HISTORIANS
Elizabeth Matthews
Author -
HMS Resolute
29 Carbery Avenue, London, W3 9AD UK
(44) 7986-446-499 UK
1926 S. Clarkson St. Denver, CO 80210 USA
(001) 720-883-5652 USA
RWYCresolute@hotmail.com
www.hmsresolute.co.uk
http://www.presidentdesk.com
Although I am the leading scholar on the unique story of HMS Resolute and the important role this ship played in the transition Great Britain and America made from being deadly enemies to being allies, and I have lectured about HMS RESOLUTE at such institutions as the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich; American Museum, Bath; the American Embassy, London; and the Royal Navy Museum, Portsmouth, I came by this expertise via a rather circuitous route.
I became an avid sailor in 1982. With a long standing interest in history, it didn't take me long to combine it with my love of sailing, and I began a lasting and ongoing passion for maritime history. Then, in 1993, after I had completed my first year at Georgetown Law School in Washington DC, I was involved in an automobile accident which resulted in a crippling back injury. After a year of my being homebound my doctor prescribed a reclining wheelchair for me. While this chair would restore to me a great deal of freedom, I was saddened by the fact that I would have to have such a devise in my life.
To overcome that sadness, and to celebrate the chair’s arrival, I held a wheelchair launching party. I needed a name for my chair if I wanted the party to resemble a ship launch, and I chose RESOLUTE after the 1920 America's Cup winner. I liked the story of this race: Resolute had lost all the qualifying races she could without being disqualified....and then she started winning. She came up from behind to win the silver. Additionally, I liked the meaning of the word: I knew I would have to be resolute through the upcoming years of painful physiotherapy. All of this spoke to my condition.
When I progressed with my therapy, and thought I might sail again someday, I researched all the ships that had been named Resolute, and found HMS Resolute. In 2007 I self published a novel about RESOLUTE for my family and friends to whet their appetite for the non-fiction book which I am currently completing. To my surprise, the novel reached a somewhat wider audience, and it garnered a favourable review by the Historical Novel Society, as well as favourable comments from readers like former President George W. Bush. I continue to give my Resolute Lecture at museums, clubs, and other venues.