Like most of the members of Bloomsbury, Grant was a pacifist.
In order to be exempted from military service during World War I, he realised he would have to undertake some sort of useful non-military work.
He and his current lover David 'Bunny' Garnett, with whom he had begun a relationship in 1915, moved to
Wissett in the Suffolk countryside to become farm labourers.
Although they were at first refused exemption by a tribunal, they appealed and were eventually recognised as conscientious objectors.
Duncan Grant and Angelica Bell
© Tate Archive, 2003 |
In 1916 Grant and Garnett moved with Vanessa Bell and her children to Charleston Farmhouse in Sussex, where they also found work on the land during the war.
Charleston was to remain Duncan and Vanessa's country house for the rest of their lives, and a welcome retreat from London.
| Well it's very nice after all this sordid town life to be here again. The quiet and peace and beauty are unbelievable. |
Letter from Duncan Grant to Vanessa Bell, 25 April, 1924 |
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Duncan Grant
© Tate Archive, 2003 |
