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Siegfried Sassoon was a British poet and novelist who is best known today for his poems delving into the horrors of World War One. Born in 1886 to an affluent family, Sassoon's greatest passions were poetry and hunting. His early pre-war work—including the collections Twelve Sonnets (1911), Melodies (1912), An Ode for Music (1912), and Hyacinth (1912)—focused on music and the beauty of the natural world. The poet's own first name came from his mother's love of Wagner's operas. Following his enlistment in World War One, Sassoon gained a formidable reputation in the Royal Welch Fusiliers, fighting on the Western Front in 1915. Sassoon was awarded the Military Cross for bringing back a wounded soldier, demonstrating the concern for fellow soldiers that is often a subject in his war poems. Public reaction to The War Poems of Siegfried Sassoon (1919) was strong: some complained about the poet's lack of patriotism, while others found the violence in Sassoon's work too graphic. However, the brutal realism of Sassoon's war poems overall struck a chord with the public.
After sustaining injuries while fighting, Sassoon's increasingly anti-war sentiments were expressed in 1917 in an open letter to the war department in which he refused to return to service. He writes, “I believe that this War is being deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it." The controversial letter, entitled "Soldier's Declaration," was read in the House of Commons and later published in The Times. It was only when Sassoon's friend and fellow soldier-poet Robert Graves interceded on Sassoon's behalf that he was sent for medical treatment for shell shock rather than being court-martialed. Following the war, Sassoon continued to write, mostly to critical acclaim. In 1957 he was awarded the Queen’s Medal for Poetry.
Study Guides on Works by Siegfried Sassoon
Attack (Sassoon poem)Siegfrie
In the poem 'Glory of Women', Sassoon criticises the attitudes of those at home towards the War and the soldiers fighting, in particular, their attitudes of women. He uses a sarcastic tone to mock what he considered to be misguided patriotism, and even more than that, the propaganda which led thousands of men to their deaths.
You can't believe that British troops "retire"
When hell's last horror breaks them, and they run,
Trampling the terrible corpses - blind with blood (Sassoon, l.9-11)
Siegfried Sassoon: 'The Hero'
In 'The Hero', Sassoon again explores the patriotic attitudes of many of those on the home front. He portrays what he believed to be misplaced and idealised notions of honour and bravery, which were ultimately futile in the face of countless dead soldiers. This poem serves to highlight that through all of the propaganda and the romanticised depictions of war, the sharp and cutting pain of loss remained.
"The Colonel writes so nicely." Something broke
In the tired voice that quavered to a choke.
She half looked up. "We mothers are so proud
Of our dead soldiers." Then her face was bowed (Sassoon, l.3-6)
Siegfried Sassoon: 'The General'
'The General' serves as a direct criticism by Sassoon of military authority during the War. During World War I, the majority of officers and those of higher rank were from the middle-upper classes, while the majority of those who were injured or killed were from the working class. This disparity was recognised by Sassoon, who used sarcasm to depict the way in which soldiers were being sent to their deaths on the front line by those of higher rank, but who saw little or no action during the War.
"Good-morning, good-morning!" the General said
When we met him last week on our way to the line.
Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of 'em dead (Sassoon, l.1-3)
Siegfried Sassoon: 'The Rear Guard'
'The Rear Guard' uses vivid imagery and rather grim descriptions to illustrate the true horrors Siegfried Sassoon was born 8th September 1886, and died in 1967, on September 1st. Sassoon was a talented poet, writer and soldier. He received the Military Cross for bravery during the First World War. He wrote fervent pieces that spoke of compassion for his fellow soldiers, and his anger towards those he believed could have ended the war sooner but instead prolonged it. Sassoon continued to write for the rest of his life, publishing many important works such as Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man and Memoirs of an Infantry Officer. Sassoon was sent to Craiglockhart War Hospital (Now our Craiglockhart campus) during World War One. Here he met Wilfred Owen during his convalescence, and together they produced some of the finest war poetry ever written. Craiglockhart War Hospital You can visit our permanent exhibition area containing more than 600 unique items. It allows visitors to get an insight into war through the experiences of the poets. Access to the War Poets Collection remains limited due to social distancing, so if you would like to visit please contact us first. Not only do we have many items in our permanent exhibit, but we also have a treasure trove of exciting new material. It has been loaned to Edinburgh Napier’s War Poets Collection for the period covering the Centenary of the First World War Armistice on November 11th. The new exhibits, which will be available for public viewing, include original photographs of celebrated war poet Siegfried Sassoon, work privately printed by him and an original of his famous war protest letter of July 1917. Read more about it here. If you would like to read some of his works, here are some sources: For Library Members Siegfried Sassoon: poet’s pilgrimage Siegfried Sassoon : (1886-1967) Dr W. H. R. Rivers: Siegfried Sassoon and Robert Graves ‘fathering friend’ You can check out Librarysea 'I am a soldier, convinced that I am acting on behalf of soldiers. I believe that this War, on which I entered as a war of defence and liberation, has now become a war of aggression and conquest.' Declaration against the War Siegfried Loraine Sassoon (1886–1967) Siegfried Sassoon was born at Weirleigh outside of the village of Matfield in Kent on 8th September 1886 to Alfred Ezra Sassoon, a member of a wealthy Jewish merchant family, and to Georgiana Theresa Thornycroft, who came from a family of prominent sculptors. Theresa was an Anglo-Catholic, and her marriage to Alfred resulted in his being disinherited by the Sassoons. Siegfried had one older brother, Michael, born in October 1884, and one younger brother, Hamo, born in 1887. His parents separated when he was very young, meaning that in his younger years he saw his father only rarely. Alfred died of consumption in 1895. As a child Siegfried was prone to illness, and spent many hours reading and writing poetry. Despite his mother’s reservations, he was finally sent to study at the New Beacon School in Kent in 1900, followed by Marlborough College in 1902. In 1905 he went up to Clare College, Cambridge, where he officially read law at the encouragement of his uncle, Sir Hamo Thornycroft, but in practice spent the majority of his time hunting, golfing and reading and writing poetry. His senior tutor, W. L. Mollison, urged him to publish his poetry, which he did in a private volume in September 1906. He subsequently left Cambridge after only a year without a degree and lived the life of a country gentleman publishing nine pamphlets between 1906 and 1912 encouraged by luminaries such as Edmund Gosse, Edward Marsh, and Robert Ross. Siegfried joined the Sussex Yeomanry on 4th August 1914, the day that England declared war, but soon after broke his arm in a hunting accident. He received his commission as a second lieutenant in th
September is the time when we celebrate the acclaimed war poet Siegfried Sassoon.
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