Watch: War artwork on show at Oswestry Library
A brown paper soldier cries out in pain as a medic attends him. Another can be seen climbing a ladder up the walls of a trench as a paper officer stands nearby.
The scene, entitled Requiem, depicts the first day of the Battle of the Somme – July 1, 1916 – and has gone on display at Oswestry Library.
Artist Grace Westwood was inspired by the writings of Oswestry-born soldier poet Wilfred Owen and a wartime chaplain nicknamed Woodbine Willy, who both wrote about the horrors of life in the trenches.
Everything from the weaponry and uniforms to lanterns and communications equipment was thoroughly and meticulously researched to create the figures, and it was based on photographs and images from the trenches. Library manager Debbie Marais said having the piece in Oswestry was especially poignant given the impact Wilfred Owen's poetry had on its creation.
She said: "I'm really pleased to see it in Oswestry. It's an amazing opportunity for people to see at first hand what life inside the trenches was really like."
Requiem previously appeared at Shrewsbury Flower Show, at Theatre Severn and the window of Tanner's wine shop.
