Course Learning

Wilfred Owen was a poet and soldier during the First World War. He loved writing poems from a young age and later became an English teacher in France.

When he saw how the war was affecting people, he joined the British Army to help.

In 1917, he was injured by an explosion and a close friend was killed. The experience left him very upset, and he was sent to Scotland to recover.

While he was recovering, he wrote poems about how frightening and sad war could be. At the time, some people did not like his poems because they showed the harsh reality of war.

As time passed, people understood that his poems helped others see the true cost of war and remember those who had lost their lives.

Wilfred Owen returned to fight in France, but sadly he was killed just one week before the war ended.

Wilfred Owen saw many soldiers who had been badly hurt while he was visiting a hospital. He wrote poems about what he saw. He felt very sad for the soldiers and did not like how war was hurting people, so he decided to return to England and join the army.

In 1917, he was sent to fight in France. During a battle, a shell exploded near him. His best friend was killed, and Wilfred was very upset. After this, he suffered from shell shock, which was a condition caused by the fear, danger, and loud noises of war.

Wilfred was sent to a hospital in Edinburgh to get better. There, he met another poet called Siegfried Sassoon. Together, they believed it was important to tell people the truth about war and how much soldiers suffered.

In 1918, Wilfred returned to France. He was given the Military Cross award for being brave. Sadly, only a few days before the war ended, he was killed in battle.

At first, many people did not like Wilfred’s poems. Later, however, people began to understand them. They realised his poems showed the sadness of war and remembered the soldiers who had lost their lives. People admired how much he cared about others and how he shared their stories through his writing.