William Denis Browne William Charles Denis Browne ( 3 November 1888 – 4 June 1915 ) , primarily known as Billy to family and as Denis to his friends , was a British composer , pianist , organist and music critic of the early 20th century . He and his close friend , poet Rupert Brooke , were commissioned into the Royal Naval Division together shortly after the outbreak of the First World War . Denis Browne was killed in action during the Gallipoli Campaign . Name and death date ambiguities . According to his entry in the " Oxford Dictionary of National Biography " ( ODNB ) , his surname was Denis Browne . Despite this , both the ODNB and " Grove Music Online " list him as Browne , as does his Royal Navy service record , and his record at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission ( CWGC ) . There is similar confusion over his death date . He received what were presumed to be his fatal wounds on 4 June 1915 , but was not officially reported " wounded and missing " until 7 June 1915 , and it is this date which is recorded by the CWGC as the date of death , although his service record gives both dates . Early life . Denis Browne was born in Leamington Spa , Warwickshire on 3 November 1888 ; his parents were of Anglo - Irish descent . His father had been a land agent and had served as a juror in the Phoenix Park Murders trial . A grandfather had been Dean of Emly ( the cathedral was demolished in 1877 ) , and a great - grandfather was a Member of Parliament for Mayo and younger brother of the 1st Marquess of Sligo . He showed early musical talent , and by the age of 15 was running the choir and playing the organ for all Sunday services at the church his family attended . He attended Greyfriars Preparatory School in Leamington and in 1903 took up a Classics scholarship at Rugby , having turned down one for mathematics at Harrow . It was at Rugby that Denis Browne first met Rupert Brooke , son of a master and a year older , and they greatly influenced each other . In 1906 , Denis Browne pestered Brooke to write a poem for him to set to music for Easter Day . Brooke eventually did so , the result being " A song in praise of Cremation written to my lady on Easter Day " ; Brooke was impressed with Denis Browne ' s musical setting of it . University . In 1907 Denis Browne proceeded to Clare College , Cambridge , having again obtained a scholarship , and following Brooke who had gone up to King ' s the previous year . At Cambridge he continued his musical activities , and also took part ( with Brooke ) in student theatrical productions . At Cambridge he also became acquainted with a number of other musicians , including Arthur Bliss , Cecil Armstrong Gibbs , Clive Carey , Steuart Wilson and Ralph Vaughan Williams . Perhaps more significantly the Cambridge don Edward Joseph Dent rated him " by far the cleverest of the musicians " then at the university . His results in his BA were disappointing , which saw the end of the civil service career for which his father had hoped . Given this , and with some persuasion from his friends , he persuaded his father to allow him to undertake further studies in music . In 1910 Denis Browne became organ scholar at Clare , and masterminded the installation of a new organ . In this period at Cambridge , he studied composition with Charles Wood , organ with Alan Gray , and piano with Ursula Newton ( a former pupil of Ferruccio Busoni ) . Many of his compositions at time were premiered by the college choir or orchestra . He also became known as a promising conductor . He sang in the chorus which premiered Vaughan Williams ' incidental music for " The Wasps " , and also played through " Hugh the Drover " and " On Wenlock Edge " whilst Vaughan Williams was still working on them . Career . With the completion of his MusB , Denis Browne took a job at Repton School as an assistant music master and school organist in April 1912 , Vaughan Williams wrote him a reference describing him as having " a most musical nature and his artistic judgement and perception are remarkable " . He formally graduated with distinction in May 1912 . He immediately improved musical standards at Repton noticeably . He and Wilson visited Busoni in Berlin . He became a favoured student of Busoni but excessive piano practice led him to injure his hand , suffering from either tenosynovitis or neuritis ( with the possibility of paralysis ) . As a result , in December 1912 he resigned his position at Repton . He then took up the position as organist at Guy ' s Hospital ( in succession to Carey ) in early 1913 , supplementing his income with various freelance positions . These included teaching at Morley College ( deputising for Gustav Holst ) , assorted choral conducting positions , and acting as accompanist to Carey , Wilson and the French soprano Jane Bathori - Engel . He also became known as a critic , writing for the " Blue Review " , " The New Statesman " , " The Daily Telegraph " and " The Times " . In his " Grove " article , Hugh Taylor describes Denis Browne ' s criticism as " reveal [ ing ] a brilliant musical mind " . Denis Browne had stayed in touch with Brooke , and through him met Edward Marsh . Denis Browne became part of Marsh ' s Georgian circle , establishing himself as a particular favourite during Brooke ' s overseas travels in 1913 and 1914 , although Denis Browne and Marsh had differing views of the musical merits of Igor Stravinsky ' s ballet " The Rite of Spring " . War service . On the outbreak of World War I Marsh used his influence as Private Secretary to Winston Churchill ( then First Lord of the Admiralty ) to obtain Brooke a commission . Brooke refused to take it unless Denis Browne was also commissioned , which happened by mid - September 1914 . They both became temporary Sub - Lieutenant s in the newly formed Royal Naval Division , joining the Anson Battalion of the 2nd Naval Brigade . They participated in the abortive Antwerp Expedition in October 1914 , which sought to relieve the Siege of Antwerp , before being transferred to the Hood Battalion , to join the force being assembled for the Gallipoli landings . They travelled on the " Grantully Castle " , Denis Browne passed his time playing duets with F . S . Kelly and directing the band of the Hood Battalion . Brooke died during the journey , contracting septicaemia after an insect bite . Denis Browne chose the site of his grave on Skyros , writing : Denis Browne saw action in the Dardanelles , and was wounded in the neck on 8 May 1915 . He recuperated in Egypt , and rejoined his unit in early June , despite not being fully fit . During the Third Battle of Krithia he took part in an attack on Turkish trenches on 4 June 1915 during which he was wounded first in the shoulder and then the stomach . It was not possible to evacuate him , but he passed his wallet to a petty officer , to be returned home . Legacy . The wallet was found to contain his last letter to Marsh : His body was never recovered ; he is commemorated on the CWGC memorial on Cape Helles . In an earlier letter to Dent , Denis Browne had asked him to destroy any compositions , " that did not represent Denis Browne at his best " . Aided by Vaughan Williams and Wilson in sorting through Denis Browne ' s work , Dent burnt most of the compositions , those that remain are now held in the archives of Clare College , and the music and manuscript collections of the British Library . In 1918 , Marion Scott pressed Dent to allow performance of the remaining works ( having first established that Denis Browne ' s mother wished to see them performed ) . After some initial resistance , a concert was arranged at Wigmore Hall on 24 April 1918 . A small selection of Denis Browne ' s surviving songs have been recorded , by Graham Trew , Martyn Hill , Ian Bostridge and Christopher Maltman . On 11 November 2007 , his " Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in G major " was performed in a BBC Radio 3 broadcast of Choral Evensong for Remembrance Day , given by the Choir of Clare College , and on 21 May 2009 the same station broadcast Maltman ' s recording of " To Gratiana dancing and singing " , following Andrew Motion reading his own poem " The Grave of Rupert Brooke " . Denis Browne is mostly remembered for his friendship with poet Rupert Brooke , from their years together at Rugby School and the University of Cambridge . He set several of Brooke ' s poems to music , although these settings did not survive Dent ' s purging of the works . Fellow soldier and poet Wilfrid Wilson Gibson dedicated a poem to Browne in his 1916 volume of poems entitled " Battle , and other Poems " . Works . The surviving works are :