What happens in the poem "The Verdicts" by Rudyard Kipling?

In Rudyard Kipling's short poem "The Verdicts," published in 1916, the speaker describes how the men in a particular battle between Britain and Germany are heroes who have saved the British way of life and yet aren't recognized or appreciated (due to a lack of historical perspective).

The speaker's tone is wistful, patriotic, grand, and (as I think most readers would agree) overblown.

For more information about the battle, the controversy over who won, and how it affected the outcome of the war, please refer to this discussion from The Kipling Society.

Here's a breakdown of what happens in the poem, stanza by stanza:

Stanza 1: The speaker says that the "heroes" (the members of the Royal Navy who fought in the battle) don't become famous while they're actually fighting.

Stanza 2: Instead, they become famous only after the war is over. The only thing we notice about them is that they're glad to come home from the fighting.

Stanza 3: When they're home on leave, we don't have enough perspective to see them as the heroes they are.

Stanza 4: We also don't know whether they become famous later on or if they just fight and die without recognition.

Stanza 5: We don't have the perspective to appreciate the heroes' greatness, but the next generation of people will, because they'll be able to see how the heroes affected the "fate" of the nation.

Stanza 6: Again, we don't understand just how great these heroes are, but our kids will, and all we know now is that they're saving the world.