"My Boy Jack" is a 1916 poem by

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

. Kipling wrote it for Jack Cornwell, the 16 year old youngest recipient of the Victoria Cross who stayed by his post on board the light cruiser HMS ''Chester'' at the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland (german: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of the Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy ...

until he died. Kipling's son John was never referred to as "Jack". The poem echoes the grief of all parents who lost sons in the First World War. John Kipling was a 2nd Lt in the Irish Guards and disappeared in September 1915 during the

Battle of Loos The Battle of Loos took place from 1915 in France on the Western Front, during the First World War. It was the biggest British attack of 1915, the first time that the British used poison gas and the first mass engagement of New Army units. Th ...

in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The poem was published as a prelude to a story in his book ''Sea Warfare'' written about the Battle of Jutland in 1916. The imagery and theme is maritime in nature and as such it is about a generic nautical Jack (or

Jack Tar Jack Tar (also Jacktar, Jack-tar or Tar) is a common English language, English term originally used to refer to Sailor, seamen of the British Merchant Navy, Merchant or Royal Navy, particularly during the period of the British Empire. By World War ...

), though emotionally affected by the death of Kipling's son.

Text of the poem

Dramatisation

''My Boy Jack'' is the name of a 1997 play written by English actor

David Haig David Haig Collum Ward (born 20 September 1955) is an English actor and playwright. He has appeared in West End productions and numerous television and film roles over a career spanning four decades. Haig wrote the play '' My Boy Jack'', w ...

. It examines how grief affected

and his family following the death of his son, John (known as Jack; although see the main Wikipedia entry on

), at the

in 1915. It includes a recitation of the poem, ''My Boy Jack''.

Ben Silverstone Benjamin Maurice Silverstone (born 9 April 1979) is an English barrister and former actor. Silverstone's appeared in the 1998 Paramount Classics feature film, '' Get Real''. Early life and education Silverstone was born in Camden, London, the s ...

first played Jack Kipling on stage, while

Daniel Radcliffe Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor. He rose to fame at age twelve, when he began portraying Harry Potter in the film series of the same name; and has held various other film and theatre roles. Over his career, Rad ...

took over the role for the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

screen adaptation of the same name. Haig played Rudyard Kipling on both stage and screen.

Musical settings

* "Have You News of my Boy Jack?" set to music by

Ina Boyle Ina Boyle (8 March 1889 – 10 March 1967) was an Irish composer. Her compositions encompass a broad spectrum of genres and include choral, chamber and orchestral works as well as opera, ballet and vocal music. While a number of her works, incl ...

in 1916. * "Have You News of My Boy Jack?" set to music by

Edward German Sir Edward German (17 February 1862 – 11 November 1936) was an English musician and composer of Welsh descent, best remembered for his extensive output of incidental music for the stage and as a successor to Arthur Sullivan in the field of En ...

in 1917. * "My Boy Jack", song for medium voice and piano by

Betty Roe Betty Roe (born 30 July 1930) is an English composer, singer, vocal coach, and conductor. Biography Betty Roe was born in North Kensington, London, England. Her father was a fishmonger at the Shepherd's Bush Market, and her mother was a bookkee ...

. *

Neofolk Neofolk, also known as apocalyptic folk, is a form of experimental music blending elements of folk and industrial music, which emerged in punk rock circles in the 1980s. Neofolk may either be solely acoustic or combine acoustic folk instrumenta ...

singer Andrew King recorded a song showcasing the lyrics to this poem. * Setting for voice and concertina by

Peter Bellamy Peter Franklyn Bellamy (8 September 1944 – 24 September 1991) was an English folk singer. He was a founding member of The Young Tradition and also had a long solo career, recording numerous albums and touring folk clubs and concert halls. He ...

. Bellamy's version was also set to a three part harmony by the English folk group "Lady Maisery" on their 2011 début album ''Weave and Spin'', and was recorded by accapella group "Hex" on their 2014 CD ''Husk and Bark''.

References

External links

My Boy Jack
{{Authority control Poetry by Rudyard Kipling World War I poems 1915 poems

Text of the poem

Dramatisation

Musical settings

See also

References

External links