Teresa Hooley
Encyclopedia
Teresa Hooley known mostly for a war poem A War Film about World War I
, was a pseudonym
of Mrs. F. H. Butler. This much information is given in Modern Poetry 1922-1934 by Maurice Wollman; who adds some further biographical information that is hard to check. She was born in Risley, Derbyshire
, and (accordingly to a letter from her sold at auction recently) she lived at Goldenbrook Farm in Risley at some point during her life. Teresa Mary Hooley's early life was spent at Risley
Lodge, the home of her father Terah Hooley (d1927), a successful lace manufacturer who built Springfield Mill at Sandiacre
, and her mother Mary (d1928), his second wife. She made her name before the Great War, writing poems in the Daily Mirror alongside Edith Sitwell
- not an admirer of her work. Her work was published in a number of collections in the 1920s and 1930s but has largely fallen out of fashion. She had two full brothers who survived childhood. Of these the younger, Basil, born in 1893, was decorated in the Great War but died in the 1918 flu pandemic. Her much older half-brother was the financier Ernest Terah Hooley
of Risley Hall
with whom she maintained a civil if frosty relationship. Hooley married Frank H. Butler in May 1920 at Risley
Church. They had a son but the marriage did not survive. In later life some found her a formidable presence.
, and refers to the Retreat from Mons, after one of the great battles of the Great War.
Although this is Hooley's most well known poem little is known about it, and its date has been debated in online fora. It has been assumed the poem was inspired by watching documentary footage about World War I
. The earliest documentary was The Battle of the Somme (1916), but it is unlikely that a contemporary writer would confuse the Battle of the Somme and the Retreat from Mons. It is therefore reasonable to conjecture that the 1926 film, Mons, was the most probable source. The fact that the poem can be found in Songs of all Seasons (published 1927) could be seen to bear this hypothesis out.
other collections of poems (publication dates unknown):
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, was a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Mrs. F. H. Butler. This much information is given in Modern Poetry 1922-1934 by Maurice Wollman; who adds some further biographical information that is hard to check. She was born in Risley, Derbyshire
Risley, Derbyshire
Risley is a small village and parish in Erewash in the English county of Derbyshire. It is just over four miles south of Ilkeston. Sandiacre is next door to the east.-Geography:...
, and (accordingly to a letter from her sold at auction recently) she lived at Goldenbrook Farm in Risley at some point during her life. Teresa Mary Hooley's early life was spent at Risley
Risley
A Risley is any circus acrobalance posture where the base is lying down on their back, supporting one or more flyers with their hands, feet and/or other parts of the body.Risleys can be separated in to three general categories of skills:...
Lodge, the home of her father Terah Hooley (d1927), a successful lace manufacturer who built Springfield Mill at Sandiacre
Sandiacre
Sandiacre is a town in the Borough of Erewash in Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England adjoining the border with Nottinghamshire....
, and her mother Mary (d1928), his second wife. She made her name before the Great War, writing poems in the Daily Mirror alongside Edith Sitwell
Edith Sitwell
Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell DBE was a British poet and critic.-Background:Edith Sitwell was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, the oldest child and only daughter of Sir George Sitwell, 4th Baronet, of Renishaw Hall; he was an expert on genealogy and landscaping...
- not an admirer of her work. Her work was published in a number of collections in the 1920s and 1930s but has largely fallen out of fashion. She had two full brothers who survived childhood. Of these the younger, Basil, born in 1893, was decorated in the Great War but died in the 1918 flu pandemic. Her much older half-brother was the financier Ernest Terah Hooley
Ernest Terah Hooley
Ernest Terah Hooley was an English financier and developer of the Trafford Park industrial estate in the outskirts of Manchester.-Biography:...
of Risley Hall
Risley Hall (Derbyshire, England)
Risley Hall is an 11th century country house hotel and spa set in of private landscaped grounds in the Derbyshire countryside, close to Junction 25 of the M1...
with whom she maintained a civil if frosty relationship. Hooley married Frank H. Butler in May 1920 at Risley
Risley
A Risley is any circus acrobalance posture where the base is lying down on their back, supporting one or more flyers with their hands, feet and/or other parts of the body.Risleys can be separated in to three general categories of skills:...
Church. They had a son but the marriage did not survive. In later life some found her a formidable presence.
A War Film
Hooley's poem A War Film describes the experience of seeing documentary footage of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and refers to the Retreat from Mons, after one of the great battles of the Great War.
Although this is Hooley's most well known poem little is known about it, and its date has been debated in online fora. It has been assumed the poem was inspired by watching documentary footage about World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The earliest documentary was The Battle of the Somme (1916), but it is unlikely that a contemporary writer would confuse the Battle of the Somme and the Retreat from Mons. It is therefore reasonable to conjecture that the 1926 film, Mons, was the most probable source. The fact that the poem can be found in Songs of all Seasons (published 1927) could be seen to bear this hypothesis out.
Works
- Gloom and Gleam (1913, A.C. Fifield)
- Twenty-Nine Lyrics (1924, Cape)
- Collected Poems (1926, Cape)
- Songs of all Seasons (1927, Cape)
- Songs of the Open: Collected Poems (1928)
- Eve and other Poems (1930, Cape)
- New Poems (1933)
- Orchestra (1935)
- The Singing Heart (1945, Frederick Muller Ltd.) Hardback, 87pp
(poems mostly on the subject of World War II) - Selected Poems (1947, Cape)
- Wintergreen (1959, A J Chapple) 32pp
other collections of poems (publication dates unknown):
- A Country Year