As November drifts to us, you see more and more poppies on all coats, and you may be reminded of the beautiful poem ‘In Flanders Fields’. John McCrae, a notable graduate of The University of Toronto, is the poet behind one the most famous literary works in Canadian history.
McCrae was born in 1872 in Guelph, Ontario, to Lieutenant-Colonel David McCrae and Janet Simpson Eckford. He attended Guelph Collegiate Institute early in his educational career, and while there, he joined the Highland Cadet Corps, commencing his life long affiliation with the military.
It was his exceptional academics at Guelph Collegiate Institute that awarded him a scholarship to the University of Toronto. He attended classes during the 1892-93 year, but took a year off afterwards due to his difficulty with asthma. After the year off, McCrae returned to U of T to complete his Bachelor of Arts degree. He did so, and went on to study medicine at the University of Toronto, and then did his residency at Garrett Hospital. His immense knowledge of health and disease proved to be useful later in life.
Even during his educational career, his poems were being recognized and published in Canadian newspapers. His poetry often depicted themes of how death and peace are inter-related. He had a passion for many things, such as; visual arts, sketching, medicine, and of course, writing. He wrote many short stories as well, during his time at U of T, where he graduated Medical school at the top of his class.
When the first World War began, McCrae was appointed Brigade Surgeon in the First Brigade of Canadian Field Artillery. Though he was an established physician and writer, he always considered himself foremost a soldier. Therefore, he fought with diligence in the Battle of Ypres(1915) in Flanders, Belgium, where the poem is inspired. It was during this battle that a close friend and former student of his, Alexis Helmer, was killed during battle. McCrae performed the burial himself, and he noticed that the red-petaled poppies grew so quickly upon the graves of the fallen. It’s these small flowers that inspired the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’, he wrote it in the back of an ambulance.
It was four days before his death, that he was honored with being the First British Army’s first Canadian consulting physician. On January 28th, 1918, John McCrae died of pneumonia and complications with meningitis. He is remembered through the legacy he left with his poetry and is immense contribution towards our freedom. Thank you, Mr. McCrae.
“To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.”
Photo Credit:
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/john_mccrae/photo