A bard remembered: Maurice Rutherford obituary

CELEBRATED: Maurice Rutherford, pictured modelling clothes designed by his granddaughter Katy

Hull poet Maurice Rutherford has died aged 103. Dubbed ‘The Bard of Albert Avenue’, Maurice was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Hull in 2023. His son-in-law Phil Curry looks back on his life

Dubbed “The Bard of Albert Avenue” by Alan Johnson, former MP for Hull West and Hessle and now Chancellor of the University of Hull, the Hull poet Maurice Rutherford passed away peacefully in his sleep at his care home in Kent on October 3.

Maurice was born on Albert Avenue on September 28, 1922. He was the son of a salt cod curer’s manager, about which he would later write in his poems Bacalao and The Cycle. His parents were Evelyn and Maud Rutherford. Though firmly working-class, it would appear that Evelyn was partial to a bit of culture, which must have rubbed off on two of his children; Maurice and his sister Barbara, who would later go on to write historical novels. His other siblings were Kenneth and Sylvia.

HONOURED: Maurice after receiving an honorary doctorate in 2023, aged 100

His beginnings, however, were somewhat less literary. Maurice attended Hull Commercial College, where by his own admission he was less than successful. He left aged 16 for a job at Hull Graving Dock and was engaged in preparing accounts and estimates for ship repairs.

Military service then beckoned in the Second World War. Maurice enlisted with the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, later transferring to the Royal Armoured Corps. He served in both North Africa and Italy, where his experience – especially in the Italian campaign – left him not only with an abhorrence of war, about which he writes in his poem Hans Gropsmeyer, but also with an abiding love for the country through which he had just fought and for its language, which he would later learn.

FAMILY MAN: Maurice’s 103rd birthday party, just a week before he died. His son-in-law Phil Curry is back left

After the war, Maurice returned to Hull and married Olive, the love of his life, in 1947. He also returned to gainful employment and spent the rest of his working life as a technical writer in the engineering and shipbuilding industry, first in Hull and later in Immingham.

While still at Humber Graving Dock he began volunteering with the Samaritans. He became editor of their poetry magazine and started to write himself, gradually gaining more recognition. He published a number of well-received volumes of poetry including Slipping the Tugs (1982), After the Parade (1989) and Flip Side to Larkin (2012), a good-natured parody of his contemporary, Philip Larkin. And Saturday is Christmas, a comprehensive collection of new and selected poems, was published in 2011.

SERVICE: Maurice, kneeling front left, with C Squadron 4th Hussars, December 3, 1944, Forlimpopoli, Italy.

‘And no, I can’t forget nor would

if I could, December at Forlimpopoli.

A thousand times I’ve smelt again

mud, pungent as a tanner’s bath,

kneaded by Sherman tanks…’

[Extract from Forlimpopoli by Maurice Rutherford]

Maurice took early retirement in 1986 at the age of 64 when Humber Graving Dock went into liquidation. He moved from Grimsby back to Yorkshire, first to Malton and then to Bridlington. On Olive’s death in May 2012, he moved south to a retirement property in Westgate-on Sea in Kent to be closer to his daughter, Jeannie.

In addition to his other published works, Maurice collaborated on two books of prose, illustrated by Jeannie; Marshalled Musings and Random Jottings. He has been poet of the month twice in The Guardian and also featured on BBC Radio on numerous occasions.

GUEST: Maurice during an interview at Margate Literary Festival in 2019

In his his centenary year of 2022, Hull Truck Theatre celebrated his life and works in their show The City Speaks, curated by Hull-born actor and writer Barrie Rutter. The following year he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Hull.

Maurice lived his final years at a care home in Kent close to his daughter and son-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, all of whom were able to help him celebrate his 103rd birthday just a week before his death.

Maurice is survived by his son Ian (born 1947), and daughter Jeannie (born 1952), as well as numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

• Maurice Rutherford, poet, born September 28, 1922, died October 3, 2025.