Wilfred Edward Salter Owen was born on March 18, 1893, in Oswestry, Shropshire, England, at Plas Wilmot, his maternal grandfather’s home. As the eldest of four children to Thomas Owen, a railway clerk, and Susan Owen (née Shaw), Wilfred grew up in a modest, middle-class family with strong Anglican evangelical roots. His mother’s devout faith profoundly influenced his early years, fostering a love for literature and spirituality. Owen’s siblings—Mary Millard, Harold, and Colin Shaw—shared a close-knit family life, though financial struggles marked their early years after the death of their grandfather in 1897.
In 1898, the family relocated to Birkenhead, near Liverpool, where Wilfred attended the Birkenhead Institute. In 1907, they moved again to Shrewsbury when Thomas was appointed Assistant Superintendent of the Joint Railways. Wilfred continued his education at Shrewsbury Technical School (later the Wakeman School), where he developed a passion for poetry around 1904 during a holiday in Cheshire. Influenced by Romantic poets like William Wordsworth and John Keats, as well as the Bible, Owen began writing verse as a teenager.Read More
In 1911, Owen passed the matriculation exam for the University of London but failed to secure a scholarship, which his family’s finances required for further education. Unable to afford university, he took a position as a lay assistant to the Vicar of Dunsden near Reading, where he worked with the poor and sick, an experience that deepened his empathy but also led to disillusionment with organized religion.
Life Before the War
Teaching in France and Poetic Beginnings
In 1913, after a period of ill health and a personal crisis that saw him question his faith, Owen moved to Bordeaux, France, to teach English at the Berlitz School of Languages. There, he met French poet Laurent Tailhade, whose decadent style and pacifist writings challenged Owen’s perspectives. While in France, he worked on a collection titled “Minor Poems—in Minor Keys—by a Minor,” inspired by Keats, though it was never published. His time in France was formative, refining his poetic craft and exposing him to new literary influences.
Decision to Enlist
When World War I broke out in 1914, Owen initially remained detached, writing to his mother that the conflict affected him “less than it ought.” However, by 1915, the war’s scale and his desire to contribute to the literary legacy of poets like Keats prompted him to return to England. In October 1915, he enlisted in the Artists’ Rifles, a regiment known for attracting creative individuals. After training in Essex, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Manchester Regiment in June 1916.
World War I and Poetic Transformation
Experiences in the Trenches
Owen arrived on the Western Front in January 1917, where he faced the brutal realities of trench warfare. His letters home vividly described the appalling conditions—bitter cold, mud, and constant shelling. In one harrowing incident, he held a flooded dugout under bombardment for fifty hours. In March, he suffered a concussion, and in April, he was blown into the air by a shell explosion at Savy Wood, lying semi-conscious near the remains of a fellow officer. These experiences, coupled with the loss of a close friend, led to a diagnosis of neurasthenia (now recognized as PTSD) in May 1917. He was evacuated to Craiglockhart War Hospital near Edinburgh for treatment.
Meeting Siegfried Sassoon
At Craiglockhart, Owen met Siegfried Sassoon, a poet and officer whose anti-war sentiments and realistic style profoundly influenced him. Sassoon, already an established poet, encouraged Owen to channel his traumatic experiences into poetry, mentoring him and introducing him to literary figures like Robert Graves, Arnold Bennett, and H.G. Wells. Under Sassoon’s guidance and the care of Dr. Arthur Brock, who used “ergotherapy” (work-based therapy), Owen began writing the poems that would define his legacy. He also edited The Hydra, the hospital’s magazine, publishing early versions of his work.
Creative Burst and Iconic Poems
Between August 1917 and September 1918, Owen produced his most significant works, including “Dulce et Decorum Est,” “Anthem for Doomed Youth,” “Futility,” “Strange Meeting,” and “Insensibility.” These poems, written with raw imagery and a focus on the “pity of war,” contrasted sharply with the patriotic verse of earlier war poets like Rupert Brooke. Owen’s technical experiments with assonance and his unflinching depiction of gas warfare, psychological trauma, and the loss of young lives established him as a voice for the disenfranchised soldiers.
Return to the Front and Tragic Death
Military Cross and Final Days
Declared fit for service in June 1918, Owen rejoined his regiment in Scarborough and returned to France in August, despite Sassoon’s vehement objections. On October 1, 1918, during an attack on the Fonsomme Line, Owen displayed remarkable bravery, assuming command after his company commander was wounded and using a captured enemy machine gun to inflict heavy losses. For this, he was awarded the Military Cross, though posthumously. On November 4, 1918, while leading his men across the Sambre-Oise Canal near Ors, France, Owen was killed by machine-gun fire—just one week before the Armistice. He was 25. His mother received the telegram on Armistice Day, as church bells rang in celebration.
Burial and Memorial
Owen is buried at Ors Communal Cemetery, with an epitaph chosen by his mother from his poem: “Shall life renew these bodies? Of a truth all death will he annul.” He is also commemorated in Westminster Abbey’s Poets’ Corner, a testament to his lasting impact.
Literary Legacy and Posthumous Recognition
Publication of His Work
Only five of Owen’s poems were published during his lifetime, with three appearing in The Nation and two in The Hydra. After his death, Sassoon, along with Edith Sitwell, edited and published Poems (1920), which included 23 poems. Subsequent collections, such as The Poems of Wilfred Owen (1931) by Edmund Blunden, The Collected Poems of Wilfred Owen (1963) by C. Day Lewis, and The Complete Poems and Fragments (1983 and 1994) by Jon Stallworthy, expanded his oeuvre. These works cemented Owen’s reputation as a leading war poet.
Influence and Modern Relevance
Owen’s poetry, with its themes of compassion, anti-war sentiment, and vivid realism, influenced later generations and remains a cornerstone of British literature. His work was notably featured in Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem (1962), and his poems are studied widely in schools. Owen’s critique of patriotic rhetoric and his focus on the human cost of war continue to resonate in discussions of conflict, making him a touchstone for modern poets and commentators.
Personal Life and Sexuality
Owen’s close relationship with his mother shaped his emotional and creative life, evident in his frequent letters home. Some biographers, such as Dominic Hibberd, suggest Owen was gay, noting his celebration of male beauty and camaraderie in his poetry. However, his brother Harold suppressed such interpretations after his death, shaping a more pious public image. Recent scholarship has brought these aspects of Owen’s identity to light, adding depth to his complex character.
Difficult Words and Their Meanings
- Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words to create rhythm or mood in poetry.
- Ergotherapy: A therapeutic approach involving purposeful activity or work to aid recovery, used in Owen’s treatment for shell shock.
- Neurasthenia: An outdated term for shell shock or PTSD, describing psychological trauma from war.
- Posthumously: Happening or published after a person’s death.
- Matriculation: The process of enrolling in a university, often involving an entrance exam.
- Evangelical: A branch of Christianity emphasizing personal faith and the authority of the Bible.
- Decadent: Referring to a literary movement characterized by excess, aestheticism, and unconventional themes.
- Shell Shock: A term used during WWI for psychological trauma (now PTSD) caused by combat stress.
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