Oswestry gun to make way for Wilfred Owen statue
An artillery gun given to Oswestry when troops moved out of the former garrison town could be moved to make way for a statute of war poet, Wilfred Owen.
Oswestry Town Council has commissioned a statue of the poet to be sited in Cae Glas Park.
Local resident and former councillor, Heather Bickerton, fears the new statue will go where the 25-pounder artillery gun stands at the front of the park.
Mrs Bickerton spoke out at this week’s town council planning meeting.
She said: “The gun should not make way for the Wilfred Owen statue. It was put in the park to mark the links Oswestry has with the artillery.
“The gun is as important to the artillery as its colours and we have a lot of artillery men who still live in Oswestry.
“Wilfred Owen was a soldier but there were many many soldiers from Oswestry who also hated war but went to war and died for their country.”
She suggested that the statue could instead go in the middle of the floral bedding area in the park.
Assistant town clerk, Arren Roberts, said the final decision on where the statue of Wilfred Owen would go had not yet been made. Local artist and sculptor, Timothy Guy turner has modelled the statue which will be cast by the Llanrhaeadr company, Castle Fine Arts.The council had set a budget for £40,000 for the work it looks likely to cost £27,000.
Park Hall Camp on the edge of the town was the home of the Royal Artillery training camp for 30 years, from 1939 until 1968. It remained an army camp until 1975.
The 25-pounder gun is on lease from the Royal Artillery Museum with the current contract running until March 31.
