Colonel John McCrae
30th November 1972 - 28th January 1918

A Young Poet
John McCrae was born November 30, 1872 in Guelph, Ontario.

Lifetime
When he was young, McCrae had a keen interest in both writing and the military. He began writing poetry while still a student at Guelph Collegiate Institute. When he was 14-years-old, his military interests led him to join the Highfield Cadet Corps. At 17, he enlisted in the Militia field battery, which was commanded by his father Lieutenant-Colonel David McCrae.

Medicine Man
When the South African War started in October 1899, John McCrae joined the war cause. He sailed to Africa in December and spent a year there leading an artillery battery from his home town of Guelph.

When McCrae left Africa a year later, he had mixed feelings about war. He still believed in the idea of people fighting for their country. However, he didn't like the way sick and hurt soldiers were treated during the war in Africa.

McCrae resigned from the armed forces in 1904, and didn't involve himself in the military again until 1914. During the years leading up to World War I, McCrae lived in Montreal and pursued a successful career in medicine.

Wartime
When Canada declared war on Germany in 1914, a 41-year-old McCrae was among the 45,000 Canadians who joined the war effort within the first three weeks. McCrae felt it was his duty to help his country during these troubled times. He was appointed brigade-surgeon to the First Brigade of the Canadian Forces Artillery, with the rank of Major and second-in-command. John attended to the health of many wounded soldiers in the trenches.

The day before he wrote "In Flanders Fields", one of John's closest friends was killed and buried in a grave decorated with only a simple wooden cross. Wild poppies were already blooming between the crosses that marked the graves of those who were killed in battle. Unable to help his friend or other fallen soldiers, John McCrae gave them a voice through "In Flanders Field."

The memories live on
"In Flanders Fields" was first published in December, 1915 in England's "Punch" magazine. Within months, "In Flanders Fields" became the most popular poem about the First World War. Many people felt the poem symbolised the sacrifices made by all those who participated in World War I.

The poem was translated into several languages and used in a 1917 Canadian campaign to help raise money for the war effort. The goal of the campaign was to raise $150 million. With the help of the powerful "In Flanders Fields," the campaign raised around $400 million.

John McCrae died of pneumonia and meningitis on January 28, 1918. Before he died, McCrae had the satisfaction of knowing that his poem had been a success. The poem's popularity helped Canada and several other countries adopt the poppy as the Flower of Remembrance. Today, people continue to pay tribute to the poet of "In Flanders Fields" by visiting McCrae House in Guelph, Ontario. McCrae House, the cottage where McCrae was born, is now a museum. John McCrae's memory also lives on in the poem he wrote, which remains an important part of Remembrance Day ceremonies across the country.

In Flanders Fields
by Colonel John McCrae 1915
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe!
To you from failing hands, we throw
The torch; Be yours to hold it high!
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.