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The son
of a British father and a German mother, Graves was educated
at Charterhouse and won a classical scholarship to St John's
College, Oxford, in 1914. Instead of going up to Oxford he
obtained a commission in the Royal Welch Fusiliers. After
training he was sent to France in May 1915, where he took
part in the Battle of Loos. Three weeks into the Battle of
the Somme in July 1916 he was badly wounded and reported dead.
His parents were informed and a notice appeared in The Times
before news emerged of his survival. He returned to the front
several months later, but his lungs had been permanently damaged
and he was declared unfit for active service.
While
in France, Graves had become a close friend of his fellow
officer, Siegfried Sassoon, and supported him during his notorious
anti-war 'protest'. Sassoon's influence showed in Graves's
early poems, published in 'Over the Brazier' (1916)
and 'Fairies and Fusiliers' (1917). His acclaimed autobiography,
Goodbye to All That, based largely on his wartime experiences,
was published in 1929. He moved to Majorca that year and worked
as a poet, scholar, dramatist, critic and novelist until his
death at the age of ninety.
Robert
Graves Society
For information on events and membership
Tel: Patrick Villa, 44 (0)1275 376916
Web: www.robertgraves.org/contact.php
e-mail: RobertGravesSoc@aol.com
St
John's College Robert Graves Trust
For information
Tel: Dr Ian Firla, 44 (0)1865 277384
Fax: 44 (0)1865 277435
Web: www.robertgraves.org
e-mail: ian@deepsky.com
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