HERITAGE

A Poem and Poppies: Legacy of a WW I Physician

MARY KORR RIMJ MANAGING EDITOR

An editorial in the May 1918 Rhode Dr. McCrae, born in , Canada, In Flanders Field Island Medical Journal (RIMJ) mentions was an 1898 graduate of the University In Flanders fields the poppies blow the obituary of DR. JOHN MCCRAE of Toronto Medical School, which he Between the crosses, row on row, “who gave his life in devotion to men, all followed with an internship at Johns That mark our place; and in the sky of them like himself, fighting for civili- Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and a fel- The larks, still bravely singing, fly zation in Flanders…going from our midst lowship in pathology at McGill Universi- Scarce heard amid the guns below. in silence to his death, McCrae signifies ty in Montreal. He served in the Boer War We are the Dead. Short days ago – everything!” in South Africa for two years, and upon We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, his return took a teaching position in Loved and were loved, and now we lie pathology at the University of Vermont In Flanders fields. from 1902–1911. 68 When World War I broke out, he vol- Take up our quarrel with the foe: 69 unteered as a combat surgeon with Cana- To you from failing hands we throw da’s First Brigade Artillery, serving on the The torch; be yours to hold it high EN Belgium battlefield in Flanders. Image( 1) If ye break faith with us who die Mary Korr The RIMJ 1918 editorial quotes Dr. Mc- We shall not sleep, though poppies grow RIMJ Managing Editor Crae’s now-famous poem, “In Flanders In Flanders fields. Field,” written after presiding over the funeral service of friend and fallen com- rade, Lieut. Alexis Helmer, in May 1915, in a field of white wooden crosses dotted with crimson poppies. (Image 2) The next day, Dr. McCrae composed the poem (Im- age 3) sitting in the back of an ambulance outside a dressing center for the wounded.

Image 3. At right, John McCrae Memorial “book” close-up. McCrae House, , Ontario, Canada. The poem was first published Image 1. Dr. John McCrae in uniform, 1914. in December 1915 in the British magazine [ WILLIAM NOTMAN AND SON, WIKIMEDIA.ORG] Punch. [WIKIMEDIA.ORG]

Image 2. Poppies in Flanders Field. [WIKIMEDIA.ORG]

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Flower of Remembrance Dr. McCrae’s poem “presented a striking image of the bright red flowers blooming among the rows of white crosses and became a ral- lying cry to all who fought in the First World War,” according to a history of the red poppy on the website of the US Dept. of Veterans Affairs. The poppy was adopted as Image 5. John McCrae’s funeral in 1918 in Wimereux, France, near Flanders Field, was led by his horse the official memorial flower of the Bonfire, with McCrae’s riding boots reversed in the stirrups. Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) at [GUELPH MUSEUMS, REFERENCE NO. M972.5.5.2, PUBLIC DOMAIN, HTTPS://COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/ its national convention in Seattle, W/INDEX.PHP?CURID=4513383] in 1922. In 1924, the first poppy factory was built in Pittsburgh and the VFW registered the name “Buddy Poppy” with the U.S. Patent Office. The term “Buddy” was coined as a tribute to the fallen or for returning wounded veterans. (Image 4)

Roll call of RI Physicians Veterans who have passed on During the month of May when veterans around the country are honored on Memorial Day, RIMJ recognizes the following Rhode Island physicians/veterans who have passed on in 2020–2021 to date. Their obituaries are archived on the RIMJ website at rimedj.org in the issue following their deaths. http://rimed.org/rimedicaljournal-archives.asp Image 4. “Buddy” Poppy [US DEPT. OF VETERANS AFFAIRS] 2020 David M. Barry, MD, January 6, 2020. In 1920, the poppy became the official flower of The Ameri- Vincent A. DeConti, MD, 90, February 1, 2020. can Legion. The Friday before Memorial Day, this year on May Thomas G. Breslin, MD, March 7, 2020. 28th, is designated as National Poppy Day. The Legion’s Auxil- Alfred F. Parisi, MD, 82, April 15, 2020. iary program offers a variety of poppy programs and distributes handmade crepe poppies with all donations supporting veterans, Vincent A. DeRobbio, MD, 86, May 13, 2020. as well as active-duty military personnel and their families with Banice Mordecai Webber, MD, 94, May 27, 2020. medical and financial needs. Harold M. Harger, Jr., MD, 87, May 30, 2020. Dr. McCrae, an asthmatic, died of cerebral meningitis in Richard Raymond Dyer, MD, 99, September 27, 2020. France, on Jan. 28, 1918, at the age of 45. He was buried with full Carmine J. Capalbo, MD, 95, October 3, 2020. military honors in Wimereux Cemetery, just north of Boulogne, Alexander Adams McBurney, MD, 87, October 26, 2020. not far from the fields of Flanders. Image( 5) Alberto S. Rubio, MD, 95, November 12, 2020. His poem remains an enduring elegy to all those who have George N. Cooper, Jr., MD, December 13, 2020. fallen in the service of their country, and resonates today, during 2021 the COVID pandemic, when so many lives have been lost on the viral battlefield. The final stanza echoes across the ages – as an Michael Anthony Passero, MD, 75, January 6, 2021. inspiration and a challenge: Charles J. McDonald, MD, 89, January 10, 2021. Francis L. McNelis, MD, 100, February 8, 2021. To you from failing hands we throw The torch; by yours to hold it high Howard Sturim, MD, March 12, 2021. If ye break faith with us who die William D. Graham, MD, 85, March 14, 2021. We shall not sleep, though poppies grow Leonard Jason Triedman, MD, March 19, 2021. In Flanders fields.v Robin Wallace, MD, March 20, 2021.

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