Battles of the First World War Podcast · Mike Cunha

Ors Communal Cemetery - Wilfred Owen's Grave

·32 min·1 clip

Poetry needs to be heard—that's when I finally understood why a poem about dying soldiers matters.

This solo episode of the Battles of the First World War Podcast details the host's personal pilgrimage to the grave of the renowned war poet Wilfred Owen. The host, a military history podcaster, connects his lifelong engagement with Owen's work to the historical context of the poet's death. He recounts his high school English teacher, Mrs. Haig, reading "Dolce et Decorum Est" aloud, which was a transformative moment that made him understand poetry's power. The host describes other impactful Owen poems, including "Disabled," "The Sentry," and "The Chances," which is written in soldier's dialect. He reflects on Owen's status as a sensitive, shell-shocked observer whose perspective is valid but not the sole soldier experience of the war, contrasting it with more stoic veterans like John Lewis Barkley. In July 2024, while traveling in France, the host learned from a tour guide that Wilfred Owen's grave in Ors was only an hour away. He decided to detour to the Ors Communal Cemetery during his drive from Saint-Quentin to Ypres. The narrative details the military situation in late October 1918, with the British Fourth Army pursuing Germans to the Oise-Sambre Canal. Owen, a lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion of the Manchester Regiment, wrote an optimistic final letter to his mother from the Forester's House on October 31st. The attack on the canal was set for November 4th, with Owen's battalion facing a heavily defended German position. The host describes the failed assault, where engineers building a bridge came under devastating machine-gun and shellfire. Lieutenant James Kirk and Lieutenant Colonel James Neville Marshall both earned posthumous Victoria Crosses for their actions that morning. Wilfred Owen was last seen alive helping his men carry planks to repair the bridge under fire; he was killed by machine-gun fire near a bend in the canal. The host's visit to the quiet cemetery was profoundly moving, making him feel a deep, quiet connection to Owen as he stood at the grave. He filmed a walk to the headstone for social media but then put his phone away to simply be present. His wife called, and he showed her the grave via FaceTime, sharing the moment. The host later visited the remodeled Forester's House but felt no need to go inside, content with the graveside experience. The episode closes with the host reading the epitaph on Owen's tombstone, lines from his poem "The End," chosen by his mother. The tone is deeply personal, reflective, and educational, blending memoir with detailed military history. The style is conversational and narrative, moving between the host's emotional journey and a factual recounting of the 1918 battle. Listeners who appreciate intimate, reflective history that connects personal passion to historical events will love this episode. Those seeking a strict, objective military analysis of the battle or who are uninterested in poetic commentary might choose to skip it.

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