May Wedderburn Cannan
Encyclopedia
May Wedderburn Cannan was a British
poet
who was active in World War I
.
of Trinity College, Oxford
(he was in charge at the Oxford University Press
from 1895 until his death in 1919).
In 1911, at the age of 18 she joined the Voluntary Aid Detachment
, training as a nurse and eventually reaching the rank of Quartermaster
. Sharon Ouditt, writing of women's role in the war, noted that: "For the nurses it was, like the nun's cross, the badge of their equal sacrifice." In a poem by May Wedderburn Cannan the Red Cross
sign is seen to be equivalent to the crossed swords indicating her lover's death in battle:
During the war, she went to Rouen
in the spring of 1915, helping to run the canteen
at the railhead there for four weeks, then returning to help her father at the Oxford University Press, but finally returning to France
in the espionage
department at the War Office
Department in Paris
(1918), where she was finally reunited with her fiancé Bevil Quiller-Couch.
May published three volumes of poetry during and after the war. These were In War Time (1917), The Splendid Days (1919) which was dedicated to Bevil Quiller-Couch, and The House of Hope (1923), dedicated to her father. In 1934, she wrote one novel The Lonely Generation, which was semi-autobiographical.
Philip Larkin
chose her poem "Rouen" to be included in the Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse
(1973), commenting that it "had all the warmth and idealism of the VADS in the First World War. I find it enchanting".
childhood, the war years and those years immediately afterwards.
Further unpublished poems from a handwritten notebook, were published in The Tears of War (2000) by her great-niece Charlotte Fyfe, which also tells the story of her love affair with Bevil Quiller-Couch through autobiographical extracts, and the letters from Bevil to May.
. She was the daughter of the academic Charles Cannan and cousin to the British novelist and playwright Gilbert Cannan
. She is also related to the famous Pullein-Thompson sisters
and the British dramatist and playwright Denis Cannan
being an aunt to them, and a great aunt of Charlotte Popescu
(Christine Pullein-Thompson's daughter).
She was engaged to Bevil Quiller-Couch, son of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch
. Bevil served as gunner in World War I, and survived without injury only to die in the Spanish flu
pandemic
in 1919. She subsequently married Percival James Slater, a balloonist
in World War I, and promoted to Brigadier
in World War II
.
presented a dramatised version of The Tears of War as the afternoon play for Armistice Day
.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
who was active in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Early life
She was the second of three daughters of Charles Cannan, DeanDean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of Trinity College, Oxford
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
(he was in charge at the Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
from 1895 until his death in 1919).
In 1911, at the age of 18 she joined the Voluntary Aid Detachment
Voluntary Aid Detachment
The Voluntary Aid Detachment was a voluntary organisation providing field nursing services, mainly in hospitals, in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The organisation's most important periods of operation were during World War I and World War II.The...
, training as a nurse and eventually reaching the rank of Quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
. Sharon Ouditt, writing of women's role in the war, noted that: "For the nurses it was, like the nun's cross, the badge of their equal sacrifice." In a poem by May Wedderburn Cannan the Red Cross
Royal Red Cross
The Royal Red Cross is a military decoration awarded in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for exceptional services in military nursing.The award was established on 27 April 1883 by Queen Victoria, with a single class of Member...
sign is seen to be equivalent to the crossed swords indicating her lover's death in battle:
During the war, she went to Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
in the spring of 1915, helping to run the canteen
Cafeteria
A cafeteria is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or canteen...
at the railhead there for four weeks, then returning to help her father at the Oxford University Press, but finally returning to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
department at the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
Department in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(1918), where she was finally reunited with her fiancé Bevil Quiller-Couch.
May published three volumes of poetry during and after the war. These were In War Time (1917), The Splendid Days (1919) which was dedicated to Bevil Quiller-Couch, and The House of Hope (1923), dedicated to her father. In 1934, she wrote one novel The Lonely Generation, which was semi-autobiographical.
