Remembrance Day

"They went with songs to the battle, they were young

Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them." 

~ Laurence Binyon, For The Fallen

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada. November 11th, 1918 marked the end of the First World War in Europe, and the date remains a day of commemoration here and in other parts of the world, even with other names, for the fallen of war. These shots are from Guelph, taken in July at Woodlawn Cemetery. A section of the cemetery is designated a military cemetery, with the stones in the traditional Commonwealth War Graves style that dates back to the Great War.

Guelph is where my father lives, and when I visited this summer I took photographs that I decided I'd hold onto for this date. This is the main war memorial in the city's core.

During my time there, I paid a visit to the Guelph Civic Museum, where among the items of local history was this hockey jersey for the Guelph Storm. On it is inscribed the poem In Flanders Fields. The author, John McCrae, was born in Guelph and grew up here. As a doctor, officer, and soldier, he went to the battlegrounds of Europe when the Great War broke out. He never came home, dying of pneumonia in France, where he is buried.

McCrae House is where he was born. The house has been turned into a museum in its own right, and it seems this is a place of pilgrimage for locals on November 11th. Here we have a view of the outside gardens with a memorial.

The interior features displays, artifacts, and panels on McCrae, his life, and times.

Back outside, here are two more views.

For my last shot today, a more recent shot of the War Memorial here in Ottawa, in silhouette. I will be down here today for the national services, and planning on visiting the War Museum afterwards. 

A Home Well Worth Preserving

Still in McCrae House, I'm carrying on with this visit. This uniform jacket is similar to those John McCrae would have worn in World War One. It is a Canadian Army Medical Corps uniform worn by Captain Trevor Bailie, circa 1918.

Some of McCrae's personal mementoes are displayed here- items like a pocket watch, bible, or mess kit.

McCrae would not see the end of the First World War, dying of pneumonia in France. He was buried with full military honours at Wimereux. The commanding general of the Canadian soldiers at the front, Arthur Currie, was in attendance, and McCrae's horse Bonfire was part of the procession, with the doctor's boots reversed in the stirrups as is tradition.

In the 1960s, a local effort got underway to save the house, which had long since been in other hands, from the wrecking ball. Out of the efforts of concerned citizens, McCrae House was restored and turned into what it is today, a museum honouring the man and his life. And today it is a national historic site.

This desk was used by the McCrae family at another address in the city after they had left this home. It has been added to the collection here.

Panels show a collage of McCrae's legacy, at home and around the world. His best known poem has transcended national boundaries in the century since his death.

I leave off with one last view outside the house. Thus ends my series on this road trip, which I hope you've enjoyed. I have the odd shot here and there in future posts, but starting tomorrow, I'm back on familiar ground.

The Birthplace Of The Poet

If you go to the Guelph Civic Museum, paying admission will also get you entrance to McCrae House, a few blocks away. This is the place where John McCrae was born, and it has been preserved as a museum dedicated to the life of the poet, doctor, and soldier who wrote In Flanders Fields. It was built in 1858, owned by the McCrae family from 1870-73, and bought by local citizens in 1966 with the intent to preserve it as a museum. 

The exterior is manicured with flowers and plants, plaques, and a memorial. My brother tells me that this is a gathering place on Remembrance Day.

The memorial here is to McCrae, including his most famous poem inscribed. John McCrae served in two wars- the South African War and then the First World War. He was in his forties when he died, something quite different from the young men in the trenches of Belgium and France that he would have seen dying, some half his age. His burial place is in Europe, along with so many other men who fought in what was supposed to be the war to end all wars.

Inside are displays and artifacts of McCrae and his family. They include photographs, poetry, and drawings from the man himself.

In between wars, McCrae traveled in 1910 as part of the group with Lord Grey, the governor general of the time, in the far north. McCrae documented the trip in photographs and in his journals. More from here tomorrow.