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John McCrae Facts & Worksheets

John McCrae was a WWI soldier, WWII surgeon and physician, and poet born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada on November 30, 1872.

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John McCrae was a WWI soldier, WWII surgeon and physician, and poet born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada on November 30, 1872. He is best known for writing the war memorial poem titled “In Flanders Fields,” which is still regularly recited across Canada around Remembrance Day.

See the fact file below for more information on the John McCrae or alternatively, you can download our 22-page John McCrae worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE OF JOHN MCCRAE

  • John McCrae was born in Guelph, Ontario on November 30th, 1872 to Scottish immigrants from Balmaghie, Kirkcudbrightshire.
  • He had a brother named Tom and a sister named Geills.
  • Growing up, McCrae was taught strong spiritual values and high principles; this instilled in him a warmth and sensitivity, with a compassion for both people and animals.
  • McCrae began to write poetry from early on, and also took an interest in the military, joining the Highfield Cadet Corps at the age of 14.
  • At the age of 16, he graduated from Guelph Collegiate and was the first student from Guelph to win a scholarship from the University of Toronto.
  • At the age of 17, while still in school, McCrae enlisted in the Militia field battery which was commanded by his father.
  • While in school, he published poetry in numerous Canadian and British publications.
  • By 1894 McCrae received his bachelor’s degree, and in 1898, his medical degree from the University of Toronto.
  • A few years after graduating, McCrae worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, alongside Sir William Osler, a world-renowned physician.
  • Later that same year, McCrae was granted a fellowship at McGill University, located in Montreal, but he postponed for a year and decided to enlist in a local battery back in Guelph.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR & OTHER EXPEDITIONS

  • During his postponement year, McCrae took part in battles in the South African War, where he was promoted to captain rather quickly, then major and second-in-command.
  • McCrae nearly drowned while crossing a stream on horseback during the war.
  • In January 1901, he returned to Canada and gave a public lecture about the employment of artillery during the war.
  • In 1905, he accompanied the Governor General of Canada on a canoe trip to Hudson Bay to serve as expedition physician.

WORLD WAR I

  • When Britain declared war on Germany after the invasion of Belgium on August 4, 1914, the First World War was underway, with the Dominion of Canada going to war as well (they were within the British Empire).
  • McCrae was appointed as Medical Officer and Major of the 1st Brigade CFA (Canadian Field Artillery); by this point, he was 41 years old and had resigned from the army 10 years prior.
  • In April 1915, McCrae was sent to the trenches near Ypres, Belgium.
  • This was the area that is traditionally known as “Flanders Fields” and is where some of the heaviest fighting of the First World War took place.
  • The Second Battle of Ypres saw heavy casualties because the Germans used deadly chlorine gas against Allied troops in a desperate attempt to break the stalemate that had formed between the two sides.
  • The Canadian forces held the line, fighting tirelessly, for another 16 days, but suffered hundreds of casualties as a result of the gas attacks and ongoing fighting.
  • McCrae tended hundreds of wounded soldiers every day and was surrounded by death and dying.
  • It was his experiences on the battlefields of Flanders that eventually led to him writing In Flanders Fields.

FLANDERS FIELDS AND LEGACY OF JOHN MCCRAE

  • While there are many legends about the inspiration for the poem “In Flanders Fields,” the most commonly held belief is that it was written on May 3rd, 1915, which was the day after the funeral and burial of his friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, who had been killed during the Second Battle of Ypres.
  • It is said that McCrae wrote the poem while sitting on the back of a medical field ambulance, with wild poppies blooming between the makeshift graves all around him.
  • As he was unable to help his friend or any of the others who died, McCrae wrote the poem to give them a voice.
  • Shortly after, McCrae was transferred to a Canadian General Hospital in France where he acted as the Chief of Medical Services.
  • It was here the wounded were brought from the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the third Battle of Ypres, and from Arras and Passchendaele.
  • After the war, McCrae was rightfully affected by the fighting and by the loss he endured, which turned him bitter and disillusioned.
  • McCrae continued to write letters and poetry to help him get through the post-traumatic stress of the war; his final poem was titled “The Anxious Dead.”
  • In 1917, McCrae began developing signs of pneumonia, and on January 28th, 1918, John McCrae died; he was buried with full military honours not far from Flanders Fields.

John McCrae Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the John McCrae across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use John McCrae worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about John McCrae who was a WWI soldier, WWII surgeon and physician, and poet born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada on November 30, 1872. He is best known for writing the war memorial poem titled “In Flanders Fields,” which is still regularly recited across Canada around Remembrance Day.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • John McCrae Facts
  • Quote Analysis
  • The Anxious Dead
  • Remembrance Day Poster
  • Opinion Piece
  • Flanders Fields in the Media
  • Locating Flanders Fields
  • John McCrae Wordsearch
  • Design a Medallion
  • Poem Vocabulary
  • John McCrae Crossword

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Link will appear as John McCrae Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, November 26, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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