Wilfred Owen

Wilfred Edward Salter Owen, MC (March 18 1893 – November 4 1918) was an English poet. Owen is regarded by some as the leading poet of the First World War, known for his war poetry on the horrors of trench and gas warfare. He died in action in France in 1918; most of his poetry was published posthumously.

Biography

Early life

Born at Plas Wilmot near Oswestry in Shropshire on the 18th of March 1893 of mixed English and Welsh ancestry, he was educated at the Birkenhead Institute and at Shrewsbury Technical School. He worked as a pupil-teacher at Wyle Cop School while studying for the University of London entrance exams then, prior to the outbreak of World War I, as a private tutor at the Berlitz School in Bordeaux, France.

Related Topics:
Oswestry - Shropshire - English - Welsh - University of London - World War I - Bordeaux - France

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War service

On 21st October 1915, he enlisted in the Artists' Rifles and in January 1917 was commissioned as a second lieutenant with The Manchester Regiment. After some traumatic experiences, Owen was diagnosed as suffering from shell shock and sent to Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh for treatment. It was whilst recuperating at Craiglockhart that he was to meet fellow poet Siegfried Sassoon, an encounter which was to transform Owen's life.

Related Topics:
21st October - 1915 - Artists' Rifles - 1917 - Second lieutenant - The Manchester Regiment - Shell shock - Craiglockhart War Hospital - Edinburgh - Siegfried Sassoon

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