Inez Quilter (1904 – 1978) – British schoolgirl WW1 poet

I decided to find out if there were any schoolchildren who had poems about the First World War published in their school magazines, etc.  So I approached several schools with fantastic results. We arranged an exhibition in 2018

Exhibition panels 2018

Inez was born on 22nd January 1904.  Her parents were Sir William Eley Cuthbert Quilter, Second Baronet and MP for Sudbury and his wife, Gwynedd Quilter, nee Douglas-Pennant.

Her paternal grandfather – Sir Cuthbert Quilter – was one of the founders of the “National Telephone Company” and his telephone number was “London One”. 

Inez wrote this poem when she was eleven years old and it was included in “The Blue Cross Code”, a WW1 anthology published by Jarrolds in 1917. 

In April 1955, Inez married former Yorkshire and MCC cricketer Brigadier Raleigh Charles Joesph Chichester-Constable, who was awarded the DSO in both world wars.

Raleigh died in 1963 and Inez in 1978.

The work of the Blue Cross in 
France, WW1*

‘Sall’: (In Aid of the Wounded Horse)

I’m none of yer London gentry,

Non o’ yer Hyde Park swells,

But I’m only a farmers plough horse

And I’se born among hills and fells.

Yer mus’n’t expect no graces

Fer yer won’t get ‘em from me,

I’se made as nature intended

An’ I’m jus’ plain Sall, d’ye see.

You’ve not seen me in the Row yet

An; yer won’t, if yer try so ‘ard,

I’m not a shoow ‘orse yer forget

But I’m Sall, plain Sall, and Sall goes ‘ard!

Sources:

Find my Past, Free BMD, 

Cahterine W. Reilly “English Poetry of the First World War:  A Bibliography” (St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1978) pp. 2 and 259.

https://allpoetry.com/Inez-Quilter

NOTE: The Blue Cross Animal Charity still exists today.  You can find more information about their work here:  https://www.bluecross.org.uk/

* Photo caption:  ‘The care of the wounded horse in Northern France - the work of the Blue Cross at the Front, veterinary doctors receiving a wounded war horse for treatment at a Blue Cross station’ illustration by Fortunino Matania (1881-1963) This is a monochrome water-colour, measuring 14" x 21", published in “Sphere” Magazine, 27 February 1915.

Inez was included included in the second exhibition of Female Poets of the First World War and is in Volume 2 of “Female Poets of the First World War” – wich, apart from adult WW1 female poets, also contains poetry written by school girls during WW1 and a section on WW1 Knitting, which was kindly supplied by Phil Dawes. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Female-Poets-First-World-War/dp/1909643173/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1540990155&sr=1-11