WIRRAL historians have hit out at the lack of events to commemorate one of the borough’s most famous poets.

While Wilfred Owen’s connections with Shrewsbury are being widely celebrated in that town, Birkenhead has done almost nothing, according to the town’s history society.

Owen died on November 4, 1918, aged 25, only seven days before the end of World War I.

Regarded by many as the greatest of all war poets, Owen was born in Oswestry and then spent his formative years in Birkenhead, attending Birkenhead Institute, before moving with his family to Shrewsbury when he was 14.

Bob Wood, of the Birkenhead History Society, said: “He was one of the greatest poets of his generation.

“While Shrewsbury are having a fortnight of celebrations, Wirral are doing nothing.

“They are having a poetry competition for children, theatre performances, talks and all sorts.

“Every day it’s something different, and good luck to them. They are taking this opportunity to get visitors and tourists into the area, but it’s a shame Wirral has not done the same.”

Owen’s poems told of the fear, pain and mental anguish of the trenches and how it haunted him at a time when many people were ignorant of the true horrors of warfare.

The bulk of Owen’s work was written in Craiglockhart hospital, Scotland, in 1917 while suffering from shell-shock. While he was there he met Siegfried Sassoon, already an established poet.

Lieutenant Owen was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry, but died on the banks of the Oise-Sambre Canal in France days before the end of the Great War.

Mr Wood said: “It has been left to the Birkenhead History Society along with The Birkenhead Institute Old Boys to commemorate the occasion by re-issuing an updated version of the Wilfred Owen Trail round Birkenhead.”

A Wirral council spokeswoman said: “Wirral is extremely proud of its connection with the great war poet Wilfred Owen and indeed there is a permanent memorial to him at Birkenhead Library, as well as the heritage plaque outside his childhood home in Elm Grove.

“The commemorations of the 90th anniversary of his death on November 4th 1918 were organised by the Wilfred Owen Association and were largely based around Wilfred’s home county of Shropshire and the Sambre-Oise canal, near Ors, where he was killed in action.

“There were no requests to stage anything in Wirral.”

OPINION: PAGE 10

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