Henry Woodd Nevinson (1856-1941) circa 1915

Henry Woodd Nevinson (11 October 1856 – 9 November 1941) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

war correspondent during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the So ...

and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, a campaigning journalist exposing slavery in

western Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurita ...

political commentator A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport). Origins The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...

and

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

."Nevinson, Henry Woodd" by

H. N. Brailsford Henry Noel Brailsford (25 December 1873 – 23 March 1958) was the most prolific British left-wing journalist of the first half of the 20th century. A founding member of the Men's League for Women's Suffrage in 1907, he resigned from his job a ...

, revised by Sinead Agnew. ''Oxford Dictionary Of National Biography : From the Earliest Times to the year 2000''. Editors, H.C.G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. Oxford University Press, 2004. (Volume 40, pp. 551-2). Nevinson studied at

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into ...

and later at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniq ...

. At Oxford, he came under the influence of

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and pol ...

's ideas. He worked as a missionary at

Toynbee Hall Toynbee Hall is a charitable institution that works to address the causes and impacts of poverty in the East End of London and elsewhere. Established in 1884, it is based in Commercial Street, Spitalfields, and was the first university-affiliat ...

in London's

East End The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

. After this he spent some time in

Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a po ...

studying German culture. The result of this was in 1884 Nevinson published his first book, ''Herder and his Times'', one of the first studies of

Johann Gottfried Herder Johann Gottfried von Herder ( , ; 25 August 174418 December 1803) was a German philosopher, theologian, poet, and literary critic. He is associated with the Enlightenment, '' Sturm und Drang'', and Weimar Classicism. Biography Born in Mohr ...

in English. In the 1880s Nevinson became a socialist; he befriended

Peter Kropotkin Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin (; russian: link=no, Пётр Алексе́евич Кропо́ткин ; 9 December 1842 – 8 February 1921) was a Russian anarchist, socialist, revolutionary, historian, scientist, philosopher, and activist ...

and Edward Carpenter, and in 1889 joined the

Social Democratic Federation The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on 7 June 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury, James C ...

Reporting

In 1897 Nevinson became the '' Daily Chronicle's'' correspondent in the Greco-Turkish War. He was known for his reporting on the

, and

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordinat ...

in 1904–1905, and on India for the ''

Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the G ...

.'' In 1914 he co-founded the Friends' Ambulance Unit and later in

was a war correspondent, being wounded at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles s ...

Advocacy

He was hired by Harper's Monthly Magazine to investigate rumours of a trade in slaves from Angola to the cocoa plantations of

São Tomé São Tomé is the capital and largest city of the Central African island country of São Tomé and Príncipe. Its name is Portuguese for " Saint Thomas". Founded in the 15th century, it is one of Africa's oldest colonial cities. History Álvar ...

. After a 450-mile journey inland, he uncovered a trail of people being handed over to settle debts or seized by Portuguese agents and taken in shackles to the coastal towns. Once there he was enraged to find that Portuguese officials "freed" them and changed their status to that of voluntary workers who agreed to go to São Tomé for five years. Despite ill health so severe that he feared he had been poisoned Nevinson followed the slaves' journey to São Tomé. He found conditions on the plantations so harsh that one in five workers died each year. His account was serialised in the magazine from August 1905 and published as "A Modern Slavery" by Harper and Bros in 1906. He was also a

, is one of the founders in 1907 of the Men's League for Women's Suffrage. Reviewing Nevinson's book, ''More Changes, More Chances'' (1925),

E. M. Forster Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970) was an English author, best known for his novels, particularly ''A Room with a View'' (1908), ''Howards End'' (1910), and ''A Passage to India'' (1924). He also wrote numerous short stori ...

described the book as "exciting", and noting that Nevinson had joined the British Labour Party, stated: "He has brought to the soil of his adoption something that transcends party- generosity, recklessness, a belief in conscience joined to a mistrust of principles". In Nancy Cunard's pamphlet ''Authors Take Sides on the Spanish War'', Nevinson gave his support to the Spanish Republicans and stated "I detest the cruel systems of persecution and suppression now existing under

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until Fall of the Fascist re ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

". Nancy Cunard, ''Authors Take Sides on the Spanish War''. '' Left Review'', 1937. (p.21)

Family

He married Margaret Wynne Jones; the artist Christopher Nevinson was their son. During their marriage he had a long term affair with

Nora Dryhurst Nannie Florence Dryhurst (born Hannah Anne Robinson; 17 June 1856–1930) was an Irish writer, translator, activist and nationalist. Personal life Hannah Anne Robinson was born on 17 June 1856 in Dublin to Alexander Robinson and Emily Egan. Her ...

which ended in 1912. Shortly after the death of his wife, Margaret, in 1933, Henry married his long-time friend and lover, fellow suffragist,

Evelyn Sharp Evelyn Sharp may refer to: * Evelyn Sharp (aviator) (1919–1944), American aviator * Evelyn Sharp (businesswoman) (died 1997), American hotelier * Evelyn Sharp (suffragist) (1869–1955), British suffragist and author * Evelyn Sharp, Baroness Shar ...

