Patrick Shaw-Stewart
1888—1917
Patrick Shaw-Stewart was born in Wales to a British military family. He attended Eton and Balliol College, Oxford where he excelled academically and was elected a Fellow of All Souls College. Associated with the socialite and aristocrat Lady Diana Cooper, Shaw-Stewart was part of her “corrupt coterie” and wrote her many intimate letters full of erotic allusions to Greek and Latin literature. Shaw-Stewart joined the army in 1914 and served with Rupert Brooke; he was even present at Brooke’s burial in Skyros.
While known as a “war poet,” Shaw-Stewart wrote only one poem, “I saw a man this morning,” which was penned in a period of rest before fighting at Gallipoli and published after his death. The poem contains allusions to Greek literature, notably Homer’s Iliad. Shaw-Stewart was killed in France in 1917 and buried at Metz-en-Couture.
While known as a “war poet,” Shaw-Stewart wrote only one poem, “I saw a man this morning,” which was penned in a period of rest before fighting at Gallipoli and published after his death. The poem contains allusions to Greek literature, notably Homer’s Iliad. Shaw-Stewart was killed in France in 1917 and buried at Metz-en-Couture.