We are accustomed to thinking of early twentieth-century publishing and other media providing a one-way means of exchange between established writers and critics and their audiences. In this model, readers consume what they receive, which in turn shapes their mental and linguistic landscapes: ‘the knowledge, the beliefs, the understanding, the opinions, the sense of identity, the loyalties, the moral values, the sensibility, the memories, the dreams, and therefore, ultimately, the actions of men, women, and children’. With respect to coverage of Brooke, much of what appeared in national newspapers and periodicals was provided by established writers and critics, but in some instances reactions to their work went beyond a passive absorption. Amongst different reading ‘constituencies’, consideration and discussion initially took place privately, and sometimes remained there, implicitly influencing future poetic responses as witnesses to the development of the ideal of the poet-soldier as it emerged reflected on its power and relevance to their experiences of the war. In other instances, responses became public, reaching new constituencies as the reading nation found ways to interact with and contribute to the Brooke myth.

Such responses from the public also show the extent to which the War Sonnets, and in particular ‘The Soldier’, had become bona fide wartime ‘hits’. They were so recognisable, so replete with culturally consistent, accessible themes and images that they created what has been identified by economists as a ‘multiplier effect’. The poems, and in more abstract ways the ideals associated with the myth of the poet-soldier, inspired – to use a more modern phrase – their own spin-offs.

During the war patriotism was no longer necessarily equated with a rough, aggressive, overtly masculine ideal of violence and killing. Instead, the civilian soldier, whose most definite act was volunteering, became an increasingly sanctified trope as the war turned attritional, testing mental, physical, and material endurance. Both soldiers and civilians, including men and women of all ages, came to view their contributions to the war as forms of ‘military service’ even as they also came to view themselves – to different degrees – as ‘victims’ of the conflict.

Tribute poems were a particularly accessible way for members of the public to express their appreciation for Brooke as the poet-soldier, and for men-in-arms more generally.