Dorset History Centre - WPC - Private Viewing

The Dorset History Centre holds the largest collection of Hardy artefacts in the world. The catalogue for the archive has recently been completed.

At a special viewing kindly arranged for the War Poetry Conference, delegates are invited to reserve a 15-minute timed slot to view some of the Hardy documents which relate to the First World War and in a particular those relevant to the relationship between Siegfried Sassoon and Hardy such as The Poets Tribute given to Hardy by Sassoon in October 1919 and the letter that Sassoon wrote to Hardy asking if he might dedicate his volume of poetry The Old Huntsman to Hardy (published in 1917).

 Some of Hardy’s war poems along with letters documenting communication with Hardy including his second cousin Frank George (killed at Gallipoli 22 August 1915), to whom the poem "Before Marching and After" was dedicated.