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Revision as of 02:15, 17 May 2002 by Gareth Owen (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Wilfred Owen is arguably the most famous English war poet. Born in 1893 at Oswestry in Shropshire, he was well-educated, and worked as a teacher in France prior to the outbreak of the World War I. In 1915, he enlisted in the Artists' Rifles, but, after some traumatic experiences, was diagnosed as suffering from shell shock and sent to Craiglockhart Military Hospital in Edinburgh for treatment. There he met another poet, Siegfried Sassoon, who encouraged him and helped with stylistic problems, the result being that Owen's poetry would eventually be more widely acclaimed than that of his mentor.
In 1918, after a period of recuperation, Owen returned to active service in France. By a supreme irony, he was killed during the crossing of the Sambre-Oise Canal, only a week before the end of the war. His mother received the telegram informing her of his death on Armistice Day.
Only three of his poems had been published before his death. Sassoon later helped ensure that the whole collection was published. Owen's best known poems include "Anthem for Doomed Youth" and "Dulce Et Decorum Est".