There were air raids at night. The factory was dark and dirty. And I remember thinking - well - I must find somebody or something because like this I cannot go on.

She was the first woman to receive the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1955 and was appointed a CBE in 1979 to honour her many contributions to English literature. In 1974 Ruth Pitter was named a "Companion of Literature" the highest honour given by the Royal Society of Literature.