Background

"In Flanders Fields," resonating through the annals of time, stands as a poignant piece of war poetry eloquently captured in the rondeau form by Canadian physician and Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. It emerged amidst the devastating backdrop of the First World War, born out of profound personal loss and the harrowing landscape of conflict. On composing this impactful poem, McCrae drew inspiration from the most harrowing of circumstances—the death of his dear friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, who tragically fell during the Second Battle of Ypres.

Chronologically, it was on 3 May 1915, following the funeral rites over which he presided, that McCrae found the words to encapsulate the grief and the valorous spirit of those who fought. Legend tells a tale of initial dissatisfaction wherein McCrae discarded his manuscript, only for it to be retrieved by fellow soldiers who recognized the power of his words. The emotive verse received its first publication on 8 December 1915, within the pages of 'Punch' magazine, based in London.

The Second Battle of Ypres

His skills were put to the ultimate test over sixteen grueling days in the Ypres salient during World War I, where he administered aid to soldiers regardless of nationality including Canadians, British, Indians, French, and Germans.

The severity of the situation was beyond his imagination, as McCrae conveyed in a letter to his mother: "A period spanning seventeen days that resembled Hades itself. The notion of enduring such a timeline, had we been forewarned at its start, would have appeared insurmountable." (Corson, Notre Dame, 2003)

It was during this time that Major McCrae encountered personal loss amidst the ceaseless casualties; his friend and protege, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer of Ottawa, succumbed to a shell burst on 2 May 1915. In an austere setting devoid of light – to avoid drawing enemy attention – McCrae personally officiated Helmer's funeral rites that very night at Essex Farm Cemetery, near his aid station, reciting from memory the solemn words of the ‘Order of Burial of the Dead’ from the Church of England.

Experiencing a moment of reflection the following morning, McCrae sought solace by composing a poignant poem, the now-esteemed ‘In Flanders Fields’. Seated upon an ambulance step by the Yser Canal, not far from Ypres, his surroundings heavily marked by warfare, McCrae channeled his sorrow into verse. Although well-versed in the medical sciences as an author, poetry served as his literary outlet in times of combustion and chaos.

Top photo: Flanders, Belgium, modern day. Poppies growing in a field. Wikimedia Commons. In the Public Domain.

Bottom photo: Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. Source: Wikimedia Commons. In the Public Domain.

In reverent view of the poppies scattered among the burial grounds, poetically memorialized in his work, he penned his message in a brief interlude of respite lasting only twenty minutes. Sgt. Maj. Cyril Allinson, a young soldier tasked with mail delivery, witnessed McCrae's composition. Struck by the fatigue and composure set upon the major’s expression, Allinson recalled the peace that enveloped McCrae even as glimpses of melancholy swept over him at the sight of Helmer's grave. Upon completing his draft, McCrae, rather taciturn, exchanged his writings for the mail Allinson had brought.

The profundity of McCrae's words did not escape Allinson: "The poem before me was a mirror to our immediate landscape. The choice of 'blow' in his lines was deliberate, mirroring the delicate dance of the poppies that morning in the wind’s tender grasp." (Corson, Notre Dame, 2003)

Lieutenant Colonel Edward Morrison, McCrae's commanding officer, shared Allinson's sentiments. He painted the scene amidst the fury of battle, recounting how the fallen soldiers would come to rest in McCrae's aid post, underscoring the somber evolution of the poppy-strewn burial ground into a more substantial cemetery. Caught between moments of conflict, the song of the larks could be heard, asserting life amid the relentless echoes of artillery.

Retrospective Today

The battlefields of World War I, referred to in historical documentation as Flanders Fields, stretch across the regions of Belgium and France—an arena known for the brutal conflicts endured and the sea of crimson poppies that sprung from the graves of fallen warriors.

It is within this literary work, "In Flanders Fields," that the stark imagery of red poppies has been immortalized, transcending its narrative to become an enduring symbol of remembrance. Such was the poem's resonance that its lines were woven into the fabric of society's collective memory, notably influencing recruitment campaigns and war bond sales during the war years. The symbol of the poppy culled from this poem would later burgeon into an international emblem of mourning, a tribute to the brave souls lost in the theatre of war.

"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.

Bibliography

Ferguson, Niall. The Pity of War: Explaining World War I. New York: Basic Books, 1999.

Hart, Peter. The Great War: A Combat History of the First World War. Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA, 2013.

"In Flanders Field." University of Notre Dame. Accessed February 21, 2022. https://www3.nd.edu/~wcawley/corson/inflandersfield.htm.

"John McCrae." Government of Canada Veterans Department. Last modified March 5, 2024. https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/people-and-stories/john-mccrae.