McCrae, John

John McCrae was born in Guelph, Ontario, on 30 November 1872.

A doctor, McCrae had extensive military experience. He had served in the cadet corps from the age of 14 and joined a militia artillery unit at 17. In 1889, one year after completing his medical degree, McCrae volunteered for military service in the South African War. He served for one year as a lieutenant in “D” Battery, Canadian Field Artillery. For his service, he was awarded the Queen’s South Africa Medal with three clasps. In 1904, McCrae resigned from the military with the rank of major.

With the outbreak of war in 1914, McCrae was mobilized for active service as a medical officer with the 1st Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery. He arrived in France on 9 February 1915. Three months later, he was promoted to temporary lieutenant-colonel. McCrae wrote the famous poem In Flanders Fields while serving with his unit during the Second Battle of Ypres (22–25 April 1915). On 1 June 1915, McCrae was transferred from the 1st Brigade to No. 3 Canadian General Hospital in France. In the fall of 1916 and summer of 1917, McCrae experienced bouts of bronchitis and severe asthma, which he had suffered in his youth. In 1916, he spent a month in hospital with bronchitis. On 26 January 1918, McCrae was admitted to No. 14 General Hospital in Wimereux, France, where he died two days later from meningitis and pneumonia.

John McCrae is buried in Wimereux Communal Cemetery, in France.