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
Scare 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.
The famous 13 line poem by Canadian Doctor Lt-Col. John McCrae was scrawled during the Battle of Ypres and has become enshrined in the innermost thoughts and hearts of all soldiers who hear them. In Canada, the poppy symbolizes our pledge not to forget those that gave their lives so we could live in freedom. Sadly John McCrae died of pneumonia in France on January 28, 1918 when he was 44 years of age – his words, however, are immortal.
Lest we forget…
Leave a Reply