives of the poets must have been like during WW1.

My favourite has to be "An English Victory" by Irene Butler from the Downe House School Section (p. 44).  When I read it, I thought immediately of the work of the poet Ian Curtis from the band 'Joy Division'.   It is really something that a young girl from the First World War period could have such a similar style to that of a young man in the 1970s."   Elliott, Merseyside.

Thank you Elliott - I am glad you enjoyed the book. Thank you for so kindly offering to proof read this for me. LL

The next Exhibition will be held at Fleetwood Library,  North Albert Street, Fleetwood, Lancashire FY7 6AJ from 1st October - 11th November.  Entry is free and the Library is open at the following times:

Monday 9 am - 7 pm; Tuesday 9 am to 7 pm;  Wednesday 9 am - 12.30; Thursday, 9 am - 7 pm;

Friday 9 am - 5 pm; Saturday 9 am to 4 pm.

The Exhibition at the Wilfred Owen Story, 34 Argyle Street, Birkenhead, Wirral CH41 6AE runs throughout 2013.   The WOS is open from 11 am - 2 pm Tuesdays - Fridays.

For further details about the forthcoming publication of Volume I of Female Poets of the First World War, please see www.poshupnorth.com 

Today's Poet: Alice Nahon from Belgium

Alice Nahon (1896 - 1933) was a Flemish language poet from Belgium.   She trained as a nurse during WW1.

The photo shows a Belgian machine gunner with his dog team and is courtesy of the Wipers - A Soldier's Tale from the Great War Facebook page.

Exhibition update and two more poets from the List

The exhibition at the Ace Centre in Nelson, Lancashire had to be dismantled on Wednesday.  So now it is full steam ahead for the Fleetwood exhibition in October.

The WW1 Female Poet for 5th September 2013 was Grace Vanamee from the United States of America (1876 - 1946).

Today's Poet is Ada Cambridge from Australia, also known as Ada Cross (1844 - 1926).  Ada was born in England but married Rev. G.F. Cross in 1870 when they went to live in Australia.

During the First World War, Ada and her husband lived in England.

Today's Poet: Mina Loy - British born

Mina Loy (1882 - 1966) was born in Britain.   Mina was a poet and an artist.

Revised List of Female Poets of the First World War, September 2013

FEMALE POETS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

As my research has progressed, it has become even more clear that there were far more women who wrote poetry during the 1914 - 1918 period than the few mentioned in many of the anthologies compiled so far.   I feel strongly that their voices deserve to be heard - please get in touch if you know of any I have missed.  Thank you.

REVISED LIST SEPTEMBER 2013

GREAT BRITAIN

        

Margot Robert ADAMSON

Georgette AGNEW

Marian ALLEN (1892 – 1953) b. Australia

Jessie Annie ANDERSON (b. 1861 - Scottish

Lilian M. ANDERSON

Marion ANGUS (1866 - 1946) - Scottish

Enid BAGNOLD (27th October 1889 - 31st March 1981 - Nurse then driver in France

Rachel BATES (Wirral)

Dorothy Julie BAYNES

Mary BEAZLEY

Madeline Ida BEDFORD

Janet BEGBIE (1894 - 1953) - daughter of poet Harold Begbie

Maud Anna BELL (Serbian Relief Fund)

Frances BELLERBY (1899 – 1975)

Stella BENSON (1892 - 1933)

Matilda BETHAM-EDWARDS

Nora BOMFORD

Lilian BOWES LYON (1895 - 1949)

Mary Elizabeth BOYLE (brother killed in opening days of the War)

Catherine BRIDSON (Wirral)

Beatrix BRICE MILLER (1877 – 1959) went as Lady Helper with the BEF in 1914 

Sybil BRISTOWE (brother killed early 1917)

Vera BRITTAIN (1896 - 1970) (Nurse - VAD - Brother killed in Italy)

Alice Mary BUCKTON (1867 - 1944) (Emigrated to South Africa)

Irene BUTLER (1901 – 1944) Downe House schoolgirl

C.A.L.T.

