C. Fox (Cicely Fox) Smith

Born in Lymm, Cheshire, in 1882, Cicely Fox Smith was an English poet and writer best known for maritime verse. She was educated at Manchester High School for Girls, spent part of her early adult life in Canada, and returned to Britain shortly before the First World War. Much of her writing grew from a deep interest in ships, sailors, and the working life of the sea.

She wrote prolifically, producing hundreds of poems as well as fiction and other prose. Her work became closely associated with nautical themes, and her papers later formed a collection at Royal Museums Greenwich, where manuscripts and research materials connected with her writing are preserved.

Smith died in 1954. Today she is remembered as one of the distinctive literary voices of the merchant sailing world, admired for writing that feels knowledgeable, lively, and close to the speech and experience of seafarers.