‘Looted’ battlefield bugle to sound on centenary of Wilfred Owen’s death

The centenary of the death of First World War poet Wilfred Owen will be marked at his graveside with the sound of a bugle he took from the battlefield.

The instrument, taken from a dead German soldier, is due to be played in public for the first time at the ceremony in Ors, northern France, on Sunday.

Elizabeth Owen, widow of the renowned war poet’s nephew Peter, will be among those at the gathering.

The soldier was killed on November 4 1918 during the battle to cross the Sambre-Oise canal at Ors, just seven days before peace was declared.

He wrote about the bugle, referring to having got some “loot”, in a letter to his brother in 1917.

An early-morning visit to the canal side site of his death, followed by The Last Post and readings of the soldier’s poetry at his grave in Ors communal cemetery, were planned by the Wilfred Owen Association.

Grace Freeman, a trustee of the association, said they expected between 150 and 200 people to attend in memory of a man famed for his writings on the brutal reality of war.

She said: “It was important for us all to be here and to remember him, to make sure his words and his legacy are not forgotten.

“We all feel privileged to be here and to be involved.”