Think of six words that come to mind when you look at this painting. L/O: to understand the poem ‘Mametz Wood.’ To start: Think of six words that come to mind when you look at this painting.

L/O: to understand the poem ‘Mametz Wood.’ The first image is a photograph taken in 1916 during the Battle of Mametz Wood. The second image is a painting of the battle from 1918. Q:What do these images tell you about the battle?

Context Dates: between 7 July and 12 July 1916. L/O: to understand the poem ‘Mametz Wood.’ Context Dates: between 7 July and 12 July 1916. Mametz Wood was the scene of fierce fighting between the German and Welsh troops during the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War. Soldiers of the Welsh division were ordered to take Mametz Wood, the largest area of trees on the battlefield by General Haig. The general thought this would take a few hours. It ended up lasting six days with soldiers fighting face-to-face with the enemy – bayonets against machine guns. There were 4,000 casualties, with 600 dead.

L/O: to understand the poem ‘Mametz Wood.’ Context The 14th Welsh Battalion went into the attack with 676 men and after a day of hard fighting had lost almost 400 men killed or wounded before being relieved. Other battalions suffered similar losses. However, by 12 July the wood was effectively cleared of the enemy. The Welsh Division had lost about 4,000 men killed or wounded in this searing engagement. The Welsh succeeded but their bravery and sacrifice was never really acknowledged. Task: Summarise the context of the poem in no more that 30 words.

L/O: to understand the poem ‘Mametz Wood.’ Why write about it? Discuss: Why do you think Owen Sheers chose to write a poem on this topic? What themes do you think it covers?

L/O: to understand the poem ‘Mametz Wood.’ in boots that outlasted them, their socketed heads tilted back at an angle and their jaws, those that have them, dropped open. What does this tell you? The boots, being made of tanned leather, have lasted better than the flesh of the soldiers. This also reminds us that the boots they marched away in have lasted longer than the lives of the men. The image of the skulls with their jaws dangling open is rather macabre but adds a dose of reality to the scene – these are the bodies of men who died fighting in World War One.

L/O: to understand the poem ‘Mametz Wood.’ As if the notes they had sung have only now, with this unearthing, slipped from their absent tongues. What is this saying? The image of the open mouths of the skulls looks like they are singing and their song is only now heard because the earth has been removed from the bodies. The ‘absent tongues’ could be another reminder that these are old, decayed bodies or it could remind us that these men are largely forgotten now. The image of the open mouths of the skulls looks like they are singing and their song is only now heard because the earth has been removed from the bodies. The ‘absent tongues’ could be another reminder that these are old, decayed bodies or it could remind us that these men are largely forgotten now.