This is an edited PermaThread™, intended to collect songs of Admiral Hopwood. This thread will be edited by Charley Ipcar. Feel free to post, but be aware that all messages in this thread are subject to editiong or deletion.
-Joe Offer, Forum Moderator-
This thread was triggered by the poem "Ship Logs" on the C. Fox Smith thread that was misattributed to her and was composed by Rear Admiral Ronald A. Hopwood (1868-1949) of the Royal Navy. We have subsequently discovered more of his sea poetry, the best known of which is "The Laws of the Navy." We will be posting the Admiral's poems on this thread as we find them and discussing the ones of interest.
Here is some of the initial discusion copied and pasted from the C. Fox Smith thread which related to Admiral Hopwood:
Subject: RE: C. Fox Smith Sea Poems
From: Mysha - PM
Date: 09 Jul 09 - 08:31 AM
Charley, the book publication of the poem "Ship Logs" has been found: It's in Laws of the Navy - and Other Poems, by Admiral Ronald A. Hopwood. It's unlikely that he merely collected those poems, even though nobody bothered with saying the man actually wrote them. So, while it's a good poem, it's probably a stranger on this thread.
Mysha
Subject: RE: C. Fox Smith Sea Poems
From: Charley Noble - PM
Date: 09 Jul 09 - 09:19 AM
Mysha-
Ship Logs? Interesting.
Could you provide a full reference on that, publisher, date, and page?
Undoubtedly you are correct but we'd like to check it out as well.
And it is a good poem!
Cheerily,
Charley Noble
Subject: RE: C. Fox Smith Sea Poems
From: Charley Noble - PM
Date: 09 Jul 09 - 09:37 AM
Mysha-
Not to worry! I just researched the publication information myself, and ordered a used copy of the book: Laws of the Navy - and Other Poems, by Admiral Ronald A. Hopwood, published by John Murray, London, © 1951.
Cheerily,
Charley Noble
Subject: RE: C. Fox Smith Sea Poems
From: Mysha - PM
Date: 09 Jul 09 - 10:02 AM
Hi,
British Library to the rescue (also at Library of Congress).
Laws of the Navy - and Other Poems
Admiral Ronald Arthur. Hopwood
John Murray: London, 1951.
Do you absolutely need the page? I don't have it, but I could probably ask, if it's essential.
Mysha
Subject: RE: C. Fox Smith Sea Poems
From: Artful Codger - PM
Date: 09 Jul 09 - 10:42 PM
Per a Google Books snippet view, the index for Punch, v. 189 (1935) shows Hopwood as the author of "Ship Logs". Goggle Books also catalogs several entries for The Laws of the Navy by Hopwood dated 1918. I suspect the 1951 edition is just a reprint.
Subject: RE: C. Fox Smith Sea Poems
From: Mysha - PM
Date: 10 Jul 09 - 08:42 AM
Hi Artful,
Don't be fooled by the little red book Google shows in front of those entries. As far as I can tell, that's really their way of saying they do no have an image of the original publication. Considering these other entries are not from the publisher that published his other poetry, I expect that the little red book entries are really inclusions in other works.
I'm afraid I can't find the index: As is quite usual for me, googlebooks will only give me entries that don't include the words I searched for. But I'm glad you found confirmation. Do you think there are enough snippets to make looking for other unknown CFS poems feasible?
Regarding the 1951 first edition: I see the admiral passed away in 1949. The publication from 1951 is therefor likely to be the collection of his best poems, together with those poems didn't appear in one of his earlier books.
Mysha
Subject: RE: C. Fox Smith Sea Poems
From: Charley Noble - PM
Date: 10 Jul 09 - 08:49 AM
Artful Codger-
You are correct with regard to an earlier 1918 publication. However, there's an even earlier reference to 1896; the poem originally appeared in the "Army and Navy Gazette", 23 July 1896.
The worthy Admiral Ronald A. Hopwood, RN (1868 - 1949) seems to have been a prolific poet. I've been reviewing some of his other poems which are available on-line and I'll start a page for him at the Oldpoetry Website, now that we know that he died some 50 years ago. If anyone finds a reference to his biography on-line, I'd be very interested.
Cheerily,
Charley Noble
Subject: RE: C. Fox Smith Sea Poems
From: Q - PM
Date: 10 Jul 09 - 12:38 PM
Some first printings of Adm. Hopwood's volumes of poetry-
The Secret of Ships, 64 pp., 1918 and reprints- Includes poems "The Secret of Ships, The King's Messengers, The Mystery Ships, The Freak, The Wardens, The Galleon, The Bo'sun's Mate, The Outlaw, HMS Vanguard, The Vale; 10 poems in all.
The Old Way and other poems, 1916, 1917 and later reprint, 64pp.,
includes "The Boatswain's Call, The Oaks of England, and five other naval poems.
The New Navy and Other Poems, 1919, 96pp., poems.
Navis, a Ship. Content not known, may not be poetry. Rare.
The poem,"The Laws of the Navy," is on line at
Laws of the Navy
"....virtually unknown outside Anglo-American naval officers' circles,..."
Subject: RE: C. Fox Smith Sea Poems
From: Q - PM
Date: 10 Jul 09 - 12:48 PM
"Ship Logs" and other poems by Adm. Hopwood C. B. on line, "The Laws of the Navy":
Ship Logs
Thirty-nine poems in all at this site:
Laws of the Navy
Subject: RE: C. Fox Smith Sea Poems
From: Charley Noble - PM
Date: 10 Jul 09 - 05:26 PM
Q-
Thanks! Some of the on-line poetry books you've noted I've already harvested but others will be interested. "Ship Logs" was the poem that we misattributed to C. Fox Smith above (which now has an alert note) and which we now know is by Admiral Hopwood.
And I've ordered the 1951 anthology, which has a nice introduction by Alfred Noyes, from a used book website.
I'm still hoping to find some biographical info about the Admiral.
Cheerily,
Charley Noble
Subject: RE: C. Fox Smith Sea Poems
From: Q - PM
Date: 10 Jul 09 - 05:59 PM
The Old Way and Other Poems, Adm. R. A. Hopwood, complete text on line:
http://www.archive.org/stream/oldwayotherpoems00hopwiala/oldwayotherpoems00hopwiala_djvu.txt
Subject: RE: C. Fox Smith Sea Poems
From: Artful Codger - PM
Date: 12 Jul 09 - 04:25 AM
Clicky for the above. Though the Hopgood stuff should really go in a separate thread.