Due to the popular belief that this war would be "the war to end all wars" and to the high levels of patriottism, many boys and men volunteered to be enlisted into the army. Not volunteering was seen by many as an act of cowardice and treachery. Therefore, many people who you would not normally expect to sign up for a military career now embarked on one, including artists and poets. They processed both the ideals based on which they enlisted as well as the horrors they witnessed in their art. Below you will find some brief biographical notes on the poets whose works we will study.
Rupert Brooke
Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) was a talented English poet, educated at Cambridge and a member of a famous literary circle referred to as the Bloomsbury Group. His most famous collection, "1914 and Other Poems," included the beloved sonnet sequence "The Soldier," which conveyed a sense of patriotic duty during World War I. Brooke's literary career was tragically cut short when he died of sepsis in 1915 while serving in the Mediterranean during the war. Despite his relatively brief life, his poetry remains a testament to the idealism and romanticism of the pre-war era and continues to be celebrated for its beauty and eloquence.
Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) was a prominent English poet during World War I. Initially, he embraced the patriotic fervour of the war but later became disillusioned by its horrors. His powerful anti-war poetry, collected in works like "Counter-Attack" and "The Old Huntsman," criticized the senseless violence and suffering of the conflict. Sassoon's outspoken opposition to the war led to his famous "Soldier's Declaration" in 1917, which he published in a letter and earned him a reputation as a conscientious objector. After the war, he continued to write and became a leading voice in the literature of the period, reflecting on the human cost of war and its psychological impact.
Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) was a renowned British poet of World War I. Owen enlisted as a soldier in 1915 and was sent to the Western Front, where he experienced the brutal horrors of trench warfare. He met the established poet Siegfried Sassoon when they were both recovering from war injuries at a Scottish military hospital, and Sassoon proceeded to mentor him in his writing. His war poetry depicted the grim realities of combat. Tragically, Owen was killed in action just one week before the Armistice in 1918.
John McCrae
John McCrae (1872-1918) was a Canadian physician and poet who made a significant impact during World War I. During his service as a military doctor in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, he penned one of the most famous war poems, "In Flanders Fields," which has become an enduring symbol of remembrance for those who sacrificed their lives in war. Because of the popularity of this poem, the red poppy has become a symbol for remembering the fallen of World War 1. McCrae contracted pneumonia and died in 1918.