Four handwritten copies of John McCrae's immortal poem In Flanders Fields, held at McGill University's Osler Library of the History of Medicine, were inscribed this month on the Canadian Commission for UNESCO's (CCUNESCO) Canada Memory of the World Register. The program, launched by UNESCO in 1992, recognizes documentary heritage of outstanding universal value and promotes its preservation and accessibility.
"In Flanders Fields continues to move hearts around the world, reminding us of the human cost of war and the enduring power of compassion," said H. Deep Saini, President and Vice-Chancellor, McGill University. "The inclusion of these manuscripts in CCUNESCO's Memory of the World Register honours both McCrae's legacy and McGill's lasting contributions to medical innovation and care."
McCrae was a McGill professor and physician. He and his colleagues from No. 3 Canadian General Hospital organized by the University, cared for thousands of soldiers during the First World War.
The poem, one of the most famous about that war, expresses in a few simple, yet poignant and utterly memorable words the chilling despair at senseless bloodshed its author felt during the Battle of Ypres. The poem's imagery also gave rise to the red poppy becoming an enduring symbol of remembrance, worn on lapels in Canada and other countries every November.
"The handwritten copies of In Flanders Fields are among the most meaningful treasures in McGill's collections. Their inclusion in CCUNESCO's Memory of the World Register honours their significance as unique testimonies from the past," said Guylaine Beaudry, Trenholme Dean of Libraries, at McGill. "Through preservation and digitization, McGill Libraries make these fragile manuscripts accessible to all - allowing anyone, anywhere, to turn the pages of history and experience words that continue to resonate more than a century later."
The four copies include an autographed one McCrae sent to a friend, Carleton Noyes, on May 31, 1916. The poem addressed to Noyes differs from its published version and the manuscript held at Library and Archives Canada: Its first line ends with the word "grow," instead of "blow," a possible indication that McCrae was returning to work on his poem after its publication and during its fast-spreading fame.
The other three, copied from the manuscript circulated among his friends and colleagues, are found in diaries and correspondence of Andrew Macphail, Clare Gass and Edward William Archibald, McCrae's friends and colleagues in Canadian Army Medical Corps and the No. 3 Canadian General Hospital (fielded by McGill).
"The Canadian Commission for UNESCO and the Canada Memory of the World Advisory Committee are pleased to recognize the national significance of In Flanders Fields through its inscription on the Canada Memory of the World Register. These copies, one written in McCrae's own hand, highlight the humanity behind this now-iconic poem. In Flanders Field has had a profound influence on the commemoration of war in Canada and beyond. It is fitting that it be recognized in alignment with Remembrance Day, when so many Canadians commemorate the sacrifices of war while wearing a red poppy," said David Schimpky, Director of Secretariat, Canadian Commission for UNESCO.
More information about the four versions of the poem.
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