Who wrote the poem “In Flanders Fields”? This poignant and enduring piece of war literature was penned by Canadian physician and soldier John McCrae. Composed during the First World War, the poem has since become a symbol of remembrance and a tribute to the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
John McCrae was born on November 30, 1872, in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. He attended the University of Toronto, where he earned a medical degree in 1894. After graduation, McCrae practiced medicine in his hometown and eventually became a professor of surgery at the University of Western Ontario.
In 1915, McCrae was called to serve as a military doctor during the First World War. He was assigned to the Canadian Expeditionary Force and was stationed in Ypres, Belgium. It was there, amidst the horrors of war and the sight of soldiers dying from gas attacks, that McCrae wrote “In Flanders Fields” on May 3, 1915.
The poem was inspired by the sight of red poppies growing in the battlefields of Flanders. McCrae’s friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, had been killed in action just days before, and McCrae was moved to write a poem in his honor. The poem begins with the famous line, “In Flanders fields the poppies blow,” and goes on to describe the sacrifices made by soldiers during the war.
“In Flanders Fields” quickly gained popularity and was published in newspapers across Canada and the United States. It has since become one of the most famous war poems in the English language. The poem’s enduring message of remembrance and the red poppy as a symbol of remembrance have left a lasting impact on the collective memory of the war’s victims.
John McCrae passed away on January 28, 1918, from pneumonia, just weeks before the end of the war. Despite his short life, McCrae’s legacy lives on through his poignant poem, which continues to be read and celebrated on Remembrance Day and other occasions of remembrance around the world.