May WEDDERBURN-CANNAN (1893 - 1973) (VAD + Intelligence Service; engaged to Bevil Quiller-Couch)

Elizabeth CHANDLER FORMAN

Mary G. CHERRY

Mary CHOLMONDELEY (niece of Stella Benson) (8.6.1859 – 15.07.1925) (worked as a clerk in Carlton House Terrace Hospital)

Agatha CHRISTIE (nee Miller) (1890 – 1976 VAD Torquay)

Isabel C. CLARKE (born Plymouth)

Marie E. CLAY (Warwickshire)

Alice E. COLLINGE (1869 – 1960)

Mary Gabrielle COLLINS

Frances CORNFORD (1886 – 1960)

Margaret CROPPER

Nancy CUNARD (1896 - 1965)

Olive Eleanor CUNSTANCE (1874 – 1944) – Lady DOUGLAS

Elizabeth DARYUSH (Daughter of Robert Bridges) (1887 - 1976)

Helena DEREZINSKA (Lancashire)

Helen DIRCKS

Eva DOBELL (1867 - 1963) (Niece of poet Sydney Dobell) Nurse

Jocelyn Ashley DODD (1903 – 1986) Downe House schoolgirl

Sarah DOUDNEY (1841 - 1926)

Agnes E. DREY (Lancashire)

Helen Parry EDEN (1885 -

Agnes FALCONER

Eleanor FARJEON (London; 1881 - 1965)

V. Helen FRIEDLAENDER

Lilian GARD

Alexandra Ethelreda GRANTHAM (eldest son killed WW1)

Nora GRIFFITHS

I. GRINDLEY (Queen Mary's Army Auxilliary Corps)

Diana GURNEY

Dorothy Frances GURNEY (1858 – 1932)

Cicely HAMILTON (1872 - 1952)

Helen HAMILTON

Isabel WESTCOTT HARPER

Ada May HARRISON

Agnes CROZIER HERBERTSON

May HERSHEL-CLARKE

Ethel M. HEWITT

Constance HOLLAR

Winifred HOLTBY (Nursed in France)

Theresa HOOLEY

Violet HUNT

Isobel W. HUTCHISON

Mildred HUXLEY

Catherine M. JACKSON (Wirral)

Violet JACOB ( d. 1947 - Born Violet Kennedy-Erskine in Scotland m. Major Arthur Jacob of 20th Hussars)

Storm JAMESON

Elinor JENKINS (1893 - 1920)

Edith A. KAHIA (Lancashire)

Anna GORDON KEOWN

Harriet KING (1840 – 1920) Harriet Eleanor Hamilton-King

Annie L. KNOWLES (Lancashire)

Margery LAWRENCE

Winifred M. LETTS (1882 - 1972)

Olive E. LINDS

Mina LOY (1882 – 1966) Poet/Artist

Audrey LUCAS (1898 – 1975) Daughter of E.V. & Elizabeth Lucas; Downe House schoolgirl in WW1

Geraldine E. LYSTER (Lancashire)

Irene Rutherford McLEOD

Dame Rose MACAULAY (1881 - 1958) (Descendent of Lord Macaulay)

Helen MACKAY (1891 - 1965)

Nina MACDONALD

Miss Isobel MARCHBANK

Nina MARDEL (VAD)

Olive MATTHEWS (1900 - ?) Downe House schoolgirl

Alice MAUD

Charlotte MEW

Elsie MEWIS - Birmingham

Alice MEYNELL (1847 - 1922)

Olga MILLER (nee KATZIN) (1896 -

Sophie MILLER

Frances Evelyn MILLETT

Miss G.M. MITCHELL

Naomi MITCHISON (1897 – 1999) Scottish – b. Edinburgh

Lady Gertrude MOBERLEY (1860 -

Edith NESBIT (1858 - 1924) (m. BLAND)

Eileen NEWTON

The Honourable Eleanour NORTON (1881 - )

Moira O'NEILL (1864 - 1955)

Carola OMAN (1897 - 1978) Nurse with Red + Western Front 1916 - 1919 m. Sir Geralde Lenanton

Florence OVERTON (Lancashire)

