A song about my Great-Grandparents emigrating from Birmingham to Durban, South Africa, in 1880.
My Grandfather was 3 and his 7 siblings ranged up to age 22. They must have faced many hardships - recession in Birmingham, leaving family behind, 70 days aboard ship "The John Bright", being rowed ashore from outer anchorage & arriving in SA only a year after the slaughter of the British Army by the Zulus.

When the first ships attempted to sail into the harbour, many of them were swept over the bar, overturned & washed onto the rock strewn shore.
With this final ignominious end at the entrance to a wild and lonely African lagoon, on the other side of the world - the future of the survivors must have been very bleak and uncertain in that unforgiving environment.
Between 1845 to 1885, 60 ships were wrecked on Durban harbour entrance.

Our emigration back to England in 2002, held some of the sentiments that GG Ralph & Sarah "Annie" must have experienced ........

This song was a Semi Finalist in the UK Songwriting Competition 2012.

Annie Dear (by Chris Charlesworth 2005)

Chris Charlesworth