1. Activity A Activity B Activity C Activity D Activity E Activity F
Mametz Wood
– by Owen Sheers–
Choose a task
This is a poem about a First World War mass grave at Mametz Wood in Flanders after the Battle of the Somme. Choose a task based on the poem.
Activity A
Activity B
Activity C
Activity D
Activity E
Activity F

2. Activity A Mametz Wood – by Owen Sheers–
These unnamed soldiers are long dead. How does Owen Sheers show this?
Menu
For years afterwards the farmers found them –
the wasted young, turning up under their plough blades
as they tended the land back into itself
1 A chit of bone, the china plate of a shoulder blade,
the relic of a finger, the blown
and broken bird’s egg of a skull,  1
all mimicked now in flint, breaking blue in white
across this field where they were told to walk, not run,
towards the wood and its nesting machine guns.
And even now the earth stands sentinel,
reaching back into itself for reminders of what happened
like a wound working a foreign body to the surface of the skin.
This morning, twenty men buried in one long grave,
a broken mosaic of bone linked arm in arm,
their skeletons paused mid dance-macabre
in boots that outlasted them,
their socketed heads tilted back at an angle
and their jaws, those that have them, dropped open.
As if the notes they had sung
have only now, with this unearthing,
slipped from their absent tongues.
For years afterwards the farmers found them –
the wasted young, turning up under their plough blades
as they tended the land back into itself
1 A chit of bone, the china plate of a shoulder blade,
the relic of a finger, the blown
and broken bird’s egg of a skull,  1
all mimicked now in flint, breaking blue in white
across this field where they were told to walk, not run,
towards the wood and its nesting machine guns.
And even now the earth stands sentinel,
reaching back into itself for reminders of what happened
like a wound working a foreign body to the surface of the skin.
This morning, twenty men buried in one long grave,
a broken mosaic of bone linked arm in arm,
their skeletons paused mid dance-macabre
in boots that outlasted them,
their socketed heads tilted back at an angle
and their jaws, those that have them, dropped open.
As if the notes they had sung
have only now, with this unearthing,
slipped from their absent tongues.
For years afterwards the farmers found them –
the wasted young, turning up under their plough blades
as they tended the land back into itself.
1 A chit of bone, the china plate of a shoulder blade,
the relic of a finger, the blown
and broken bird’s egg of a skull,  1
all mimicked now in flint, breaking blue in white
across this field where they were told to walk, not run,
towards the wood and its nesting machine guns.
And even now the earth stands sentinel,
reaching back into itself for reminders of what happened
like a wound working a foreign body to the surface of the skin.
This morning, twenty men buried in one long grave,
a broken mosaic of bone linked arm in arm,
their skeletons paused mid dance-macabre
in boots that outlasted them,
their socketed heads tilted back at an angle
and their jaws, those that have them, dropped open.
As if the notes they had sung
have only now, with this unearthing,
slipped from their absent tongues.
Is Sheers trying to tell us something about war and the millions of people of all nationalities who fought in this one and others? Look for words or phrases that suggest this is an old grave.
Click to show highlighted words.
How does it show that they have suddenly died?
Click to show highlighted words.

3. Activity B Mametz Wood – by Owen Sheers–
Soldiers are expected to be strong, experienced and tough. What do these verses suggest?
Menu
For years afterwards the farmers found them –
the wasted young, turning up under their plough blades
as they tended the land back into itself.
1 A chit of bone, the china plate of a shoulder blade,
the relic of a finger, the blown
and broken bird’s egg of a skull,  1
all mimicked now in flint, breaking blue in white
across this field where they were told to walk, not run,
towards the wood and its nesting machine guns.
For years afterwards the farmers found them –
the wasted young, turning up under their plough blades
as they tended the land back into itself
1 A chit of bone, the china plate of a shoulder blade,
the relic of a finger, the blown
and broken bird’s egg of a skull,  1
all mimicked now in flint, breaking blue in white
across this field where they were told to walk, not run,
towards the wood and its nesting machine guns.
And even now the earth stands sentinel,
reaching back into itself for reminders of what happened
like a wound working a foreign body to the surface of the skin.
This morning, twenty men buried in one long grave,
a broken mosaic of bone linked arm in arm,
their skeletons paused mid dance-macabre
in boots that outlasted them,
their socketed heads tilted back at an angle
and their jaws, those that have them, dropped open.
As if the notes they had sung
have only now, with this unearthing,
slipped from their absent tongues.
What are your feelings here? Select and discuss words and phrases which show that these men were young and vulnerable
Click to show highlighted words.

