Are we there yet?

October is the month in which I hand over my collection to my publisher, Jan Fortune of Cinnamon Press. It is going to be so hard to let go if these poems. I worry about them needing more work. I worry that they don’t do justice to the merchant seaman and others whose stories they re-tell. I worry they are too long, too short, not poetic enough.

The date is fixed for the launch next May, the cover has been chosen from a remarkable set of photographs taken by Bill Lazell who was with the Royal Artillery.

The poems have their supporters, not least Jan, my local writers group who have read them, critiqued them and become sufficiently involved to go and look up the ships on Wikipedia, my writerly friend, Vanessa who has been urging me on every step of the way.

So twenty days to go. No – I’m not there yet but close.

HQS Wellington and Operation Pedestal

HQS Wellington is currently hosting an exhibition about Operation Pedestal, which took place seventy years ago. During the summer holidays I took my sons to see it and the ship. To be honest this was really an outing for mum as I wanted to have a look round the ship and although I’ve done plenty of research on that particular convoy it is which is worth re-visiting.

Fortunately both sons were riveted by the film (originally produced by Channel 4) which was part of the exhibition. It was a useful way of giving them the information rather than having to do too much reading of the wealth of written information in all the displays. I only discovered later just how much the younger son has absorbed about what happened to the Ohio when he explained the story, at length, to one of his former teachers.

This is all part of my personal mission to ensure that people don’t completely forget the contribution of the merchant navy and men like my grandfather to the outcome of the Second World War.

HQS Wellington is a lovely ship to visit. She is moored on the Thames, just down-river from Embankment station – a piece of living history. You will get a warm welcome (as we did). entry to the Pedestal exhibition is free to children and a mere £3 for adults. It closes next Monday so you only have two more chances to visit – Sunday 16th September and Monday 17th September.