Hornsea author’s tribute to great British war poet
WILFRED OWEN REMEMBERED
HORNSEA author Sue Fraser has published a new work in tribute to Wilfred Owen, widely regarded as one of, if not the greatest, British war poets.
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen, to give him his full title, penned his evocative works inspired by personal experience on the front line in the First World War.
The book by Sue Fraser has been released just before the nation commemorates those who have fallen in the line of duty, on Remembrance Day, which has been observed since the end of the 1914-1918 conflict.
Owen, who aimed to highlight what he called “the pity of war” with his words, was killed in action just a week before Armistice was declared, on November 4, 1918, aged just 25.
Sue has focused on the last months of the poet’s life in her book, which she has written under her pen name, SF Taylor, and titled Crumbs on the carpet Scarborough and the legacy of Wilfred Owen’s final year 1917-1918.
Dedicating it to the families of fallen soldiers in all wars, the Hull-born author said: “This book reflects upon how the war changed Owen’s life; the effect it had upon his writing and his beliefs; his relationships with those around him; and of course the legacy he leaves behind.
“The time he spent in Scarborough would sadly be the last months of his life, but it was also a time when he wrote and refined his finest work, revealing much about the man as well as the poet and the soldier.”
Owen left numerous letters, mostly written to his mother, with whom he corresponded from the age of five until just days before his death 20 years later.
“The atrocities Owen witnessed transformed his writing, turning him into one of the most insightful and highly respected poets of the First World War,” said Sue.
“He showed great empathy for the men serving under him and his poetry spoke out against the ignorance of a society that failed to understand the brutality, the misery and the suffering.”
Some of Owen’s most memorable poems include Anthem for Doomed Youth and Dulce et Decorum Est, both drafted after he had been admitted to hospital suffering shell shock from fighting in the Battle of the Somme.
Sue said being stationed in Scarborough in what was to be his final year of life was the “calm before the storm” for Owen, a time of recuperation and reflection; and a time for planning a future which, sadly, was not to be.
Her book, with a cover designed by Thom Strid, of Hornsea, reflects on Owen’s upbringing and influences, as well as the history of Scarborough both as a spa town and as a victim of attacks by the German navy.
She also includes testimonials to the writer from the likes of Philip Larkin, Jeremy Paxman and TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), the latter being the subject of another book by Sue on his connections with her home town of Hornsea.