4. Activity C Mametz Wood – by Owen Sheers–
In this part of the poem how is the earth itself presented?
Menu
For years afterwards the farmers found them –
the wasted young, turning up under their plough blades
as they tended the land back into itself.
1 A chit of bone, the china plate of a shoulder blade,
the relic of a finger, the blown
and broken bird’s egg of a skull,  1
all mimicked now in flint, breaking blue in white
across this field where they were told to walk, not run,
towards the wood and its nesting machine guns.
And even now the earth stands sentinel,
reaching back into itself for reminders of what happened
like a wound working a foreign body to the surface of the skin.
For years afterwards the farmers found them –
the wasted young, turning up under their plough blades
as they tended the land back into itself
1 A chit of bone, the china plate of a shoulder blade,
the relic of a finger, the blown
and broken bird’s egg of a skull,  1
all mimicked now in flint, breaking blue in white
across this field where they were told to walk, not run,
towards the wood and its nesting machine guns.
And even now the earth stands sentinel,
reaching back into itself for reminders of what happened
like a wound working a foreign body to the surface of the skin.
This morning, twenty men buried in one long grave,
a broken mosaic of bone linked arm in arm,
their skeletons paused mid dance-macabre
in boots that outlasted them,
their socketed heads tilted back at an angle
and their jaws, those that have them, dropped open.
As if the notes they had sung
have only now, with this unearthing,
slipped from their absent tongues.
What impression do we get of the earth here? Look how Sheers chooses words to describe the earth’s role and purpose here.
What is its duty to the dead?
Is there anything unusual about how Sheers presents this soil?
Can you note and discuss its structure and the use of enjambment?
Click to show highlighted words.

5. Activity D Mametz Wood – by Owen Sheers–
How does the poem here change its tone?
Menu
For years afterwards the farmers found them –
the wasted young, turning up under their plough blades
as they tended the land back into itself.
1 A chit of bone, the china plate of a shoulder blade,
the relic of a finger, the blown
and broken bird’s egg of a skull,  1
all mimicked now in flint, breaking blue in white
across this field where they were told to walk, not run,
towards the wood and its nesting machine guns.
And even now the earth stands sentinel,
reaching back into itself for reminders of what happened
like a wound working a foreign body to the surface of the skin.
This morning, twenty men buried in one long grave,
a broken mosaic of bone linked arm in arm,
their skeletons paused mid dance-macabre
in boots that outlasted them,
their socketed heads tilted back at an angle
and their jaws, those that have them, dropped open.
As if the notes they had sung
have only now, with this unearthing,
slipped from their absent tongues.
For years afterwards the farmers found them –
the wasted young, turning up under their plough blades
as they tended the land back into itself
1 A chit of bone, the china plate of a shoulder blade,
the relic of a finger, the blown
and broken bird’s egg of a skull,  1
all mimicked now in flint, breaking blue in white
across this field where they were told to walk, not run,
towards the wood and its nesting machine guns.
And even now the earth stands sentinel,
reaching back into itself for reminders of what happened
like a wound working a foreign body to the surface of the skin.
This morning, twenty men buried in one long grave,
a broken mosaic of bone linked arm in arm,
their skeletons paused mid dance-macabre
in boots that outlasted them,
their socketed heads tilted back at an angle
and their jaws, those that have them, dropped open.
As if the notes they had sung
have only now, with this unearthing,
slipped from their absent tongues.
What do these lines show us about the reality and immediacy of death and war?
Look closely at the choice of words and phrases. What is your reaction?
Click to show highlighted words and discuss with a partner.
Can you find another war poem that focuses on the glory of war? How might they compare?
For years afterwards the farmers found them –
the wasted young, turning up under their plough blades
as they tended the land back into itself
1 A chit of bone, the china plate of a shoulder blade,
the relic of a finger, the blown
and broken bird’s egg of a skull,  1
all mimicked now in flint, breaking blue in white
across this field where they were told to walk, not run,
towards the wood and its nesting machine guns.
And even now the earth stands sentinel,
reaching back into itself for reminders of what happened
like a wound working a foreign body to the surface of the skin.