Margaret PETERSON (1883 - 1933.  Pen name:  Glint Green)

Ruth PITTER (7 November 1897 - 29 February 1992) (Worked at the War Office 1915 - 1917

Jessie POPE (18.3.1868 - 14.12.1941 - b, Leicester m. Babington Lenton

Dame Margaret POSTGATE COLE (1893 - 1980)

Irene R. POTTER

Mary PRALL

Marjorie PRATT

Louise PRIOR

Inez QUILTER

Dollie RADFORD (nee Maitland) (1858 – 1920)

Dorothy Una RATCLIFFE (1887 - 1967 b. Yorkshire)

Constance Ada RENSHAW (Sheffield. 1891 - 1964)

Enid RICHARDSON (1901 – 1995) Downe House schoolgirl

Dorothy RICHARDSON (b. Abingdon 17th May 1873 - d. Beckenham 17th June 1957. m. Alan Odle 1917)

Ursula ROBERTS (1887 - 1975) (b. India; educated Highgate and London University) Pen name Susan MILES)

Margaret E. ROWNTREE (nee Fish m. 1926) (Born Fleetwood 1899 - 1983)

Lady Margaret SACKVILLE (1881 – 1963)

Vita SACKVILLE-WEST (1892 - 1962)

Dorothy L. SAYERS

Ethel SCHEFFAUER

Lady Aimee BYNG SCOTT (1868 - 1953)

Edith HOPE-SCOTT (Lancashire)

Fredegond SHOVE (nee MAITLAND) (1889 – 1949)

May SINCLAIR (born Rock Ferry, Wirral 1865 - 1946) Nurse in France 1914

Edith SITWELL (born Scarborough 1887 - 1964)

Cicely FOX SMITH (Born Lymm, Cheshire; educated Manchester)

Stevie SMITH (1902 - 1971) "Not waving but drowning"

Freya STARK (1893 - 1993)

Dorothy Margaret STEWART

Suzanne STONE

Marie Carmichael STOPES (1880 - 1954) (First female science lecturer at Manchester University)

Muriel STUART (  - 1967) (Founded P.E.N. Club in 1921)

Millicent SUTHERLAND ((1867 - 1955)(Milicent Gower, Duchess of Sutherland) (Nurse in France. Painted by Victor Tardieu)

Mary SYMON (Scottish)

Emily HOWSON TAYLOR (1879 -

Gwen TAYLOR 

Rachel Annand TAYLOR (1876 - 1960)

Ruth TAYLOR 

Judith BRUNDRETT-TWESDALE

Joan THOMPSON (With the Red Cross to France)

Aelfrida TILLYARD (1883 - 

Iris TREE (1897 - 1968) (Bloomsbury Group - friend of Nancy Cunard)

Alys FANE TROTTER (1863 - 1962) lived in South Africa1890s

Ada TYRELL

Evelyn UNDERHILL   (worked with SSAFA and Naval Intelligence)

Alberta VICKRIDGE (b. Bradford, Educated Bradford Girls' Grammar. VAD nurse)

Viviane VERNE

Sylvia TOWNSEND WARNER (1893 -   ) Worked in Munitions Factory

Mary WEBB (1881 - 1927 b. Leighton, nr. Wrekin, Shropshire; educated Southport)

Mary Morison WEBSTER

M. Winifred WEDGWOOD (VAD)

Dorothy WELLESLEY (1889 - 1956) 

Catherine DURNING WHETHAM (Devon)

Joan WHITBY (Downe House schoolgirl)

Lucy WHITMELL

Anna WICKHAM (1884 - 1947)

Carolyn Crosby WILSON

Marjorie WILSON

Margaret L. WOODS

Elizabeth WORDSWORTH (1840 - 1932)

AMERICA

Zoe AKINS (1886 - 1958)

Margaret Steele ANDERSON (1867 - 1921)




Karle Wilson BAKER (1878 - 1960)

Djuna BARNES (1892 - 1982)

Natalie Clifford BARNEY (1876 - 1972; lived in Paris for over 60 years)

