Burning Bright

I am about to launch my book Voices of the Benares (Lapwing Publications,2014) at the Liverpool Poetry Cafe on Thursday 25th September.  Tickets are just £2/£3 from The Bluecoat Voices of the Benares book launch.   I have been doing so much work on the 100 Pictures – 100 Pages project – a Heritage Lottery Funded project (from Liverpool charity North End Writers) about the First World War that I have rather forgotten my book in recent months as it deals with a tragedy of World War 2.  The work also began life in a different way many years ago after I had studied for my MA at Liverpool Hope.  My Tutor, Michael Murphy, suggested I link up with local composer and musician Dominic Gannon as he was looking for someone to produce a libretto for his work about the sinking of SS Benares.  Once I had written five pieces for his songs (premiered at the Corner Stone Festival, Liverpool Hope University in 2005) I couldn’t let the subject go. It developed into a spoken word piece performed at Liverpool Poetry Cafe and the Poetry in the City Festival (Liverpool, 2008) by members of North End Writers and Liverpool Women Writers.  It was shortlisted in the inaugural Iota Shots awards in 2011 and accepted for publication by Lapwing Publications earlier this year.  I am delighted to see it published as it serves as a memorial to those many people who lost their lives as they were travelling to an imagined safety in Canada.

In summary, this is what happened.  My poems attempt to reflect the humanity and dignity of those involved.

On 13th September 1940 the Ellerman Line ship S.S. City of Benares set sail for Canada carrying 90 evacuee children amongst its passengers. Late in the evening of 17th September, the City of Benares was sighted by the German U-boat (U-48) that fired two torpedoes. Both missed. The U-boat fired another torpedo at her at 00.01 hours on 18th September. The torpedo struck her in the stern causing her to sink within 30 minutes, 253 miles west-southwest of Rockall. 15 minutes after the torpedo hit, the vessel had been abandoned, but there were problems with lowering the lifeboats.  HMS Hurricane arrived 24 hours later, and picked up 20  survivors.  Lifeboat 12 remained at sea for 8 days and was picked up by HMS Anthony.  In total, 248 of the 406 people on board, including the master the commodore, three staff members, 121 crew and 134  passengers were lost.