Thirteen gallant walkers assembled at All Saints Church, Dunsden at 5pm for a gentle perambulation around the local memory of Lieutenant Wilfred Owen MC  – the gay poet of WW1 who wrote 'my subeject is not war, but the pity of war. The poetry is in the pity'. He came to Dunsden as a youth with an ecclesiastical vocation and left with his faith in the church shattered.

We admired a new and very striking stained glass window, installed last autumn on the anniversary of an event which triggered one of his most formative early works. David Woodward gave a short talk describing the window's genesis and outlined some key incidents from the poet's time in the village.

Our walk took in places he knew, including the Victorian school which has a bust of him and the village green where he used to put on lantern slide shows and led revival meetings. Afterwards we repaired to the tap yard of the Loddon Brewery for a convivial meal accompanied by the prized local ale. As the sun dipped, brushing the fields with delicate hues of orange it was but a short stroll back to our cars and home.

For more information see owenindunsden.org