Cambridge University's plans to safeguard the personal archive of World War One poet and soldier Siegfried Sassoon have been handed a £500,000 boost by the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF).

The NHMF grant is designed to help the university acquire a collection of the poet's work, including private diaries, pocket notebooks and an autographed manuscript of A Soldier's Declaration - a statement written by Sassoon outlining his refusal to continue fighting on the Western Front. Cambridge University launched a £1.25m fundraising campaign at Sotherby's auction house in London in June, which aims to secure the long-term future of the collection to be housed at the institution's library.

NHMF chair Dame Jenny Abramsky said: "The passing of the UK's last surviving First World War veteran earlier this year has brought into sharp focus the sacrifice made by so many in service to the nation during both World Wars and the sacrifice still being made today. "The National Heritage Memorial Fund was founded to help safeguard our heritage as a lasting memorial to those men and women. Sassoon's archive - full of fascinating personal accounts of his own experiences at war - provides the perfect tribute."