Winifred Letts was born in 1882 in Salford, England. After her father’s death she and her mother moved to her mother’s native Ireland. Her career as a writer began in 1907 when she published two novels. In 1913 she published her first collection of poetry – Songs from Leinster.

During the First World War Winifred joined the Voluntary Aid Detachment as a nurse at the Manchester Base Hospital and then trained as a masseuse with the Almeric Paget Military Massage Corps, working at army camps in Manchester and Alnwick, Northumberland. In 1916 she published Hallowe’en and Other Poems of the War: this proved so popular that it was reprinted in 1917 and renamed The Spires of Oxford and Other Poems.

Winifred Letts’ Poems

This entry is based on material supplied by Bairbre O’Hogan to Lucy London for her publication Female Poets of the First World War Volume 1 (Posh Up North Publishing, 2013). Bairbre is happy to hear from anyone with queries or information about Winifred Letts and can be contacted by email researchingwmletts@gmail.com

“Sing in the Quiet Places of my Heart”, Bairbre O’Hogan’s biography of W.M. Letts will belaunched on Sunday 20th October 2024, at 2pm in the recently-refurbished Old Courthouse, Rathcoole, D24 YP97 – as part of the Red Line Book Festival. The book was commissioned by, and is published by, South Dublin Libraries.
South Dublin Libraries request that, if interested in attending, you book your place at the launch via The Red Line Book Festival website: W.M. Letts Book Launch | Sunday October 20th 2pm | Red Line Book Festival (redlinefestival.ie)
Following the launch on 20th October, the book will be available for purchase (€20) from South Dublin Libraries tallaghtlibrary@sdublincoco.ie