author
John McCrae
1872–1918
Best known for the unforgettable war poem In Flanders Fields, this Canadian doctor-soldier wrote with unusual clarity about grief, duty, and remembrance. His life joined medicine, military service, and poetry in a way that still resonates far beyond the First World War.
1 Audiobook
In Flanders Fields, and Other Poems
by John McCrae
About the author
Born in Guelph, Ontario, on November 30, 1872, he grew up to become a physician, teacher, soldier, and poet. He studied at the University of Toronto, where he earned degrees in both arts and medicine, and he went on to build a respected medical career.
Military service was a major part of his life. He served in the South African War and later in the First World War as a medical officer with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. During the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915, after the death of a close friend, he wrote In Flanders Fields, a short poem that became one of the most widely remembered works of the war.
He died in France on January 28, 1918, while still in service. Although he wrote relatively little poetry, his best-known poem helped shape the modern tradition of remembrance, especially the enduring symbol of the poppy.