Rupert Brooke

Rupert Brooke Birthplace (crop)

Alfred Brooke (left) and Rupert Brooke (right) with dog Trim

Rupert brooke officer 1914

Skyros - 2013-03 - Plateia Brook

Rupert Brooke statue cropped 11.21

RupertBrooke-portrait-by-StephenHopper-OrchardTeaRooms-Grantchester

Rupert Brooke (3 August 1887 – 23 April 1915) was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially "The Soldier". He was also part of the early 20th-century group of British poets known as the Georgian Poets. Despite his short life, Brooke's poetry has had a lasting impact on the literature of war and has come to epitomize the tragic loss of talented youth during the First World War.

Early Life

Rupert Chawner Brooke was born in Rugby, Warwickshire, the second of three sons to William Parker Brooke, a schoolmaster, and Ruth Mary Brooke, née Cotterill. He was educated at two independent schools in Rugby: Hillbrow School and Rugby School. At Rugby, he developed a love for literature and began writing poetry. In 1906, he won a scholarship to King's College, Cambridge, where he became a member of the Fabian Society and was involved in the formation of the Marlowe Society. During his time at Cambridge, Brooke became well known for his good looks, charm, and charismatic personality.

Poetry and Career

Brooke's poetry is characterized by its romanticism, but it also reflects the pre-war innocence and patriotism that was common before the realities of the First World War shattered such ideals. His first poems were published in 1909 in the collection "Poems". However, it was the publication of "1914 & Other Poems" in 1915 that secured his reputation. This collection includes the famous sonnets "The Soldier", "Peace", and "The Dead". These poems express a sense of optimism and patriotic fervor, idealizing the sacrifice of life for one's country.

War Service

With the outbreak of the First World War, Brooke joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a sub-lieutenant. His military service took him to Antwerp and the Mediterranean. In February 1915, he sailed with the British Mediterranean Expeditionary Force but developed sepsis from an infected mosquito bite. Brooke died on 23 April 1915 aboard a French hospital ship moored in a bay off the Greek island of Skyros. He was buried in an olive grove on the island, and his grave remains there to this day.

Legacy

Rupert Brooke's death was widely mourned as symbolic of the tragic loss of a generation's potential. Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, wrote a tribute to him in The Times. Brooke's poetry, with its youthful idealism and romantic patriotism, has been both praised for its beauty and criticized for its idealization of war. Nonetheless, his work remains an important part of English literature and a poignant reminder of the young lives lost in war.

Selected Works

• Poems (1911)
• 1914 & Other Poems (1915)

See Also

• Georgian Poets
• World War I poetry
• War poet