My Boy Jack (poem)
Encyclopedia
My Boy Jack is a 1915 poem by Rudyard Kipling
. Kipling wrote it after his beloved son John (called Jack) an 18 year old Lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion, Irish Guards
went missing in September 1915 during the Battle of Loos
, during World War I
. It was years before Kipling and his family had Jack's death confirmed.
In 1919 a Graves Registration Unit
had recorded a burial in St Mary’s Advanced Dressing Station Cemetery at Haisnes
as being an "Unknown Lieutenant of the Irish Guards". In 1992, as there were only 3 unidentified Irish Guards officers buried as unknowns in World War I, by a process of elimination the site believed to hold Jack Kipling's body was identified in St. Mary's A.D.S. Cemetery, Haisnes, Pas de Calais and a gravestone erected to replace the previous "Known unto God" headstone. Five years later, war historians Tonie and Valmai Holt declared that the stone stood over the grave of the wrong man and asked for the case to be reopened. However, in 2010 the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
confirmed that the grave is in fact that of Lieutenant John Kipling.
. It examines how grief affected Rudyard Kipling
and his family following the death of his son, John (known as Jack), at the Battle of Loos
in 1915. It includes a recitation of the poem, My Boy Jack. Ben Silverstone
first played Jack Kipling on stage, while Daniel Radcliffe
took over the role for the ITV
screen adaptation of the same name
. Haig played Rudyard Kipling in both stage and screen shows.
.
Neofolk
singer Andrew King
recorded a song showcasing the lyrics to this poem.
Setting for voice and concertina by Peter Bellamy
.
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
. Kipling wrote it after his beloved son John (called Jack) an 18 year old Lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion, Irish Guards
Irish Guards
The Irish Guards , part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.Along with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish regiments remaining in the British Army. The Irish Guards recruit in Northern Ireland and the Irish neighbourhoods of major British cities...
went missing in September 1915 during the Battle of Loos
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
, during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. It was years before Kipling and his family had Jack's death confirmed.
In 1919 a Graves Registration Unit
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
had recorded a burial in St Mary’s Advanced Dressing Station Cemetery at Haisnes
Haisnes
Haisnes is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Haisnes is a former coalmining town, now a light industrial and farming commune, situated some east of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D163 and the D947...
as being an "Unknown Lieutenant of the Irish Guards". In 1992, as there were only 3 unidentified Irish Guards officers buried as unknowns in World War I, by a process of elimination the site believed to hold Jack Kipling's body was identified in St. Mary's A.D.S. Cemetery, Haisnes, Pas de Calais and a gravestone erected to replace the previous "Known unto God" headstone. Five years later, war historians Tonie and Valmai Holt declared that the stone stood over the grave of the wrong man and asked for the case to be reopened. However, in 2010 the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
confirmed that the grave is in fact that of Lieutenant John Kipling.
Text of the poem
Dramatisation
My Boy Jack is the name of a 1997 play written by English actor David HaigDavid Haig
David Haig is an Olivier Award-winning English actor and FIPA Award-winning writer. He is known for his versatility, having played dramatic, serio-comic and comedic roles, playing characters of varied social classes...
. It examines how grief affected Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
and his family following the death of his son, John (known as Jack), at the Battle of Loos
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
in 1915. It includes a recitation of the poem, My Boy Jack. Ben Silverstone
Ben Silverstone
Benjamin Maurice Silverstone is an English barrister and former actor. He has one sister and one brother. He studied English at Cambridge University and law at the LSE.-Career:...
first played Jack Kipling on stage, while Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe is an English actor who rose to prominence playing the titular character in the Harry Potter film series....
took over the role for the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
screen adaptation of the same name
My Boy Jack (film)
My Boy Jack is a 2007 television drama based on David Haig's 1997 play of the same name. It was filmed in August 2007, with Haig as Rudyard Kipling and Daniel Radcliffe as John Kipling. It does not include act three of the play, which extended to the 1920s and 1930s. Instead it ends with Kipling...
. Haig played Rudyard Kipling in both stage and screen shows.
Musical settings
"My Boy Jack", song for medium voice and piano by Betty RoeBetty Roe
Betty Roe 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 bookkeeper...
.
Neofolk
Neofolk
Neofolk is a form of folk music-inspired experimental music that emerged from post-industrial music circles. Neofolk can either be solely acoustic folk music or a blend of acoustic folk instrumentation aided by varieties of accompanying sounds such as pianos, strings and elements of industrial...
singer Andrew King
Andrew King
Andrew King or Andy King may refer to:*Andrew King , member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri*Andy King , British Labour politician...
recorded a song showcasing the lyrics to this poem.
Setting for voice and concertina by Peter Bellamy
Peter Bellamy
Peter Franklyn Bellamy was an English folk singer. He was a founding member of The Young Tradition but also had a long solo career, recording numerous albums and touring folk clubs and concert halls...
.