Newman - Tumult & Tears: an Anthology of Womens First World War Poetry

Dedication

This book is for the Chelmsford Adult Community College English Literature A-Level students who, in 1996, humoured their tutor and studied womens war poetry, particularly Keith Dolan who reluctantly decided to give poetry a chance and continues to do so, and Clare Russell who still listens while we walk as she has done for nineteen years.

Thanks are due to:

Jen Newby, formerly of Pen & Sword, who greeted the suggestion of an anthology of womens war poetry with such enthusiasm. Her meticulous editing has eliminated many faults those that remain are my own.

My daughters Rosalind and Elizabeth have continued to indulge their Funny Mummy and have succeeded in never appearing bored by womens war poetry. John Connell-Smith, Debbie Deboltz, Warrant Officer Christopher Earl and Lucinda Semeraro have all achieved a similar feat.

Frances Hall another of those first students frequently ferrets out World War One newspaper snippets which are always fascinating.

Dr Vicky Holmes for taking on the task of compiling the index at the eleventh hour such help at sort notice was invaluable. That this book has seen the light of day owes much to her.

Maria Weiss rose to the challenge of following a contemporary pattern and knitting twin socks the Anzac way. The end result would have been as warmly welcomed by its lucky Great War recipient as by the current one.

Professor Pam Cox of the University of Essex who so many years ago believed that there was a story behind womens war poetry and guided my telling it.

Finally, as always, my thanks and love to Ivan Newman. Despite living with 500 women poets for more than two decades, he is still able to ask probing questions about them and their work and point out the flaws in my arguments.