The Great War produced a large number of Australian poets. Both men and women, soldiers, nurses, civilians and even children wrote poetry about the war. There were five main arenas where Australian Great War Poetry was written in the period of 1914 to 1939: the Home Front, Gallipoli, The Middle East, The Western Front and England. Australian poets weren't as well established as their British counterparts, however, in their poetry, they too expressed humorous, melancholy, anger or longing for home. Many Australian servicemen, for example, wrote about the Australian flora, and how they missed it.

Soldiers Many poets served in more than one campaign, while others only served in one, either joining up after Gallipoli, or being invalided back home or killed in action. A small listing of Australian Great War Poets can be seen below.

Leon GellertGellert, Leon (1917) Songs of a Campaign. Angus & Robertson: Sydney Frank WestbrookWestbrook, Frank E. (ND) Anzac and After. Duckworth and Co: London Oliver Hogue writing as Trooper Bluegum Tom SkeyhillSkeyhill, Tom (ND) Soldier Songs from Anzac. George Robertson & Company: Melbourne Frederic ManningManning, Frederic (1917) Eidola. E.P. Dutton and Company: New York Edwin GerardTrooper Gerardy (1919) Australian Light Horse Ballads and Rhymes. H.H. Champion Australian Authors’ Agency: Melbourne Geoffrey WallWall, Geoffrey (1917) Songs of an Airman. Australian Authors’ Agency: Melbourne Walter James Redfern TurnerTurner, W.J. (1918) The Dark Fire. Sidgwick & Jackson: London William McDonaldMcDonald, W.M. (ND) Soldiers Songs from Palestine. Edward A. Vidler: Melbourne Ion Idriess Andrew Barton Paterson and many others.

Nurses

Christine Erica StromBonwick, C.E. (1917) Diary of Australian Army Nurse Christine Erica Strom. (NP): (NC) Alice Ross-King Emily 'Beryl' Henson.

Civilian men

Archibald Strong Arthur Henry Adams Bernard Patrick O’Dowd C.J. DennisDennis, C.J. (1916) The Moods of Ginger Mick. Angus & Robertson: Sydney & Dennis, C.J. (1915) The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke. Angus & Robertson: Sydney Christopher BrennanBrennan, Christopher (1918) A Chant of Doom and Other Verses. Angus and Robertson: Sydney Edward Dyson Henry LawsonLawson, Henry (1916) Song of the Dardanelles and Other Verses. George G. Harrap & Company: London John Le Gay BreretonLe Gay Brereton, John (2012) 73 Poems. PoemHunter.com – The World’s Poetry Archive: (NC) Leonard NelsonNelson, Leonard (1918) Dinky-Di Soldier and Other Jingles. Tyrrell’s Limited: Sydney John Sandes, writing as "Oriel" and many more.

Civilian women There were a number of woman poets, however, they garnered less attention and have been largely loss to time. Their works were often published in newspapers or in small numbers. Mary Gilmore is considered arguably the most well-known of them. Agnes Rose-SoleyRose-Soley, Agnes (1923) Stray Chords. Tyrrell’s Limited: Sydney Agnes LittlejohnLittlejohn, Agnus (July 1915) Patriotic Poems. (NP): (NC) & Littlejohn, Agnus (Jan 1915) Lyrical Poems. Harry Gorton: Sydney & Littlejohn, Agnus (1916) War Poems. Vale & Pearson: Sydney Alice Gore-JonesGore-Jones, A. (1917) Troop Trains and Other Verses. G. Hassell & Son: Adelaide Capel Boake Dorothea McKellar Dorothy Frances McCraeMcCrae, Dorothy Frances (ND) The Clear Call. George Robertson & Company: Melbourne & McCrae, Dorothy Frances (ND) Soldier my Soldier! George Robertson & Company: Melbourne Ella McFadyen Esther Nea-Smith Grace Ethel Martyr, Joan TorranceTorrance, Joan (ND) Sons of the Southern Sea. Francis, Day & Hunter: London Madoline 'Nina' MurdochMurdoch, Nina (1915) Songs of the Open Air. William Brooks & Co.: Sydney & Murdoch, Nina (1922) More Songs of the Open Air. Robertson & Mullens: Melbourne Margery Ruth BettsBetts, Margery Ruth (1917) Remembering and Other Verse. Australian Authors’ Agency: Melbourne Marion Knowles Mary GilmoreEd. by Strauss, Jennifer (2004) The Collected Verse of Mary Gilmore, Vol. 1 1887 – 1929. University of Queensland Press: Brisbane May KidsonKidson, May (1918) Memory’s Voices. Returned Serviceman’s Association: Perth Philadelphia N. RobertsonRobertson, Philadelphia N. (ND) An Anzac Budget and Other Verses. Australian Authors’ Agency: (NC) and many others.

Foreign pro-Australia

Arthur St. John Adcock Lance Corporal Cobber C. Fox Smith Edgar Wallace Ethel Campbell Henry Newbolt Jessie Pope Sylvia Hobday.

Prediction poets Henry LawsonLawson, Henry (1916) Song of the Dardanelles and Other Verses. George G. Harrap & Company: London and William Wentworth to name only two. There are several.

References

Primary sources

External links Laird, J. T. (1 May 1970). "Australian Poetry of the First World War: A Survey". Australian Literary Studies. 4 (3). doi:10.20314/als.fc3d80e223. Manuel, Jacqueline (2020). "We are the women who mourn our dead: Australian civilian women's poetic responses to the First World War". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 2025-04-24.