Did the soldiers at the time appreciate Kipling's work or were they not even aware of it?

They must have been aware of it. In the second hand book trade I probably see more cheap copies of Kipling's verse than any other song and poetry of the late-Victorian/Edwardian period. I haven't found a list of all the editions printed (if anybody's even managed to compile one) - most are cheaply printed and bound and must have been affordable to any literate reader.