Hal (Henry) Summers
1911-2005
Poet
Notable Works
- My Old Cat featured in The Oxford Book of Death (Poem)
- The Beginners (Poem)
- Burning Book and Other Poems (1982)
About
Born Henry Forbes Summers, in Harrogate Yorkshire in 1911, ‘Hal’ Summers was educated at Fetters College, Edinburgh, and Oxford. He joined the Ministry of Health in 1935 and was Private Secretary to Minister Aneurin Bevan, during the passage of the National Health Bill in 1945. He moved to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government on its creation, promoted to Under-Secretary in 1955.
Summers wrote volumes of poetry while he was a senior British civil servant. Made a CB in 1961, he retired in 1971. Between 1944-1991, he published six collections of poetry. His most popular poems include “My Old Cat” (voted one of Britain’s favourite 20th-century poems in a BBC poll), “The Beginners” and “The Seed”.
Legacy
His gift of Royalties to the RLF from his literary estate helps support future generations of writers.
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