The Remember Flanders memorials in Ottawa and Guelph, Canada, were designed by Canadian sculptor Ruth Abernethy. The bronze features John McCrae, author of the immortal poem "In Flanders Fields." The memorial commemorates the centennials of the Second Battle of Ypres, the Saint Julien Gas Attacks, and the writing of "In Flanders Fields." These statues were erected by the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Medical Service and with support from the government of Flanders. There are two identical versions of the memorial, one in Ottawa and a second in McCrae's hometown of Guelph, Ontario. The first was unveiled on 3 May 2015 and the second on 25 June 2015.
Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae was the Canadian soldier, a doctor and teacher, who wrote "In Flanders Fields" during the First World War. Born in Guelph, Ontario, in 1872, he served with an artillery battery in the South African War and had a successful civilian medical career. When the First World War broke out in 1914, the patriotic 41-year-old enlisted again and would be appointed as a medical officer with the First Brigade of the Canadian Field Artillery. Sadly, Lieutenant-Colonel McCrae would not survive the conflict, dying of illness in January 1918. He is buried in the CWGC Wimereux Communal Cemetery in Pas de Calais, France
Locations
Ontario
92 Sussex Drive
Guelph
52 Norfolk Street
“John McCrae gave voice to the grief of a generation.”- Adrienne Clarks
ReplyDeleteThe article about lonesome memorials dedicated to John McCrae is more than a bronze statue. McRae is able, through his poems, to show humanity rather than statistics, battles, and dates. McCrae's poem Flanders Field " shows emotions from a man who had to make sense of his best friend being killed in action, bringing forth meaning. Supposedly, McCrae crumbled up the poem and threw it to the ground. Maybe because he knew he would meet the same fate as his friend, who had just been killed. Fortunately, through his poem, human emotions are felt, where others could find solace through unimaginable suffering.