By Kim Kimberlin/Black Press Media
The poppy, a longstanding symbol of remembrance, overran the mass graves of fallen soldiers in the First World War.
After the land was devastated by bombardments, the poppies thrived, serving as inspiration for Lt.-Col. John McCrae鈥檚 ever-famous poem, 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.
Born in Guelph, Ont., McCrae was a professor of medicine and physician at McGill University.
Having previously served as a gunner in the South African War, McCrae enlisted in the First World War with the same expectations. However, he was appointed brigade surgeon in an artillery brigade due to the shortage of doctors.
McCrae cared for Canadian and Allied troops, and, after mourning the death of a close friend, wrote In Flanders Fields.
The poem was first published in Punch magazine on Dec. 8, 1915, and quickly gained popularity.
Despite reoccurring ailments, McCrae worked hard throughout the war, later succumbing to pneumonia on Jan. 28, 1918, at the age of 45.
The poppy became a symbol of remembrance in 1921, after the Great War Veterans鈥� Association adopted it, wearing it on one鈥檚 left lapel, closest to the heart. The Canadian Legion continued the symbol in 1925.
Today, the poppy continues to live on, serving as a symbol of remembrance to those who served or fell in service for their country.
鈥� With information from the Canadian War Museum
