Remembrance Day

[DaleK]

In Flanders Fields
By Colonel John McCrae

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.




PLEASE WEAR A POPPY
"Please wear a poppy," the lady said
And held one forth, but I shook my head.
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old and lined with care;
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.
A boy came whistling down the street,
Bouncing along on care-free feet.
His smile was full of joy and fun,
"Lady," said he, "may I have one?"
When she'd pinned it on he turned to say,
"Why do we wear a poppy today?"

The lady smiled in her wistful way
And answered, "This is Remembrance Day,
And the poppy there is the symbol for
The gallant men who died in war.
And because they did, you and I are free -
That's why we wear a poppy, you see."

"I had a boy about your size,
With golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved to play and jump and shout,
Free as a bird he would race about.
As the years went by he learned and grew
and became a man - as you will, too."

"He was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,
But he'd seemed with us such a little while
When war broke out and he went away.
I still remember his face that day
When he smiled at me and said, Goodbye,
I'll be back soon, Mom, so please don't cry."

"But the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the awful fight,
(I can see it still in my dreams at night),
With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire."

"Till at last, at last, the war was won -
And that's why we wear a poppy son."
The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said, "Thanks, lady, I'm glad to know.
That sure did sound like an awful fight,
But your son - did he come back all right?"

A tear rolled down each faded check;
She shook her head, but didn't speak.
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
And if you were me you'd have done the same;
For our thanks, in giving, if oft delayed,
Thought our freedom was bought - and thousands paid!

And so when we see a poppy worn,
Let us reflect on the burden borne,
By those who gave their very all
When asked to answer their country's call
That we at home in peace might live.
Then wear a poppy! Remember - and give!

by Don Crawford



Poem by Joe Oldford

Soldiers in the trenches managed to keep their cool in one way or another. Joe Oldford wrote poetry rightin the midst of the battle.

I watched them making crosses,
In the little hut close by,
Tiny wooden crosses,
For the men who go to die.

They whistled as they shaped them,
Maybe to hide a sob;
Or to show that wooden crosses
Meant just another job.

But I wondered as I watched them,
If some day before it ends,
Those little wooden crosses
Might represent my friends.

I pray they don't, but if they do,
Then each and every one,
Will mark the eternal resting place
Of a brave, Canadian son.

 

[CattleAnnie]

The Story of John McCrae
By John Peddie

John McCrae is the author of the famed poem, In Flanders Field, written during the First World War.

John was born in 1872 and raised in Guelph, Ontario and is remembered as one of Guelph's most famous sons. McCrae was more than a poet, and was in fact a doctor, soldier, author and artist. The paternal grandparents of John McCrae, Thomas and Jean (nee Campbell) emigrated to Canada from Scotland in 1849 and settled in Guelph. Their son David married Janet Eckford and they had three children; Thomas (1870), John (1872) and Geills (1878). John's early education was received in Guelph, first at Central Public School and subsequently at Guelph Collegiate Institute.

While at Guelph Collegiate, John joined the Highland Cadet Corps which was affiliated with the school. One year later, at the age of 15, McCrae became a bugler in the local militia regiment of artillery commanded by his father. He later joined this same regiment as a gunner.

At the age of 16, John was awarded a scholarship to the University of Toronto (left photo) due to his academic achievement at Guelph Collegiate. McCrae attended classes at the University of Toronto until 1892-3, when he took a year off his studies due to recurring problems with asthma. During this break from university John was a resident master in English and Mathematics at the Ontario Agricultural College (O.A.C.) in Guelph. After returning to Toronto and completing his B.A., John commenced studies in medicine at the University of Toronto and did a medical residency at the Garrett Hospital, a Maryland children's convalescent home.

While at university, John maintained his military ties with the No. 2 Battery in Guelph. He remained a member of the Guelph militia regiment and was promoted several times, finally making the rank of Lieutenant. At the same time he was also involved with a Toronto militia, the Queen's Own Rifles, in which he rose to the rank of Captain and commanded the company.

It was also while John was still at University that some of his early poems were first published. Although McCrae is widely known as a poet, his literary efforts were not confined to one genre. While at university he also had some of his short stories published and he later went on to write scientific articles and medical textbooks. As well as his literary efforts, John dabbled in the visual arts, making numerous sketches throughout his life.

John McCrae graduated at the top of his class in medicine at the University of Toronto, and in 1899 was awarded a fellowship in pathology to McGill University in Montreal. This award coincided with the start of the Boer War (1899-1902) and John put off accepting the fellowship in order to go to South Africa with the artillery. McCrae left for South Africa in 1900 in command of the left section of D Battery of the Royal Canadian Artillery attached to the Second Canadian Contingent. This contingent returned to Canada in 1901 after participating in several major campaigns. With his return McCrae accepted the fellowship at McGill, which he completed in 1905.

While still working on this fellowship, McCrae was appointed special professor in pathology at the University of Vermont, a position he held until 1911. During this time he was also appointed an associate of medicine at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal and was a lecturer in pathology and medicine at McGill University. After completing the fellowship McCrae was employed as a pathologist at Montreal General Hospital and as a physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Infectious Diseases, also in Montreal. In 1910, Lord Grey, then Governor General of Canada, undertook an expedition by canoe from Lake Winnipeg to Hudson's Bay. John McCrae accompanied this voyage as expedition doctor.

When the first World War began in 1914, McCrae again offered his services to the military. He was conditionally offered the position of Brigade Surgeon in the First Brigade of Canadian Field Artillery by E.W.B. Morrison, the brigade commander and a friend of McCrae. McCrae was formally confirmed in this position in the fall of 1914. While Brigade Surgeon, John was responsible for a field dressing station at the front and treated those wounded during the Second Battle of Ypres (Ieper) in the spring of 1915. As well as performing his duties as surgeon, he also served on the guns when needed and occasionally performed burial services. It was after performing the service for a friend, Alexis Helmer, that McCrae was inspired to write In Flanders Fields. The poem was written May 3, 1915 and first published in Punch that same year.

In the summer of 1915, McCrae was transferred from the artillery Brigade to the Number 3 Canadian General Hospital in France, where he was second in command of medical services. During McCrae's time there, the Number 3 Hospital received a visit from Queen Mary, who toured the hospital. McCrae disliked these official visits as he felt they detracted from the real work of the hospital.

While still at this hospital in January 1918, McCrae became ill with pneumonia, which was soon complicated by meningitis. Four days before he died, he was honoured by being the first Canadian appointed as consulting physician to the First British Army. John McCrae died on 28 January 1918, and was buried with military honours at Wimereaux Cemetery in France. At McCrae's funeral procession, 75 nursing sisters stood by to watch and McCrae's horse, Bonfire, wore his master's boots backwards in military tradition.

In Rememberance Of Those Who Served Our Country - Defending Our Freedom.

Lest We Forget