French pay tribute to the finest of English poets

Villagers in the tiny French farming community of Ors have paid a moving tribute to the greatest of our wartime poets with the creation of a Wilfred Owen memorial centre.

Owen was killed at Ors in the last week of the First World War and spent his final days sheltering in the cellar of a small forester’s house, from which he penned his last words, a desperately poignant letter to his mother assuring her of his safety.

Intrigued by the pilgrimage of British visitors to Ors, and the force of Owen’s work, the village mayor M. Jacky Duminy began a campaign to raise a fitting tribute to the man that many consider to be the greatest writer of war poetry in the English language.

The result is a strikingly modern white sculptured building for quiet contemplation of Owen’s work.  Lines of poetry are projected onto the walls and readings are played from recordings by Kenneth Branagh.  In awful contrast below, untouched, is the dingy cellar, Owen’s last refuge. 

The designer is Turner Prize nominee Simon Patterson, who said:  “Many people have contributed to this project over many years but none more so than M. Duminy and the community of Ors.  The passion here for Owen’s work and the determination to create a lasting tribute to him is truly moving.  It was a great honour to be offered the commission and it was with great trepidation that I accepted the challenge to pay homage to such a man.”  

The Wilfred Owen centre La Maison Forestiere was officially opened on Saturday 1 October and is just outside Ors, a two hour drive from Calais via Cambrai and then Cateau-Cambresis.

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