Philip Larkin
Philip Larkin
Philip Arthur Larkin, CH, CBE, FRSL is widely regarded as one of the great English poets of the latter half of the twentieth century...
chose her poem "Rouen" to be included in the Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse
Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse
The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse is a poetry anthology edited by Philip Larkin. It was published in 1973 by Oxford University Press with ISBN 0-19-812137-7. Larkin writes in the short preface that the selection is wide rather than deep; and also notes that for the post-1914 period...
(1973), commenting that it "had all the warmth and idealism of the VADS in the First World War. I find it enchanting".
Later life
Although May ceased writing for publication in the 1920s, in her final years she completed an autobiographical work entitled Grey Ghosts and Voices (1976). The book looks back to her EdwardianEdwardian period
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period in the United Kingdom is the period covering the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910.The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 and the succession of her son Edward marked the end of the Victorian era...
childhood, the war years and those years immediately afterwards.
Further unpublished poems from a handwritten notebook, were published in The Tears of War (2000) by her great-niece Charlotte Fyfe, which also tells the story of her love affair with Bevil Quiller-Couch through autobiographical extracts, and the letters from Bevil to May.
Family
She was the sister of the novelist Joanna CannanJoanna Cannan
Joanna Cannan was a writer of pony books and detective novels. Her pony books were aimed primarily at children.Youngest daughter of Oxford don Charles Cannan and Mary Wedderburn, also cousin of Gilbert Cannan, it is perhaps her children she is best known for, being mother to Josephine...
. She was the daughter of the academic Charles Cannan and cousin to the British novelist and playwright Gilbert Cannan
Gilbert Cannan
Gilbert Cannan was a British novelist and dramatist.-Early life:Born in Manchester of Scottish descent, he got on badly with his family, and in 1897 he was sent to live in Oxford with the economist Edwin Cannan...
. She is also related to the famous Pullein-Thompson sisters
Pullein-Thompson sisters
The Pullein-Thompson sisters – Josephine Pullein-Thompson MBE , Diana Pullein-Thompson and Christine Pullein-Thompson – are British writers of many pony books, mostly fictional, aimed at children and mostly popular with girls...
and the British dramatist and playwright Denis Cannan
Denis Cannan
Denis Cannan was a British dramatist, playwright and script writer. Born Denis Pullein-Thompson, the son of Captain Harold J. Pullein-Thompson and novelist Joanna Cannan, he changed his name by deed poll in 1964. His younger sisters were Josephine, Diana and Christine Pullein-Thompson.Born in...
being an aunt to them, and a great aunt of Charlotte Popescu
Charlotte Pullein-Thompson
Charlotte Pullein-Thompson , also known as Charlotte Popescu, is an author of cookbooks and books related to horses and ponies. Although she married and became Charlotte Fyfe, she has not published under her married name....
(Christine Pullein-Thompson's daughter).
She was engaged to Bevil Quiller-Couch, son of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch
Arthur Quiller-Couch
Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch was a Cornish writer, who published under the pen name of Q. He is primarily remembered for the monumental Oxford Book Of English Verse 1250–1900 , and for his literary criticism...
. Bevil served as gunner in World War I, and survived without injury only to die in the Spanish flu
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
pandemic
Pandemic
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...
in 1919. She subsequently married Percival James Slater, a balloonist
Balloon (aircraft)
A balloon is a type of aircraft that remains aloft due to its buoyancy. A balloon travels by moving with the wind. It is distinct from an airship, which is a buoyant aircraft that can be propelled through the air in a controlled manner....
in World War I, and promoted to Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Radio programme
In 2005, BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
presented a dramatised version of The Tears of War as the afternoon play for Armistice Day
Armistice Day
Armistice Day is on 11 November and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day...
.
External links
- Extracts from her autobiography, Grey Ghosts and Voices
- Poem: Rouen
- Poem: Lamplight
- School Site with photo and extracts from Poems and Autobiography
- May Wedderburn Cannan - a poet and a woman in the First World War
- The story of how Charlotte Fyfe came to collate The Tears of War, Daily Telegraph, 2000