The Wilfred Owen Monument
As you approach through the surrounding forest from the small village of Ors in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, you suddenly come across a striking white structure, which looks as much like a sculpture as it does a house. This is La Maison Forestière in Ors, once the House of the Forester and part of an Army camp, now the monument to the poet Wilfred Owen.
Wilfred Owen, poet of war
Private Wilfred Owen was one of Britain’s greatest war poets, a writer who evoked the horrors of the First World War, which he described as a “barbarian absurdity.” He fought with the Manchester Regiment and hid with them on the night of November 3, 1918 in the basement of the Forester’s House. The next morning, he and his fellow soldiers headed for the Sambre Canal in the village. Attempting to cross the canal, they were attacked with murderous fire and Owen was assassinated, seven days before Armistice Day and the end of the “war to end all wars.”
The history of the monument
Owen was buried in the local cemetery along with other members of the regiment, drawing over the years some curious visitors from the UK who toured the WWI memorials. Ors Mayor Jacky Duminy noticed the British in Ors and did some research on the poet and his poetry. A plaque for the poet and the regiment was placed in the village, but he decided that this was not enough and began planning a monument.
It was a great job convincing the villagers and the various funding agencies to support and fund the project. He received help from the Wilfred Owen Society in the UK and family members, but aside from the British Library and Kenneth Branagh, he received surprisingly little support from the British. An English artist, Simon Patterson, was commissioned to do the original design, and a French architect, Jean-Christophe Denise, was appointed to build.
The result is spectacular and spectacularly simple too. The all-white house appears as a “bleached bone” as Simon Patterson described it. You go up a ramp into a large space, lit from above. Owen Dulce et Decorum Est ‘s poem is engraved on a translucent glass skin that covers all four walls. It’s in Owen’s handwriting, taken from his manuscript which is now in the British Library. As you stand there, the lights dim and you hear the voice of Kenneth Branagh reading 12 of Owen’s poems, which he recorded for Radio 4 in 1993 to commemorate Owen’s birth in 1893.
The poems appear on the walls, and you hear some of them in French. In the middle there is silence. Lasts one hour; you can leave at any time or listen to all the poems that include Strange Meeting and Dulce et Decorum Est .
It is a powerful place. Unlike other war-focused museums, there are no artifacts, tanks, bombs, or weapons. Just a room and a poetry reading.
The winery where Owen spent his last night
However, there is a bit more to see. You leave the room and walk down a ramp to the small, dank, dark cellar where Owen and 29 others spent the night of November 3. Owen wrote a letter to his mother describing the conditions, which were smoky and full of “jokes” from the men. The next day they killed him; his mother received his letter on November 11, the day peace was declared. Very little has been done to the basement, but when you walk in, you hear the voice of Kenneth Branagh reading Owen’s letter.
It is an impressive monument, made all the more effective for being so simple. The creators hope that it will be seen as “a quiet place suitable for reflection and contemplation of poetry.” It’s just that, invoking thoughts about the futility of war and the waste of life. But this chapel-shaped monument also glorifies art that can arise out of chaos and tragedy.
After the visit, walk along the road to the Estaminet de l’Ermitage (place Le Bois l’Evèque, tel.: 00 33 (03 27 77 99 48). You will get a good and inexpensive lunch of local specialties such as flamenco de carbonnade or cake made with local Maroilles cheese (menus from Monday to Friday around 12 euros; Sunday lunch around 24 euros).
Practical information
Wilfred Owen Memorial
Ors, Nord
Website information
Mid-April onwards from Wednesday to Friday from 1 to 6 p.m. Sat 10 am-1pm and 2-6pm. First Sunday of every month 3-6pm. Closed during the winter months from mid-November to mid-April.
Free admission.
More information
Cambresis Tourist Office
24, Place du General de Gaulle
59360 Le Cateau-Cambresis
Tel.: 00 (0) 3 27 84 10 94
Website http://www.amazing-cambrai.com/
Addresses:
By car from Cambrai. Coming up the hill from Le Cateau, on the D643, take the first street on the left, the D959. The monument is on the right side of the road, next to the military camp.
Wilfred Owen grave
The great war poet was buried in the small cemetery of Ors. It is not a large military cemetery, but a small local cemetery with a section dedicated to the soldiers killed in the skirmish.
Now there is a good walk through the monuments and memories of Wilfred Owen
