LegionLive

Rudyard Kipling was a British author best known for his tales of adventurous fiction such as ‘The Jungle Book’ and ‘The Man Who Would Be King,’ but he was also a prolific poet, and drew on his experiences of conflict as a journalist in India. Kipling dined in officers’ messes, grew familiar with NCOs and privates, and wrote with admiration of the subalterns he met.  In his work he described the bloody battles taking place on the North-West frontier, the effects of heat-stroke and cholera, and the personal tragedies he witnessed day-to-day.

Now a website dedicated to Rudyard Kipling has created two new pages - ‘Mainly for Soldiers’ and ‘Mainly for Sailors’ - which display content that may be of interest to the men and women currently serving in the Armed Forces. Kipling might have died back in 1936, but his first-hand accounts of war and its effects are still very relevant today.  As well as poetry and short stories, there’s also images, notes and the opportunity for browsers to post their comments.

The team behind the website, The Kipling Society, have said that they hope it will help to cheer those Serving through the tough times, adding, ‘If Kipling were alive today, he’d have made it his business to get to Helmand Province.’