Siegfried Sassoon: the bravest cricketer of them all

Sassoon was the bravest of cricketers on two counts, and possibly three. First came his physical, military bravery, when he led his men over the top several times in the First World War, including at the Somme, armed only with a pistol, and was awarded the Military Cross in 1916 “for conspicuous gallantry” ... What sets Sassoon apart is that he risked being shot when on leave from the trenches as well. His statement of protest against the mad futility of the First World War was read out in the House of Commons by an MP. Pacifists such as Bertrand Russell had protested against the war, but not somebody who had been there and done that.