Date of birth:

November 30th, 1872 (Guelph/Ontario, Canada)

Date of death:

January 28th, 1918 (Boulogne-sur-Mer/Pas-de-Calais, France)

Buried on:

Commonwealth War Graves Wimereux
Plot: IV. Row: H. Grave: 3.

Nationality:

Canadian

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae was a Canadian physician, poet, and soldier.

He studied medicine at the University of Toronto and later taught at McGill University. His early military experience came during the Second Boer War, but it was World War I that defined his legacy. Serving as a medical officer with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, McCrae witnessed the horrors of trench warfare firsthand. After the death of his friend Lieutenant Alexis Helmer during the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915, McCrae composed the poem “In Flanders Fields,” which became one of the most enduring literary works of the war and helped establish the red poppy as a symbol of remembrance.

Despite his age, McCrae continued to serve on the front lines, eventually commanding a Canadian military hospital in France. His health deteriorated, and he died of pneumonia in 1918. He was buried with full military honors in Wimereux Cemetery. McCrae’ was designated as a Person of National Historic Significance. His work remains a powerful reminder of the human cost of war and the importance of remembrance.

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