Pauline BARRINGTON (1876 - 

Katharine Lee BATES (12.081859 - 28.03.1929: "America the Beautiful")

Louise BOGAN (1897 - 1970)

Mary BORDEN (lived in England.  Mobile hospital in France)

Amelia Josephine BURR (1878 - 1968)

Nancy CAMPBELL

Grace ELLERHY CHANNING (1862 - 1937; France and Italy as a War Correspondent)

Florence Earle COATES (1850 - 1927)

Helen Gray CONE (1859 - 1934)

Grace Hazard CONKLING (1878 - 1958)

Adelaide CRAPSEY

Charlotte Holmes CRAWFORD

Olive TILFORD DARGAN

Mary Carolyn DAVIES

Hilda Dolittle or H.D. (1886 – 1961)

Vita DUTTON-SCUDDER (1861 - 1954)




Gabrielle ELLIOTT (American Fund for French Wounded; Nursing Committee for the Council of National Defence)

S. Gertrude FORD

Lena GILBERT BROWN FORD


Theodosia GARRISON

Charlotte Perkins GILMAN (1860 - 1935)

Louise Imogen GUINEY (1861 - 1920)

Mary M.J. HENDERSON (Lived in UK. Went to Russia and Serbia with Elsa Inglis)

Alice Corbin HENDERSON (1881 - 1949)

Katherine HOWARD


Aline KILMER (1888 – 1941) b. Aline Murray m. Kilmer 1908

Amy LOWELL (1874 - 1925)




Florence RIPLEY MASTIN

Moina BELLE MICHAEL (1869 - 1944) The Poppy Lady – worked for the YMCA during WW1

Ruth Comfort MITCHELL

Edna St. Vincent MILLAY (1892 – 1950) Pen name Nancy BOYD

Harriet MONROE (founded and edited “Poetry”, the first American magazine dedicated to poetry

Marianne MOORE (1887 - 1972)

Aline MURRAY (1888 - 1941)


Grace Fallow NORTON (1876 - 1926)

Dorothy PARKER (1893 – 1967)

Marge PIERCY

Lizette WOODWORTH REESE (1856 - 1935)

Laura Elizabeth Howe RICHARDS (1850 – 1943) 1917 Puliter Prize

Edith Grenstead ROCHESTER

Edith RUTTER-LEATHAM

Gertrude STEIN (1874 – 1946) Moved to France 1903 drove medical supplies to hospitals WW1

Charlotte PERKINS STETSON




Sarah TEASDALE

Lesbia THANET

Edith M. THOMAS (1854 - 1925)

Rose Hartwick THORPE (1850 - 1939)

Marie van VORST (Organised American Ambulance Corps; set up workshops in Rome)

Grace O. VANAMEE (1876 - 1946)




Mrs G.O. WARREN

Edith WHARTON (1862 - 1937) (Paris WW1 - nursed)

Ella WHEELER WILCOX (1850 - 1919) (To the Western Front in 1918)

Margaret WIDDAMER

Margaret ADELAIDE WILSON

Elinor WYLIE (1885 – 1928)

ARMENIA

Shushanik KURGHINIAN (1876 – 1927)

AUSTRIA

Vicky BAUM (1888 – 1960)

Maria Eugenie Delle GRAZIE (184 – 1931)

Paula LUDWIG (1900 – 1974)

AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE

Rose AUSLANDER (11.05.1901 – 03.01.1988)

AUSTRALIA

Emily BULCOCK (1877 - 1969)

Ada CAMBRIDGE A.C. (1844 - 1926)

Violet B. CRAMER

Zora CROSS (1890 - 1964)

Edith May ENGLAND (1899 - 1979)

Nellie EVANS (1883 - 1944)

May Hannay FOOT (1846 - 1918)

Mary Elizabeth FULLERTON (1868 - 1946)

Dame Mary GILMORE (1965 - 1962)

Lesbia HARFORD (1891 - 1927)

Winsome JENNINGS

Alice GORE JONES (1887 - 1961)

Marion KNOWLES

Dorothea McKELLAR

Agnes ROSE-SOLEY

Ethel TURNER (1870 - 1958) - born Doncaster, England)

