'Mametz Wood' by Owen Sheers

Of the many terrible battles that took place in the Great War, the First Battle of the Somme was, certainly for the British, a nadir. Although largely remembered as a colossal failure, there were some small victories for Britain, among them the taking of Mametz Wood by the 38th Welsh Division. Even here, though, the price in casualties was enormous. Employing a range of poetic devices, Welsh poet Owen Sheers resurrects the earthen elements and the natural forces that still speak of this immense loss of life.

Our lesson plan on allows students to become intimately familiar with the poem, its meaning and context.