Wilfred Owen is buried in the Communal Cemetery, Ors, France, Europe.
Gravestone of Wilfred Owen
On the 4th
November 1918 Owen was killed on the bank of the Oise-Sambre Canal near Ors - seven
days before armistice day. Shortly before his death he had won the Military Cross
for capturing scores of prisoners. He was a Lieutenant with the 2nd
Manchester Regiment. Owen had previously suffered from
'shell shock' and whilst recovering in Craiglockhart hospital in
Edinburgh he met, and became friends with, Siegfried
Sassoon who was also a patient. Sassoon encouraged Owen to
write poetry. Many of Owen's famous poems were written during
this period of convalescence. Only five of his poems were published
during his lifetime. However, he is now regarded as one of the finest of
the first world war
poets.
Owen employed a number of different poetic meters and also
made particular use of
assonance. His poetry provided a very realistic account of the
horrors of trench warfare.
In his preface to Poems (1920) he famously wrote: 'Above all,
this book is not concerned with Poetry. The subject of it is War, and
the Pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity.' See also
alliteration
and
pararhyme. |
