Even at his young age, Henley had endured hardship and sufering. He suffered tuberculosis of the bone in his childhood, leading to amputation of his left leg when he was 16.

A poet, critic and editor, Henley and family suffered another blow when his father died, forcing him to migrate to London in search of a job. He managed to work as a freelance writer only to have his health failed him.

At 25, he was too ill and was practically living in a hospital at Edinburgh. It was there that he wrote his poems.

Apart from his contribution as a poet, he also made other signifact contribution by introducing young writers like Rudyard Kipling, Wells and Yeats to the literary world.

In 1902, he fell from a carriage, causing the dormant tuberculosis germs to resurfaced. A year later he died with his wife by his side.

His best known poems are "Invictus" and "England, My England".