Veterans Day 2010
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| Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) – Poet-Soldier WWI |
Served on the Western Front – No Man’s Land
Awarded Britain’s Military Cross in 1916
for “conspicuous gallantry” while
“collecting and bringing in the wounded.”
“collecting and bringing in the wounded.”
Also, for capturing a German trench,
he was recommended for the Victoria Cross,
Britain’s highest wartime commendation.
he was recommended for the Victoria Cross,
Britain’s highest wartime commendation.
(click on graphic to enlarge)
In 1917, a year after receiving the Military Cross,
Sassoon publicly denounced the war (below) in which he had fought with
such courage that his troops named him “Mad Jack” for his bravery
and apparent disregard for his own safety.
Finished with the War: A Soldier’s Declaration (1917)
(click on graphic to enlarge)
Despite his war record, Sassoon was bitterly criticized for his words.
Although court-martial was considered, in the end,
Sassoon was classified as unfit for duty and sent
to Edinburgh, Scotland’s Craiglockhart War Hospital
for treatment of “shell shock.”
There, he composed many war poems, including “Does It Matter?”
Prior to his release from Craiglockhart Hospital,
Sassoon threw the ribbon accompanying his Military Cross
into
the
Mersey River.
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