Julian Grenfell
| Julian Grenfell | |
|---|---|
_cropped.jpg)
Julian Grenfell in military uniform including his DSO ribbon
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| Born | 30 March 1888 Westminster, London, England |
| Died |
26 May 1915 (aged 27) Boulogne, Pas-de-Calais, France |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
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| Service/branch | Royal Dragoons |
| Years of service | 1910–1915 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Order |
| Relations | Captain Francis Octavius Grenfell VC (cousin) |
The Honourable Julian Henry Francis Grenfell DSO (30 March 1888 – 26 May 1915), was a British soldier and poet of World War I.
Julian Grenfell was born at 4 St James's Square, London, the eldest son of William Grenfell, later Baron Desborough, and Ethel Priscilla Fane, daughter of Julian Fane. He was educated at Eton where he was good friends with Denys Finch Hatton, and latterly with Patrick Shaw-Stewart. From Eton he went up to Balliol College, Oxford, where he bullied Philip Sassoon by cracking a stock whip within inches of his head.
Grenfell joined the army in 1910, and was awarded a Distinguished Service Order in 1914. On 13 May 1915 as a Captain in the Royal Dragoons Julian stood talking with other officers, a shell landed a few yards from them, and a splinter of the shell hit him in the head. He was taken to a hospital in Boulogne where he died of his wounds 13 days later with his mother, father and sister at his bedside.. He was 27 years old and was buried at the Boulogne Eastern Cemetery. The day after his death, together with news of his death, his most famous poem 'Into Battle' was published for the first time, in The Times.
In a letter that was written in October 1914, Grenfell wrote "I adore war. It is like a big picnic but without the objectivelessness of a picnic. I have never been more well or more happy." This contrasts with the work of later war poets such as Sassoon or Owen, but it should be remembered that Grenfell was a professional soldier. Also, it would be unwise to see the views of a small group of officer-poets as representative of all of those who fought in World War I.
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