Wilfred Owen Biographical Table
1893 18 March
Born Plas Wilmot, Oswestry.
1897
Family moves to Birkenhead.
1906
Family moves to Shrewsbury.
1911
Wilfred becomes a lay assistant at Dunsden.
1913 February
Leaves Dunsden and returns home ill.
September
To Bordeaux, France to teach English in the Berlitz School.
1914 June
Tutoring in a family at Bagneres de Bigorre, in the Pyrenees. Meets French poet Laurent Tailhade.
December
Tutoring in an English family in Bordeaux.
1915 May to June
Back to France after a brief visit home.
October
Returns to England and enlists in 3/28th London Regiment which shortly afterwards became the 2nd Artists Rifles Officers Training Corps.
1916 June
Commissioned into the Manchester RegimentReports to 5th (Reserve) Bn. Manchester Regiment at Milford Camp, Near Witley. With friend 2/Lt Gregg (later kia) devises improvement to gas mask.
7th July
Arrives at Talavera Barracks, Aldershot where he is attached to 25th Bn.Middlesex Regt.(C.O. Lieutenant-Colonel John Ward M.P.) for a Musketry Course at Mychett Camp, Farnborough. The course ends and he is classified "1st Class Shot".Returns to Witley Camp.
18th November
Official end to Battle of Somme.
24th November
2nd Manchesters leave Somme battlefield down to 156 officers and men.
October to November
To Southport. In rooms at 168a Lord Street, Southport.
To Fleetwood. Takes command of a firing range party. Lodges at 111 Bold Street, Fleetwood.
8th December
Back in Southport. Takes charge of Musketry Party on the range at Crossens, nr Southport.
Christmas
Embarkation leave.
29th December
Folkestone. In transit to join 2nd Manchesters.
1917 1st January
Arrives in France, thence to the notorious Infantry Base Depot at Etaples and later to 2nd Manchesters as an Officer reinforcement.
12th January
Into the front line at Serre in charge of "A" Company.Takes half of his platoon and occupies a former German bunker in No Man's Land and posts a sentry who during a bombardment is blinded. (This incident became the subject of "The Sentry").
4th February
Transport Course at Abbeville.
1st March
Rejoins the battalion in the line near Le Quesnoy en Santerre.
14/15th March
Suffers concussion following a fall.
17th March
Arrives at No13 Casualty Clearing Station at Gailly.
4th April
Rejoins battalion near Manchester Hill, Selency.
8th/30th April
In and out of the line at Savy Wood and in the attack on Dancour trench, St Quentin.
2nd May
The C.O., Lieutenant-Colonel Luxmoore, notices that Owen is unwell. Evacuated to No13 CCS with shell shock.
16th June
To Netley Hospital, Hampshire.
25th June
Arrives Craiglockhart War Hospital, Edinburgh.
Mid August
Meets Siegfried Sassoon and Robert Graves.
October
Writes "Anthem for Doomed Youth" and "Dulce et Decorum Est".
November
After leave, is posted to 5th (Reserve) Bn. Manchesters at Scarborough. Acts as mess secretary at Clarence Gardens Hotel (Now Clifton Hotel).
1918 31st January
Attends Robert Graves' wedding.
March
To Northern Command, Ripon. Rents lodgings in Borage (Borrage) Lane.
June
Passed fit for service and joins 5th Manchesters in Scarborough.
August
Sees Siegfried Sassoon, wounded in hospital.Returns to France.
September
Again posted to 2nd Manchesters as an officer reinforcement.
1st-3rd October
In the Brigade attack on the Beaurevoir-Fonsomme Line at Joncourt. Recommended for M.C.
30th-31st October
2nd Manchesters take over the line west of the Sambre-Oise canal, near Ors.Writes to his mother from the cellar of the Maison Forestiere (Forester's House) at Pommereuil.
4th November
Killed in action on the banks of the Sambre-Oise canal.
11th November
News of his death reaches Shrewsbury.
1919
Publication of seven poems in "Wheels".
1920 December
Publication of "Poems of Wilfred Owen", with an introduction by Siegfried Sassoon.
1931 Autumn
Completion by Edmund Blunden of the editing of Owen's poems.