. He died in 1941, aged 85.

Bibliography

A Sketch of Herder and his times
(1884) (See

.)
Life of Friedrich Schiller
(1889) (See

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friendsh ...

.)
Neighbours of Ours: A Novel
(1895)
In the Valley of Tophet: Tales
(1896)
Pictures of Classic Greek Landscape and Architecture
by J. Fulleylove, R.I. With a text in the explanation by H. W. Nevinson. (1897)
Scenes in the Thirty Days War between Greece and Turkey
1897. (1898)
Ladysmith. The Diary of a siege
(1900)
The Plea of Pan: Essays
(1901) * Between the Acts: Autobiographical and other sketches. (1904) * Sketches on the Old Road through France to Florence. By A. H. Hallam Murray, accompanied by H. W. Nevinson and Montgomery Carmichael. (Pt. 1 ranceby H. W. Nevinson. Pt. 2 talyby M. Carmichael.) (1904) * Books And Personalities (1905) * Through the African Wilderness (1905) * A Modern Slavery (In Angola, San Thomé, and Principe) (1906) * The Dawn in Russia or Scenes in the Russian Revolution (1906) * The New Spirit In India (1908) * Essays In Freedom (1909) * The Fire of Prometheus (with Thomas Bird Mosher) (1909) * Women's Vote And Men (with Louise Norlund) (1910?) * Peace and war in the balance, delivered at South Place Institute on Dr Conway's birthday, 17 March 1911 (1911) * The Growth Of Freedom (1912) * Essays In Rebellion (1913) * Sir Roger Casement and Sinn Fein: some personal notes (1916) * The Dardanelles campaign (1918) * War And The Creative Impulse (with

Max Plowman Mark Plowman, generally known as Max Plowman, (1 September 1883 – 3 June 1941) was a British writer and pacifist. Life to 1918 He was born in Northumberland Park, Tottenham, Middlesex. He left school at 16, and worked for a decade in his fathe ...

) (1919) * Lines Of Life (1920) * Original Sinners (1920)
Farewell To America
(Chapbook, 1922)
Changes and Chances
(With plates). (1923) *

James Connolly James Connolly ( ga, Séamas Ó Conghaile; 5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) was an Irish republican, socialist and trade union leader. Born to Irish parents in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, Connolly left school for working life at the a ...

: his life, work and writings (with Desmond Ryan) (1924) * Our sportive butchers: an animals welfare week address (Chapbook, 1925) * More Changes, More Chances (1925) * Henry W. Nevinson (Poetry chapbook, 1925) * Last Changes, last chances (1928) * England's voice of freedom: an anthology of liberty (vt. The voice of freedom; an anthology of liberty) (as Editor) (1929) * The English (1929) * Rough Islanders; or The Natives of England (vt. The Natives of England) (with

C. R. W. Nevinson Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson (13 August 1889 – 7 October 1946) was an English figure and landscape painter, etcher and lithographer, who was one of the most famous war artists of World War I. He is often referred to by his initial ...

) (1930) *

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. Among his best known works are the children's novels ''The Midnight Folk'' and ''The Box of Delights'', and the poem ...

(1931) * Goethe: Man And Poet (1932) * Ourselves; an essay introductory to twelve talks (Chapbook, 1933) * Where East is West (with Henrietta Leslie) 1933 * In the Dark Backward (1934) * Fire of Life (1935) * Between the Wars (1935) * Running Accompaniments: Autobiographical reminiscences (1936) * Hitler The Man (Chapbook, 1936) * Films of Time (1939) * Selected Poems (1940?) *

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Wor ...

(1941) * A group of unpublished letters by Henry S. Salt to Joseph Ishill (Editor, 1942) * Words and Deeds: Essays (1942) * ''Visions and Memories'' Edited by Evelyn Sharp. With an introduction by

Gilbert Murray George Gilbert Aimé Murray (2 January 1866 – 20 May 1957) was an Australian-born British classical scholar and public intellectual, with connections in many spheres. He was an outstanding scholar of the language and culture of Ancient Greece ...

(1944) * Essays, Poems and Tales (edited by

) (1948)

References

* Angela V. John (2006), ''War, Journalism and the Shaping of the Twentieth Century: The Life and Times of Henry W. Nevinson''
Angela John's illustrated essay on ''Neighbours of Ours''
Nevinson's book of

short stories

Notes

External links

Page at ''Spartacus''
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nevinson, Henry 1856 births 1941 deaths British male journalists People associated with the Friends' Ambulance Unit English anti-fascists English socialists Chapbook writers Presidents of the English Centre of PEN