Elizabeth von AMIN (1866 - 1941)

BELGIUM

Marie NIZET (1859 – 1922)

Alice NAHON (1896 - 1933) - trained as a nurse during WW1

BRAZIL

Cora CORALINA (20 August 1889 – 10 April 1985)

Cecilia MEIRELES (7.11.1901 – 9.11.1964)

Adalgisa NERY (29.10.1905 – 7.6.1980)

BULGARIA

Elisaveta BAGRYANA (1893 – 1991)

Dora GABE (1886 – 1963)

CANADA

Jean BLEWETT (1872 - 1934)

Helena Jane COLEMAN (1860 - 1953)

Marie JOUSSAYE (1864 - 1949)

Susan Frances HARRISON (1859 - 1935)

Norah M. HOLLAND (1876 - 1925)

Isabel MACKAY (Isabel Ecclestone - 1875 - 1928)

Lucy Maud MONTGOMERY (1874 - 1942)

Marjorie L.C. PICKTHALL (1883 - 1922)

CHILE

Gabriela MISTRAL (1889 - 1957 - pen name of Lucila Godoy Alcayaga)

Winett de ROKHA (1892 – 1951)

CHINA

Bing Xin

FINLAND

Katri VALA (1901 – 1942)

Edith SODERGRAN (1882 – 1923)

Kerstin SODERHOLM (1897 – 1943)

FRANCE

Adrianne BLANC-PERIDIER (1884 – 1965)

Henriette CHARASON (1884 – 1972)

Marie DAUGUET (1860 - 1942)

Lise DEHARME (1898? - 1980)

Lucie DELARUE-MARDRUS (1874 - 1945- nurse in WW1)

Marguerite DURAND (Editor of La Fronde)

Rosemonde GERARD (1886 - 1953)

Miriam HARRY (Maria Rosette SHAPIRA)

Gerard d'HOUVILLE (Nom de plume - 1875 - 1963)

Amelie MURAT (1882 - 1940)

Anna de NOAILLES (1876 - 1933)

Louisa PAULIN (1888 - 1944)

Valentine PENROSE (nee Boue – 1898 – 1978)

Cecile PERIN (1877 - 1959)

Henriette SAURET

Cecile SAUVAGE (1883 - 1927)

Colette YVER (

GREECE

Maria POLYDOURI (1902 – 1930)

GERMANY

Lou ALBERT-LAZARD (1885 – 1969) Artist/Poet

Anna BAHR-HILDENBERG

Emmy BALL-HENNINGS (1885 – 1948) m Hugo Ball DADA poet

Maria BENEMANN (1887 – 1980)

Trude BERNHARD

Frida BETTINGEN (1865 – 1924)

Isla FRANKE (1881 - 1938)

Claire GOLL (1890 - 1977)

Henriette HARDENBERG (1894 – 1983) (Margarete ROSENBERG)

Ricarda Octavia HUCH (1863 – 1947)

Elizabeth LANGASSER (1899 - 1950)

Berta LASK (1878 – 1967)

Lola LANDAU (1892 – 1990)

Else LASKER SCHULER

Mechthilde LICHNOWSKY (1879 – 1958)

Thekla LINGEN (1866 – 1931)

Elisabeth MEINHARD

Elizabeth PAULSEN

Hilde STIELER-MEYER (1879 – 1965)

Nell WALDEN (1887 – 1975)

HEBREW

Rachel ISRAEL (1890 – 1931) b. Russia

HOLLAND

Agnita FEIS (1881 – 1944)

Henriette ROLAND HOLST (1869 - 1952)

Augusta PEAUX (1859 - 1944)

Giza RITSCHL (1869 - 1942)

Nine van der SCHAAF (1882 - 1973)

Margo SHARTEN-ANTINK

Helene SWARTH (1859 - 1941)

Jacqueline van der WAALS (1868 - 1922)

INDIA

Nalini Bala DEVI (1898 – 1977)

Sarojini NAIDU (1879 - 1949)

IRELAND

Eleanor ALEXANDER

Jane BARLOW (1897 – 1917)

