During World War II he espoused the cause of Free French and Italia Libera and published numerous articles in the Melbourne Argus newspaper calling for support for France.
More broadly, "the 'Melbourne school', as it came to be known the world over, became a byword for outstanding published contributions to the study of XIXth and XXth century French poetry, especially Baudelaire, Mallarmé and Valéry."[REF] .