In Flanders Fields – Part 2

Centennial Anniversary Event – May 3, 1915 – In the immortal Words of …

By Joe Corrigan

The 2^nd Battle of Ypres, the first time Canadian troops had been engaged in a major battle of the First World War, was in its twelfth day and the casualties had been very heavy. The field hospitals were all but overwhelmed with the flood of wounded and gassed soldiers they were faced with. In the midst of all this chaos, a senior medical officer took the time to preside over the funeral of his close friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer. The doctor had been treating casualties in an 8’ by 8’ bunker just behind the Yser canal about two miles north of Ypres. After the service, the physician, who was also a poet and author, wrote a 15 verse poem to express his feelings on the loss of his comrade and the need to carry on the fight so that his sacrifice and those of the fallen would not have been in vain.

Major John McCrae

It only took twenty minutes to complete and the poet was not pleased with his work and tossed it aside. Fortunately, someone was able to convince him of the worth of the piece. In December of 1915, the poem was published in the British magazine “Punch” and its verses have been a part of almost every Canadian commemoration of Remembrance Day ever since. The physician poet was Major John McCrae originally of Guelph, Ontario and his poem was “In Flanders Fields”.

I recently read an article that compared McCrae’s poem with Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Both pieces are brief and powerful, pay homage to the fallen and urge the audience to carry on the struggle. It is ironic that, given the continued popularity of both works, neither of these two men felt their words could adequately express the sentiments they wished to convey. As noted, McCrae discarded the poem at first and, in his own words, Lincoln concluded that “the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here.” Yet today, both these literary works live on and, in the commemoration of their subject events, bring generation after generation a newfound appreciation of the “brave men, living and dead, who struggled here.” As a Canadian and a hockey fan I should like to note that both the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs, teams that were founded in the early 20^th century, take inspiration from the sacrifice of Canadians in the Great War. The Toronto Maple Leafs crest is based on the “CANADA” maple Leaf badge pictured with this article and worn by the vast majority of our soldiers in World War I. Les Canadiens make use of the torch as a symbol to urge their players to carry on the great tradition of the team; one that has 24 Stanley Cup Championships. Far and away the most of any team in the NHL.

John McCrae, by then a Lieutenant Colonel and Commanding Officer of No. 3 Canadian General Hospital at Boulogne, died on January 28, 1918 of pneumonia and meningitis. He was buried with full military honours in Wimereux Cemetery in a service that was attended by Sir Arthur Currie, Commanding General of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. A collection of his poetry entitled “In Flanders Fields and Other Poems” was published shortly after his death in 1918.   

In the immortal words of John McCrae:

 “In Flanders Fields”

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.  

John McCrae with his dog Bonneau

To learn more about the writing of the poem “In Flanders Fields” check out the April-May edition of Canada’s History magazine which has an article by J. Andrew Ross entitled “Born of Fire & Blood.” Ross contends that “When John McCrae wrote ‘In Flanders Fields’ a hundred years ago he unleashed a force more powerful than any weapon of war.” As mentioned in my previous blog; Steve Guthrie of CHEX Television News produced a two part segment on the 57th Regiment of Militia, Peterborough’s militia regiment prior to World War I, and the participation of local troops in the 2nd Battle of Ypres. The two YouTube videos are posted on Lang Pioneer Village Museum’s Facebook page. Other interesting documentaries on the First World War include historian Norm Christie’s series entitled “For King and Empire” and the BBC documentary entitled “The Great War’ which dates from the 1960’s and includes interviews with people who experienced the events first hand. Canada’s History magazine has published “Canada’s Great War Album” which includes historical perspectives from a number of noted authors along with a collection of personal stories passed down from descendants of the soldiers and others who lived in those times. During the next three years, we will continue to mark notable anniversaries of Canada’s involvement in the Great War.

Joe Corrigan has been Museum Manager at Lang Pioneer Village since February of 2003. He has been a lifelong student of history. His specific areas of interest are Canadian and world political, military and sports history with a particular focus on biographical works. Joe has been interpreting Sir John A. Macdonald at the Museum's Historic Dominion Day event since 2007.