Siegfried SassoonEnglish poet and author

By Lucy Thompson and Eleanor Penny

Early life and education

Siegfried Sassoon was born at Weirleigh hospital in Matfield, Kent, 8 September 1886 to a Jewish father and an Anglo-Catholic mother.

Sassoon was educated at The New Beacon Preparatory School, Kent, Marlborough College in Wiltshire. and at Clare College, Cambridge, (of which he was made an honorary fellow in 1953) where he

studied both law and history from 1905 to 1907,

However, he dropped out of university without

a degree

War service Motivated by patriotism, Sassoon joined the British Army just as the threat of

World War I was realised.

During his first spell at the front line Sassoon was awarded the military cross for bravery- a medal which he later threw away!

His Declaration of wilful defiance nearly resulted in a court marshal but Robert Graves intervened on his behalf and he was admitted instead to craiglockhart war hospital in Edinborough suffering from shell shock.

Here it was were he met Wilfred Owen who encouraged him to write poetry.

When he returned to the trenches he proved his bravery by crawling within 50 yards of an enemy machine gun to hurl grenades at them, But while making his way back he was mistaken for a German and shot, the bullet grazing his skull.

In 1957 he converted to roman catholic and wanted to be buried in St Dominic's church yard near to Monsignor Ronald Knox who died the same year.

War Poetry

Sassoon is remembered for his war poetry which delt realistically and bleakly with his experience of the trenches.

After the war he wrote mainly religious poetry inspired by poets such as George hurt and Henry Vaughan.

Sassoon died in his home in heytesbury hall, Wiltshire on 1st September 1967 one week before his 81st birthday.