19 March 2026 19:30
Andrew Wheale - "Wilfred Owen's Last Battle - The Forcing of the Sambre–Oise Canal, 4th November 1918"
The Talk: On 4th November 1918 Wilfred Owen was killed while leading his troops across the Sambre–Oise Canal. He died only a week before the Armistice was announced, and World War One on the Western Front ended.
The Man: Scholar, Poet and Soldier - He is best remembered for his war poetry that reflects both his sensitivity and his view on the horror of war. But his interest in poetry had begun long before the Great War, and had such influences as Keats, Wordsworth, and even the Bible.
Wilfred Owen’s Career – Owen’s family background was not privileged, and his journey to commissioning in the Army is an interesting case study. The barriers presented and the routes available for such an individual are explored. His Service Record 1916 – 1918 will also be reviewed.
The Final Battle - The Crossing of the Sambre-Oise Canal was an improvised opposed riverine assault, one of the most difficult operations conceivable with the military technology available in 1918. But it succeeded against the odds, and contributed to the Allied victory in the wider Second Battle of the Sambre.
About the Speaker:
Andrew Wheale has enjoyed a life-long interest in military history and lives in Oxfordshire. His research interests include the World Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, Special Forces, combat effectiveness, leadership and military technology. He is a member of the British Commission for Military History and the Society of Army Historical Research. He has presented papers at conferences regarding British Airborne Forces during the Second World War. In 2019 he was awarded his DPhil by the University of Buckingham.
The Thesis was published in 2022 by Helion and Company as Ham & Jam: 6th Airborne Division in Normandy - Generating Combat Effectiveness: November 1942 – September 1944, which in 2023 won the Templer First Book Prize.
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