Wilfred Owen was born on March 18, 1893 in Oswestry, England. His parents were Percy Oliver and Nellie Parnaby. Wilfred had two brothers and a sister. His brothers' names were Harold and Colin. His sister's name was Mary. Two years after Wilfred's birth, his grandfather died nearly bankrupt. His family had to move and Wilfred was unable to attend a public school because they had little money. Wilfred began reading and writing poetry at a young age and shared his mother's interest in religion. Wilfred failed to win an academic scholarship to the University of London, so his parents did not have enough money to send him to college. Because Wilfred could not go to college he had to find work and in 1911 he worked as a priest's assistant until 1913. Wilfred began attending lectures at Reading University, but failed to win a scholarship. In 1913, after falling ill, he began working as a private teacher. He moved to France and worked there until 1915. Wilfred returned home in 1915 and enlisted in the Artists Rifles. In March 1916, Wilfred began the tra...