Graves was born in Wimbledon, now part of London. He was the third of five children. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves (1846–1931). He came from an Irish family. His mother was Amalie von Ranke (1857–1951). She came from a German family. Robert went to many schools when he was young. In 1909 he won a scholarship to Charterhouse, a famous boarding school in Surrey.When the First World War began in August 1914, Graves joined the army right away. He wrote many poems about the war. He became a good friend of another war poet, Siegfried Sassoon. Graves was very badly wounded in the Battle of the Somme. He nearly died and was sent back to a hospital in England. He also had mental problems called by shell shock from the bad experience of battle. His mental problems lasted for several years. 