During the First World War, Cammaerts wrote the poems that gained him the greatest audience "Belgian Poems" Published in 1915, 'New Belgian Poems', published in 1917 and 'Messines and other Poems", published in 1918.
Cammaerts also wrote "Through the Iron Bars," which was published in 1917 and was an account of the sufferings of Belgium during the First World War. In addition, he wrote the preface to the poetry anthology edited by R.M. Ingersley (Russell Markand) under the title "The Glory of Belgium: A Tribute and a Chronicle", published in 1915 by Erskine Macdonald and sold in aid of the Belgian Repatriation Fund.
Emile Cammaerts married Tita Brand, a daughter of the opera singer Madame Marie Brema. Tita Brand-Cammaerts became well known during the World War for reciting her husband's patriotic poems. Cammaerts' poem "Après Anvers" ("After Antwerp"), which was first published in "The Observer" and written in French, was translated into English by his wife. With music composed by Sir Edward Elgar, re-titled "Carillon" and first performed in public on 7th December 1914 at a concert by the London Symphony Orchestra , the work was one of the greatest successes of the First World War. Cammaerts is one of British author Michael Morpurgo's Grandfathers.
Cammaerts became Professor of Belgian Studies at London University in 1933. He died in Radlett, Hertfordshire on 2nd November 1953.
Cammaert's WW1 poems, written in French were translated by his wife, Tita Branc-Cammaerts, and under the title "Belgian Poems", were published in London by John Lane, The Bodley Head in 1915. The poems can be read free on-line via Archive here https://archive.org/stream/belgianpoemschan00cammiala#page/n7/mode/2up
Photograph of Cammaerts in the National Portrait Gallery by Lafayette in 1928.
A link to an interesting article written by Michael Morpurgo (author of the book "War Horse") about his Grandfather, Belgian poet Emile Cammaerts –
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/01/first-world-war-centenary-michael-morpurgo
