Owen is Awarded the Military Cross for Gallantry at Joncourt
Poet involved
What happened
On 1 October 1918, during the attack on the Fonsomme Line near Joncourt, France, Owen assumes command after his company commander becomes a casualty. He displays fine leadership, repels a heavy counter-attack, and personally operates a captured enemy machine gun. For this action, he is awarded the Military Cross.
Literary impact
The Military Cross, gazetted posthumously on 15 February 1919, validated Owen's sense of himself as a soldier-poet who had earned the right to speak for his men. The citation's recognition of his courage and leadership provided a counterpoint to the pacifist strain in his poetry, revealing the complex tension between his duty as an officer and his pity for the suffering he witnessed.
Source: Wikipedia
