Anthony Moreway

Anthony Moreway (1902-1944) was a relatively unknown poet and writer, best known for his poems Sorrow of Solace and Ne'er the Wind Strikes both written about his wife during his brief period in France.

Early Life and Family
Moreway was born in 1902 in a small village on the outskirts of Bristol. He worked on a farm owned by his father until he was 7 years old. In 1909 Moreway's father died of tuberculosis, in the following months his mother committed suicide. After this Moreway and his sister Elaine, who was in her late teens at the time, continued to run the farm until they both decided to leave for Bristol. The two siblings moved into a small house on the edge of the city. In 1912 Moreway's sister left to find work in the north following a lasting relationship between a man from Newcastle. Moreway was left alone and was accepted into a church. For the next two years he was taught to read and write within the church and became a pious man fixated on family life.

Marriage
Moreway married in 1924 to a young woman called Samantha Rogers. They were a loving couple on the most part, however Samantha's beliefs conflicted with Moreway's. Although the marriage was mostly successful Samantha was infertile and never gave Moreway a child, after 2 years of living together Moreway became furious as the prospect of having no children. He gathered his effects and left to travel to Newcastle to where his sister was supposedly living. Upon not finding her he returned to his wife in Bristol. After a further 5 years of living with his wife Moreway once again left his wife. In 1931 he left for France, arriving in the spring of 1932.

Affair
In the summer of 1932 Moreway met a French barmaid in Calais, the two notoriously hit it off and moved into an old windmill together. The two were constantly arguing with each other until December of that year, wherein Seline became pregnant with his child. After hearing this Moreway was distraught and wrote many poems, namely Sorrow of Solace. He eventually settled things with Seline, but her father said otherwise. Her father attempted on several occasions to coax Moreway into marrying his daughter, failing in every case. The stress caused by her father are thought to have caused Seline's miscarriage. Moreway still tried to have another child with Seline but finally when threatened about the marriage once more by her father Moreway fled back to England.

Conscription
In 1941 upon finding Samantha having committed suicide when returning home Moreway decided to join the army seeing no use left in his life. He was reluctantly accepted into the army and joined the . In the following years he suffered a near death injury but still participated in the war effort. He was presumed dead in the D Day landings however his death was never verified.

Poetry
Moreway's most famous poem was the sonnet Sorrow of Solace written about his regret at leaving his wife and about his joy upon Seline's pregnancy. It was never published however it had some renown during his time. Other poems Moreway wrote include: Ne'er the Wind Strikes and Bitter Ecstasy these poems not only speak about his relations but also about the social turmoil at the time.

See Other
Sorrow of Solace

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