Rupert Brooke

Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) was an influential English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War. Born in Rugby, Warwickshire, Brooke was educated at Rugby School and later at King’s College, Cambridge, where he became involved with the Bloomsbury Group, an influential collective of writers and intellectuals. His early works, including poems like "The Old Vicarage, Grantchester," capture a pre-war nostalgia and pastoral beauty.

Brooke's most acclaimed works are his war sonnets, particularly the 1914 collection, which includes "The Soldier"—a poignant meditation on the honor and sacrifice of war, encapsulating nationalistic fervor with the famous opening line, "If I should die, think only this of me." These works earned him posthumous fame and he became a symbol of the young, lost generation.

In 1915, while en route to the Gallipoli campaign, Brooke contracted sepsis from an insect bite and died aboard a French hospital ship near the Greek island of Skyros. He was buried in an olive grove on the island, and his untimely death at the age of 27 contributed to his enduring legacy as one of the most celebrated poets of his generation, embodying both the promise of youthful talent and the tragedy of war.