66179: To His Love

Manuscript in pen in Ivor Gurney's hand. Originally published in 'War's Embers' (1919). Various drafts of the poem survive, with this one having been written on army canteen paper. The subject of the poem was the poet F.W. Harvey, a friend of Gurney's who was reported missing in August 1916 but was later known to have been taken prisoner. As shown in the original MS, Gurney's intended first title for the poem was 'To a dead Soldier'. He learnt only later, of course, that his friend Harvey had not been killed but taken prisoner by the Germans. The 'Love' addressed was Harvey's fiancée, Sarah Anne Kane, to whom he became engaged in 1913. |

File description(s):

Manuscript in pen in Ivor Gurney's hand. Originally published in 'War's Embers' (1919). Various drafts of the poem survive, with this one having been written on army canteen paper. The subject of the poem was the poet F.W. Harvey, a friend of Gurney's who was reported missing in August 1916 but was later known to have been taken prisoner. The 'Love' addressed was Harvey's fiancée, Sarah Anne Kane, to whom he became engaged in 1913.
Manuscript in pen in Ivor Gurney's hand. Originally published in 'War's Embers' (1919). Various drafts of the poem survive, with this one having been written on army canteen paper. The subject of the poem wast the poet F.W. Harvey, a friend of Gurney's who was reported missing in August 1916 but was later known to have been taken prisoner. The 'Love' addressed was Harvey's fiancée, Sarah Anne Kane, to whom he became engaged in 1913.