F. W. Harvey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frederick William Harvey
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Photograph of F. W. Harvey circa 1916.
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| Born | 26 March 1888 Hartpury, Gloucestershire, England |
| Died | 13 February 1957 (aged 68) Yorkley, Gloucestershire, England |
| Resting place | Saint Peter's Church, Minsterworth, Gloucestershire |
| Occupation | Poet, Soldier, Lawyer |
| Nationality | British |
| Genre | Poetry, Autobiography, Radio |
| Notable works | A Gloucestershire Lad at Home and Abroad, Gloucestershire Friends: Poems from a German Prison Camp, Ducks, and other Verses, Comrades in Captivity |
| Notable awards | Distinguished Conduct Medal |
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Frederick William Harvey (26 March 1888 – 13 February 1957), often called Will Harvey, was an English poet, radio speaker, and lawyer. His poems became very popular during and after World War I. He is remembered for his brave actions as a soldier and for his beautiful writing about nature.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Will Harvey was born in 1888 in Hartpury, a village in Gloucestershire, England. He grew up in a nearby place called Minsterworth. He went to school at the King's School, Gloucester, where he became good friends with Ivor Gurney. He also attended Rossall School. Later, Ivor Gurney and another local musician, Herbert Howells, turned many of Harvey's poems into songs.
After school, he began to study law. He also became a Roman Catholic around this time.
Serving in World War I
Just four days after the United Kingdom declared war on Germany, Harvey joined the army. This was on August 8, 1914. He became a private in the 5th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment.
His battalion was sent to France in March 1915. There, he was promoted to lance corporal. He showed great bravery and was given the Distinguished Conduct Medal. This medal is a very important award for soldiers.
His medal citation described how he and another soldier, Corporal Knight, bravely explored enemy lines. They found an enemy listening post and attacked it. Harvey chased a fleeing German soldier and fought him. Even though the enemy fired at them, they managed to kill three Germans and bring back their weapons.
Harvey later returned to England for officer training. After becoming an officer, he went back to France. However, on August 17, 1916, he was captured by German soldiers during a patrol. He spent the rest of the war in different prisoner-of-war camps in Germany.
Writing During Captivity
Soon after arriving in France, Harvey started writing for a trench newspaper called the Fifth Gloucester Gazette. His first book of poems, A Gloucestershire Lad at Home and Abroad, was published in September 1916. This was shortly after he was captured.
He wrote even more while he was a prisoner. His poems were sent back to England to be published. His second collection, Gloucestershire Friends, came out in 1917. Many people believe his time as a prisoner was when he wrote his best work.
One famous story is about his poem "Ducks." After trying to escape from a camp and being put in solitary confinement, he returned to his room. He saw that another prisoner had drawn ducks in a pool of water on the wall. This drawing inspired him to write "Ducks," which became the most famous poem in his third book, published in 1919.
Life After the War
Harvey returned home in 1919. In 1921, he got married and went back to working as a lawyer. He became a well-known and respected person in the Forest of Dean area. He often worked as a lawyer who defended people. He believed that being in prison was not helpful. Because of this, he was known as the "poor man's solicitor" because he often helped people who could not pay much. His legal work was not very profitable, and he eventually sold his practice in the 1930s.
In 1920, he published a book about his experiences in the prison camps called Comrades in Captivity. He also wrote Farewell in 1921, which showed he planned to step back from the world of literature.
He had a short but important creative time with his friend Ivor Gurney. Gurney had written poems like "After-Glow" and "To His Love" when he thought Harvey had died in 1916. He also wrote "Ypres-Minsterworth" to show support for Harvey during his time as a prisoner. Sadly, their reunion was cut short when Gurney struggled with his mental health in 1922.
Harvey was also a popular radio speaker for the BBC in Bristol. He used his popularity to talk about the Forest of Dean, its people, and its traditions. He supported local choirs, musicians, and young writers.
Later Years and Legacy
In his later years, Harvey missed the strong friendships he had found during the war. He was also a bit sad that the new, better society he had hoped for after the war did not appear. His later poems often remembered these feelings. They still had the humor of his earlier work and sometimes included verses in the local dialect.
He passed away in 1957 and was buried in Minsterworth.
Personal Life
In 1921, Frederick Harvey married Anne Kane, who was an Irish nurse. They had two children: Eileen Anne, born in 1922, and Patrick, born in 1925. Harvey was known for not caring much about money or possessions. He was very generous and often gave his legal services and income away freely.
Reputation and Lasting Impact
The poems Harvey published during and right after World War I were highly praised. His importance was recognized when a collection of his work was included in the Augustan Books of Modern Poetry series in 1926.
His poems were so musical that his friends Ivor Gurney, Herbert Howells, and Sir Herbert Brewer set them to music. Other composers, like Johnny Coppin, also used his words. His work is especially known for how beautifully it describes nature and the landscapes and traditions of West Gloucestershire.
In 1980, a special memorial tablet was placed in Gloucester Cathedral to honor Harvey. His most famous poem, "Ducks," was voted one of the nation's 100 favorite poems in a 1996 poll by the BBC.
Images for kids
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Memorial in Gloucester Cathedral
