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Convoy
Caroline Davies� debut poetry collection was inspired by the experiences of her grandfather, James ‘Jim� Honeybill, a merchant seaman in the Malta convoys of the Second World War. The poems dramatically document the Navy’s attempts to resupply the Mediterranean island, suffering severe losses at the hands of the German blockade.
Beginning with the image of her mother as a child who has come to see her seaman father as a stranger, the poems continue on to the voices of the men aboard the M.V. Ajax, fighting to get through against all odds, and making the greatest sacrifice of all. Skilfully incorporating
a wealth of found material, recordings and interviews, this narrative poetry sequence captures a slice of history with
visceral clarity.
Beginning with the image of her mother as a child who has come to see her seaman father as a stranger, the poems continue on to the voices of the men aboard the M.V. Ajax, fighting to get through against all odds, and making the greatest sacrifice of all. Skilfully incorporating
a wealth of found material, recordings and interviews, this narrative poetry sequence captures a slice of history with
visceral clarity.
- GenresPoetry
96 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2013
242 people want to read
About the author
Caroline Davies
19Ìýbooks36ÌýfollowersCaroline Davies was born in Norfolk to Welsh parents. She has a Diploma in Literature and Creative writing awarded with distinction by the Open University. She blogs occasionally . You can follow her on and .
Her seond poetry collection, Voices from Stone and Bronze was published by Cinnamon Press in 2016. It is inspired by the war memorials of London, France and Wales. Voices from Stone and Bronze brings to life those who fought and died and those who survived, including some of the sculptors who had themselves come through trench warfare to a changed world. Meticulously researched and deeply humane, these narrative poems apply a lyrical sensibility without sentimentalism; a deeply affective collection.
Her first collection, Convoy was inspired by the experiences of her grandfather, James ‘Jim� Honeybill, who was a merchant seaman. He was with the Blue Funnel line and served on M.V. Ajax during the Malta convoys.
Her seond poetry collection, Voices from Stone and Bronze was published by Cinnamon Press in 2016. It is inspired by the war memorials of London, France and Wales. Voices from Stone and Bronze brings to life those who fought and died and those who survived, including some of the sculptors who had themselves come through trench warfare to a changed world. Meticulously researched and deeply humane, these narrative poems apply a lyrical sensibility without sentimentalism; a deeply affective collection.
Her first collection, Convoy was inspired by the experiences of her grandfather, James ‘Jim� Honeybill, who was a merchant seaman. He was with the Blue Funnel line and served on M.V. Ajax during the Malta convoys.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 17, 2014
I appreciated this glimpse of foreign-to-me bravery, foreign because this happened before my time, and is a part of the history of that war I knew little to nothing about. It's a lovely gift to have created a platform for those voices. My father spoke in a similar way about his war experiences in the Pacific arena. By that I mean with few words, but with a sense that a lot doesn't need to be said, while still conveying loss and the wonder of self-survival. Such haunting words and images, "I am more than tired, keep seeing things, friends who died on previous convoys reaching out to shake my hand."
May 18, 2013
The story behind the poems was so powerful and gripping I wanted to finish in one sitting - (well, lying I usually read in bed.) Then I wanted to go back and re read individual poems, commit to memory and enjoy slowly. Then I wanted to pass the book on... you must read this.
Loved it. A non- poet in as much as I know little about it, this book would convert anyone.
Loved it. A non- poet in as much as I know little about it, this book would convert anyone.
September 7, 2014
Davies' theme � the role of the Royal and Merchant Navy in Malta during the Second World War � is not one that I would necessarily have gravitated towards the book shops for. That is a shame because the collection is a comprehensive narrative of succinct well-crafted poems about the hardships of war in the country. Convoy is emotive and yet told convincingly without sentimentality in the voices of those who lived the rescue mission. Those left behind are also given voice but poems from the families of the forces are, rightly, as rare in the collection as a letter received at war. The recurring characters and images such as salvage objects and descending parachutes are both haunting and vivifying. Convoy is a historical novel in poetry that I believe adds something substantial to the body of war poetry written in English. I hope that you buy it.
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February 24, 2013Can't really rate it, as I know the author, but I enjoyed it a great deal. I think it would be great on stage (that's how I saw it in my mind while reading it).
(And now I want to write some WWII poetry...)
(And now I want to write some WWII poetry...)
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April 27, 2013comment
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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