Eva GORE BOOTH (1870 – 1956)

Elizabeth BOWEN (1899 – 1973)

Alice FURLONG (1875 – 1948)

Lady Augusta GREGORY (1852 – 1932)

Kathleen KNOX

Temple LANE (1899 – 1982)

Rosamund LANGBRIDGE (1880 – 1964)

Eirene MANDERS (Downe House schoolgirl)

Rosa MULHOLLAND (Lady Gilbert) (1841 – 1921)

May NORTON (1876 – 1957)

May O'ROURKE (Became Secretary to Thomas Hardy in 1923)

Elizabeth SHANE

Dora SIGERSON SHORTER (1866 - 1918)

Katharine TYNAN (1861 - 1931)

Helen WADDELL

ITALY

Amalia GUGLIELMINETTI (1881 – 1941)

Ada NEGRI (1870 – 1945)

JAPAN

Akiko YOSANO (1878 - 1942)

Fukao SUMAKO (1893 – 1974)

MEXICO

Rosario Maria GUTIERREZ ESKILDSEN (1899 – 1979)

NEWFOUNDLAND

Georgiana COOPER (

Rose M. GREENE

P. Florence MILLER

Marie E. WAY

NEW ZEALAND

Mary Ursula BETHELL (1874 - 1945)

Violet COTTRELL (1887 – 1971)

Eileen DUGGAN (1894 - 1972)

Ivy Olive GIBBS (1886 – 1966)

Kathleen HAWKINS (1883 – 1981)

Alice Annie KENNY (1875 – 1960)

Jessie MACKAY (1864 – 1938)

Katherine MANSFIELD (1888 - 1923)

Lola RIDGE (1873 – 1941)

PERSIA

Bahiyyih KHANUM (1846 – 1932)

POLAND

Maria PAWLIKOWSKA-JASNORZEWSKA (24.11.1891 Krakow – 09.07 1945 Manchester)

PORTUGAL

Fernanda de CASTRO (1900 – 1994)

Florbela ESPANCA (1894 – 1930)

Marta MESQUITA DE CAMARA

Virginia VITORINO

ROMANIA

Otilia CAZIMIR (1894 – 1967)

Maria CUNTAN (1862 – 1935)

Elena FARAGO (1888 – 1954)

Natalia NEGRU (1882 – 1962)

Izabela SADOVEANU-EVAN (24.02.1870 – 06.08.1941)

ElenaVACARESCU (21.9.1864 Bucharest – 17.02.1947 Paris)

Elizabeth of WIED (1843 – 1916)

RUSSIA

Anna AKHMATOVA (1889 -1966 from the Ukraine)

Sophia PARNOT (1885 – 1933)

Marina TSVETAEVA (1892 – 1941)

Mrs KOUDASHEVA  - woman soldier poet

Mrs SKRIDLOVA  - woman soldier poet

SERBIA

Jelena DIMITRIJEVIC (1862 – 1945)

Danica MARKOVIC (1879 – 1932)

Jelena SPIRIDONOVIC SAVIC (1890 – 1974)

SOUTH AFRICA

Edith L.M. KING (1871 - 1962)

SPAIN

Emilia Pardo BAZAN (1851 – 1921)

Rosa CHACEL (1898 – 1994)

SWEDEN

Elsa BESKOW (1874 – 1953)

Karin BOYE (1900 – 1941)

SWITZERLAND

Francisca STOCKLIN (1894 – 1931)

TURKEY

Halide EDIP ADINA (1884 – 1964)

Makbule ATADA (1885 – 1956)

Nigar HANIM (1856 – 1918)

Emine SEMIYE ONASY (1864 – 1944) – writer/nurse

Fatma ALIYE TOPUZ (1862 – 1936)

URUGUAY

Delmira AGUSTINI (1886 – 1914)

Juana de IBARBOUROU (1892 – 1979)

Alfonsina STOMI (1892 – 1938)

‘LOST SHEEP’ – awaiting further information

Emily ORR

Muriel Elsie GRAHAM

Anna BUNSTON DE BARY