Anna became a schoolteacher and worked in Brighton, Sussex. In June 1910, she married Richard Brome de
Bary in Hailsham. Richard was a
clergyman and became private chaplain to Anthony Ashley Cooper, at St.
Giles. In 1911, Anna and Richard moved to
Antrim, in Ulster, Ireland then returned to the UK where they lived in the
village of Horton in Dorset and Anna worked as a writer.
Anna travelled extensively, visiting Spain, France, Holland,
Italy; visiting Madrid, Toledo, Marsiglia, Angouleme, Amsterdam, Genova,
Florence, Rome and the Garda Lake. She
spoke fluent Italian and German and translated poetry from both languages, as
well as writing numerous books – some in collaboration with her husband.
Anna’s knowledge of foreign languages must have been
impressive for during the Second World War, by then in her 70s she was invited
to work for the War Office and was based in Liverpool.
Richard died in 1948 and Anna died on 25th January 1954 in
Salisbury, Wiltshire.
Anna’s WW1 poetry collections were: “New Songs of Salisbury
Plain” published by Bennet Brothers in 1917, “New and Selected Lyrics”,
published by O’Connor in 1923 and “New and Selected Lyrics”, published by P.
Mitre in 1947.
She also wrote a 'political' piece on the German attitude to
war and death during WWI for “The Review”.
J.C. Squire included Anna’s poem “The Snowdrop” in his
prestigious Anthology of Great Poems by Women through the Ages (Elizabethan to
modern) published c. 1920 and Anna’s poems were published in various newspapers
and literary magazines.
Anna’s book ‘Letters of a Schoolma’am’ published in 1913
about education in rural areas sounds way ahead of its time.
Anna’s novel 'The House in Horton Hollow' about French
prisoners of war during the Napoleonic Wars, published in 1925 was well
received and reviewed by the press.
Other works by Anna include ‘Mingled Wine’ and ‘The Porch of Paradise’.
Sources: Find my Past,
British Newspaper Archive with additional information supplied by Phil Dawes. With thanks to Eleonora Padovani who wrote to me some years ago about Anna. A review of Eleonora's book about Anna's poetry will be posted here soon.
I am still looking for a photograph of Anna if anyone can help?
With thanks to Phil Dawes for additional information.