Born Plas Wilmot, Oswestry.
1897
Family moves to Birkenhead.
1906
Family moves to Shrewsbury.
1911
Wilfred becomes a lay assistant at Dunsden.
1913 February
Leaves Dunsden and returns home ill.
September
To Bordeaux, France to teach English in the Berlitz School.
1914 June
Tutoring in a family at Bagneres de Bigorre, in the Pyrenees. Meets French poet Laurent Tailhade.
December
Tutoring in an English family in Bordeaux.
1915 May to June
Back to France after a brief visit home.
October
Returns to England and enlists in 3/28th London Regiment which shortly afterwards became the 2nd Artists Rifles Officers Training Corps.
1916 June
Commissioned into the Manchester RegimentReports to 5th (Reserve) Bn. Manchester Regiment at Milford Camp, Near Witley. With friend 2/Lt Gregg (later kia) devises improvement to gas mask.
7th July
Arrives at Talavera Barracks, Aldershot where he is attached to 25th Bn.Middlesex Regt.(C.O. Lieutenant-Colonel John Ward M.P.) for a Musketry Course at Mychett Camp, Farnborough. The course ends and he is classified "1st Class Shot".Returns to Witley Camp.
18th November
Official end to Battle of Somme.
24th November
2nd Manchesters leave Somme battlefield down to 156 officers and men.
October to November
To Southport. In rooms at 168a Lord Street, Southport.
To Fleetwood. Takes command of a firing range party. Lodges at 111 Bold Street, Fleetwood.
8th December
Back in Southport. Takes charge of Musketry Party on the range at Crossens, nr Southport.
Christmas
Embarkation leave.
29th December
Folkestone. In transit to join 2nd Manchesters.
1917 1st January
Arrives in France, thence to the notorious Infantry Base Depot at Etaples and later to 2nd Manchesters as an Officer reinforcement.
12th January
Into the front line at Serre in charge of "A" Company.Takes half of his platoon and occupies a former German bunker in No Man's Land and posts a sentry who during a bombardment is blinded. (This incident became the subject of "The Sentry").
4th February
Transport Course at Abbeville.
1st March
Rejoins the battalion in the line near Le Quesnoy en Santerre.
14/15th March
Suffers concussion following a fall.
17th March
Arrives at No13 Casualty Clearing Station at Gailly.
4th April
Rejoins battalion near Manchester Hill, Selency.
8th/30th April
In and out of the line at Savy Wood and in the attack on Dancour trench, St Quentin.
2nd May
The C.O., Lieutenant-Colonel Luxmoore, notices that Owen is unwell. Evacuated to No13 CCS with shell shock.
16th June
To Netley Hospital, Hampshire.
25th June
Arrives Craiglockhart War Hospital, Edinburgh.
Mid August
Meets Siegfried Sassoon and Robert Graves.
October
Writes "Anthem for Doomed Youth" and "Dulce et Decorum Est".
November
After leave, is posted to 5th (Reserve) Bn. Manchesters at Scarborough. Acts as mess secretary at Clarence Gardens Hotel (Now Clifton Hotel).
1918 31st January
Attends Robert Graves' wedding.
March
To Northern Command, Ripon. Rents lodgings in Borage (Borrage) Lane.
June
Passed fit for service and joins 5th Manchesters in Scarborough.
August
Sees Siegfried Sassoon, wounded in hospital.Returns to France.
September
Again posted to 2nd Manchesters as an officer reinforcement.
1st-3rd October
In the Brigade attack on the Beaurevoir-Fonsomme Line at Joncourt. Recommended for M.C.
30th-31st October
2nd Manchesters take over the line west of the Sambre-Oise canal, near Ors.Writes to his mother from the cellar of the Maison Forestiere (Forester's House) at Pommereuil.
4th November
Killed in action on the banks of the Sambre-Oise canal.
11th November
News of his death reaches Shrewsbury.
1919
Publication of seven poems in "Wheels".
1920 December
Publication of "Poems of Wilfred Owen", with an introduction by Siegfried Sassoon.
1931 Autumn
Completion by Edmund Blunden of the editing of Owen's poems.