6. Activity E Mametz Wood – by Owen Sheers–
What is the poet trying to do in this last stanza?
Menu
For years afterwards the farmers found them –
the wasted young, turning up under their plough blades
as they tended the land back into itself.
1 A chit of bone, the china plate of a shoulder blade,
the relic of a finger, the blown
and broken bird’s egg of a skull,  1
all mimicked now in flint, breaking blue in white
across this field where they were told to walk, not run,
towards the wood and its nesting machine guns.
And even now the earth stands sentinel,
reaching back into itself for reminders of what happened
like a wound working a foreign body to the surface of the skin.
This morning, twenty men buried in one long grave,
a broken mosaic of bone linked arm in arm,
their skeletons paused mid dance-macabre
in boots that outlasted them,
their socketed heads tilted back at an angle
and their jaws, those that have them, dropped open.
As if the notes they had sung
have only now, with this unearthing,
slipped from their absent tongues.
For years afterwards the farmers found them –
the wasted young, turning up under their plough blades
as they tended the land back into itself
1 A chit of bone, the china plate of a shoulder blade,
the relic of a finger, the blown
and broken bird’s egg of a skull,  1
all mimicked now in flint, breaking blue in white
across this field where they were told to walk, not run,
towards the wood and its nesting machine guns.
And even now the earth stands sentinel,
reaching back into itself for reminders of what happened
like a wound working a foreign body to the surface of the skin.
This morning, twenty men buried in one long grave,
a broken mosaic of bone linked arm in arm,
their skeletons paused mid dance-macabre
in boots that outlasted them,
their socketed heads tilted back at an angle
and their jaws, those that have them, dropped open.
As if the notes they had sung
have only now, with this unearthing,
slipped from their absent tongues.
How does the idea of singing connect to the soldiers’ nationality?
How does he suggest that their death was sudden and unprepared?
Past and present meet here as in the first stanza. Where?
Click to show highlighted words.
How does he achieve a fluid uninterrupted style like music maybe?

7. Activity F Mametz Wood – by Owen Sheers–
Is the poem more lasting than a memorial to remember and honour these and other dead soldiers?
Menu
For years afterwards the farmers found them –
the wasted young, turning up under their plough blades
as they tended the land back into itself.
1 A chit of bone, the china plate of a shoulder blade,
the relic of a finger, the blown
and broken bird’s egg of a skull,  1
all mimicked now in flint, breaking blue in white
across this field where they were told to walk, not run,
towards the wood and its nesting machine guns.
And even now the earth stands sentinel,
reaching back into itself for reminders of what happened
like a wound working a foreign body to the surface of the skin.
This morning, twenty men buried in one long grave,
a broken mosaic of bone linked arm in arm,
their skeletons paused mid dance-macabre
in boots that outlasted them,
their socketed heads tilted back at an angle
and their jaws, those that have them, dropped open.
As if the notes they had sung
have only now, with this unearthing,
slipped from their absent tongues.
Why should we remember past events and where is there a sense of both life and death in the poem?
What is your reaction to the poem and the way it is written? Have you been made aware of something you’d never thought of?