Who was Wilfred Owen? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

British Celebrities Born In March

Also Known As: Wilfred Edward Salter Owen

Died At Age: 25

Family:

father: Harold Owen

mother: Susan Owen

siblings: Colin, Harold, Mary Millard Owen

Gays Poets

Died on: November 4, 1918

place of death: Sambre–Oise Canal

More Facts

education: University of London, University of Reading,

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1

What impact did Wilfred Owen's poetry have on World War I?

Wilfred Owen's poetry had a significant impact on World War I by shedding light on the harsh realities of war and exposing the horrors experienced by soldiers on the front lines.
2

How did Wilfred Owen's own experiences influence his poetry?

Wilfred Owen's experiences as a soldier in World War I greatly influenced his poetry, as he witnessed firsthand the suffering, trauma, and futility of war, which he conveyed in his powerful and emotive verses.
3

What themes did Wilfred Owen explore in his poetry?

Wilfred Owen's poetry often explored themes of war, suffering, loss, and the psychological impact of conflict on individuals, offering a poignant and critical perspective on the brutality of war.
4

What poetic techniques did Wilfred Owen commonly use in his works?

Wilfred Owen employed various poetic techniques such as vivid imagery, irony, alliteration, and pararhyme to convey the intense emotions and stark realities of war in his poems, creating a powerful and evocative impact on readers.
5

How was Wilfred Owen's poetry received during his lifetime?

Wilfred Owen's poetry was not widely recognized during his lifetime, but after his death, his works gained posthumous acclaim for their raw honesty, emotional depth, and poignant portrayal of the horrors of war.

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Childhood & Early Life

Wilfred Owen was born Wilfred Edward Salter Owen on March 18, 1893 to Thomas Owen and Harriet Susan Shaw Owen at Oswestry, Shropshire, England. The eldest of four children, his siblings were Harold, Colin and Mary Millard Owen.

The family lived in a comfortable house owned by his grandfather, Edward Shaw. The house was sold after his death. The family then stayed in Birkenhead while Thomas Owen worked with a railway company.

His father was transferred to Shrewsbury, during which time the family lived with Thomas’ parents in Canon Street. In 1898, Thomas was transferred back to Birkenhead when he became stationmaster at Woodside station.

His family moved homes three successive times in the Tranmere district. They moved back to Shrewsbury in 1907. Wilfred was educated at the Birkenhead Institute and at Shrewsbury Technical School.

He discovered his poetic talents in 1903 when he was 10 years old when holidaying in Cheshire. Raised as an Anglican of the evangelical school, he was a devout believer during his youth.

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Career/Later Life

Owen was a pupil-teacher at the Wyle Cop School in Shrewsbury. In 1911, he passed the matriculation exam for the University of London, but did not qualify for scholarship.

He worked as an assistant to the Vicar of Dunsden near Reading in return for free lodging, and some tuition for the entrance exam. He also attended botany classes at University College, Reading.

He took free lessons in Old English at the behest of the English Department’s head. He was disillusioned with the Church in Dunsden parish for its ceremony and failure to help those in need.

From 1913, he worked as a private tutor of English and French at the Berlitz School of Languages in Bordeaux, France, and later with a family. There he met the French poet Laurent Tailhade.

When war broke out, he enlisted in the Artists’ Rifles Officers’ Training Corps. He trained at Hare Hall Camp in Essex. In 1916, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Manchester Regiment.

After a trench mortar hit him, he was diagnosed as suffering from neurasthenia or shell shock, and was sent to Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh for treatment. There he met poet Siegfried Sassoon.

Dr. Arthur Brock, at Craiglockhart, advised him to put his war experiences into poetry. He composed poems, including “Futility” and “Strange Meeting”. He made friends with intellectuals, and taught at the Tynecastle High School.

Owen’s early writing and poetry were initially influenced by the Romantic poets Keats and Shelley. Later, Siegfried Sassoon’s impact can be seen in his poems, “Dulce et Decorum Est” and “Anthem for Doomed Youth”.

He wrote a “Preface” for the verses he planned to write. However, the only poems he saw published were those published in The Hydra, the magazine he edited, and “Miners” published in The Nation.

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In 1918, he was posted to the Northern Command Depot at Ripon. He led units of the Second Manchesters to storm a number of enemy strong points near the village of Joncourt.

Major Works

Five poems published before Owen’s death were also his best known ones including “Anthem for Doomed Youth”, “Futility”, “Dulce Et Decorum Est”, “The Parable of the Old Men and the Young” and “Strange Meeting”.

Awards & Achievements

Owen was awarded the Military Cross for his courage and leadership in the Joncourt action. The award was gazetted on 15 February 1919, followed by a citation.

Personal Life & Legacy

Owen’s friends, Robert Graves and Sacheverell Sitwell, have stated that he was homosexual. It has been debated whether Owen had an affair with Scottish writer C. K. Scott-Moncrieff in May 1918.

The forester’s house in Ors, Maison forestière de l’Ermitage, where Owen spent his last night, has been transformed by Simon Patterson into an art installation and permanent memorial to Owen and his poetry.

A week before the war ended, while attempting to cross the Sambre canal, he was shot and killed on November 4, 1918. The news of his death arrived at his parents’ house in Shrewsbury on Armistice Day.

In 1975, Mrs. Harold Owen, sister-in-law, donated his manuscripts, photographs and letters to the University of Oxford’s English Faculty Library. The Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, Texas, holds a collection of his family correspondence.

Facts About Wilfred Owen

Wilfred Owen was known to be a skilled amateur botanist and often included references to flowers and plants in his poetry.

Despite his harrowing experiences in World War I, Owen maintained a sense of humor and was known among his fellow soldiers for his wit and playful nature.

Owen was a devoted student of the classics and drew inspiration from ancient Greek and Roman literature in his poetry.

He had a close friendship with fellow poet Siegfried Sassoon, who was a mentor and supporter of Owen's work.

Owen was a prolific letter writer and his correspondence provides valuable insights into his thoughts and experiences during the war.

Wilfred Owen Biography

You wanted to know

What impact did Wilfred Owen's poetry have on World War I?

How did Wilfred Owen's own experiences influence his poetry?

What themes did Wilfred Owen explore in his poetry?

What poetic techniques did Wilfred Owen commonly use in his works?

How was Wilfred Owen's poetry received during his lifetime?