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Sassoon
was brought up in Kent and was educated at Marlborough
College. He went to Clare College, Cambridge, but left
without taking a degree. His family's wealth meant that
he did not need to work, so he followed country pursuits,
especially hunting, as well as spending time in London.
His first collection of verse was published privately
in 1906.
He
enlisted in the Sussex Yeomanry the day before war was
declared. In May 1915 he transferred to the infantry
and was commissioned into the Royal Welch Fusiliers,
where he later met a fellow officer, Robert Graves.
Sassoon was awarded a Military Cross for his bravery
during a trench raid on the Western Front in May 1916.
In April 1917 he returned to England with a bullet wound.
Twelve weeks later, he made a public 'act of wilful
defiance of military authority' by writing to his commanding
officer to protest at the prolongation of the war. A
Medical Board deemed this the result of 'neurasthenia'
(shell-shock), and sent him to Craiglockhart War Hospital.
Realising that his protest had failed and not wishing
to abandon his men, he rejoined his regiment in November
1917 and returned to France in 1918. Despite being accidentally
shot by his own sergeant, Sassoon survived the war and
went on to write several volumes based on his wartime
experiences.
Siegfried
Sassoon Fellowship
For information on events and membership
Tel: Deborah Fisher, 01656 659286
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