Special edition of Wilfred Owen's poems to be released for centenary

The Shropshire-born poet, who was born in Oswestry and lived much of his life in Shrewsbury, was killed, aged 25, a week before the Armistice.

Famous for his poems including Dulce et Decorum Est and Anthem for Doomed Youth, his mother learned of his death as the bells of The Abbey rang out to herald the news that the war was over.

Now, The Folio Society, which has been publishing illustrated editions of the world's greatest books for 70 years, has brought out a book of his poems with illustrations by Neil Bousfield.

Limited to 1,250 copies and priced at £195, the 108-page book contains nine original engravings and eight letterpress vignettes by Mr Bousfield.

Containing 42 of Wilfred Owen's poems, the book carries an introduction by acclaimed Welsh poet and playwright Owen Sheers.

To produce the images, Mr Bousfield created his own blocks which led to the production of multi-layered images.

House

Also to mark the centenary of the end of the Great War, Wilfred Owen's former home on Monkmoor Road in Shrewsbury will be open.

The owners of the house, which was home to the Owen family in the early 1900s and from where he left bound for the Front, will be opening up the house on November 8.

There will be readings and music and people will get the chance to see where the acclaimed poet first started his writing career.

A specially commissioned Wilfred Owen poetry bench will be unveiled on November 5 at Shrewsbury Library.

As part of the Wilfred Owen 100 Celebrations, Shrewsbury Heritage, Shropshire Archives and Shropshire Arts Service came together with Shrewsbury Library and Designs in Mind to install a commemorative bench at the library.

The bench has been custom designed and is inspired by the life and works of Wilfred Owen. It will be unveiled at 11.30am.