I'm a Canadian. That poem is the most loved and respected in Canada. It is recited every Remembrance Day. That's the poem that drew attention to the poppy and that is why we wear poppies every Remembrance Day.
We had to memorize this poem in school and would recite it every Remembrance Day during an assembly. You don't get people wearing poppies without Flanders Fields.
I can't, at 71, remember when I didn't know In Flanders Field and didn't follow the words in my mind. My grandfather joined the British Army at age 16 and was never questioned about his age as he stood six feet tall when most men at that time averaged 5'6". He fought at Ypres, was blinded by mustard gas and sent home until his sight returned and was then sent back to fight once more. After Armistace was declared on November 11, 1918, he stayed in France for a year helping to clean up the mess left behind. In my eyes, my Grampy has always been my hero. To you, Lieutenant McCrae, I lift my glass in honour and respect for you and those heroes who gave their lives on that field and were buried there in the soil of a foreign land and who would not allow these brave men to be forgotten.
In elementary school we learned the words of the poem. In high school we learned the history of the poem. As adults we understood the sacrifice behind the poem. This is as much a part of being Canadian as our flag.
I was in my 30s when i realized the intensity behind the last line. They might be surrounded by poppies/opium but it won't help them to sleep if we don't carry on.
While on vacation in Hawaii, my wife and I met a couple from Flanders. They asked if we knew where that was, and I said of course we do, we're Canadian. They said they love Canadians and have a parade every year. We kept in touch and when I told them that my great uncle, who was a Seaforth Highlander, died in France in WWI, they made a trip to visit his grave, leave flowers and sign the guestbook. It was the first time anyone had been to visit his grave and pay respects.
I have visited Canadian war cemeteries in Europe and the range of emotions is vast: deep sorrow, limitless thanks. The ages on the tombstones, young and old, really bring home the terrible cost of war.
That gave me the chills. What a wonderful experience and those people understood the sacrifice. I had two uncles that actually survived that war (Vimy Ridge) but had everlasting health issues from being hit with mustard gas.🇨🇦❤️🇨🇦❤️🇨🇦❤️ 🇨🇦 I am so proud of those guys.
When my children and I were in school there was always an assembly in the gymnasium. At 11 AM, a previously selected class would have the children recite "In Flanders Fields" and pictures of the younger grades had drawn of poppies placed on the gym walls. Older children were given a class assignment the week before Remembrance Day to talk to veterans. Then they would write about the veteran. Where they fought and their regiment, how they traveled to the country. Simple questions for kids. We live near an Air Force base. Although, my relatives that fought in WWII are now gone, the regiment is still here. Lest We Forget ❤️💐😞🇨🇦
Came here to say this. I remember having to memorize it as a small child, learning about what the poem meant, what the day meant. We stood in silence for an uncomfortable amount of time - whether it was 1m or 5, I don't know. Poppies and death all jumbled up in early memories. ❤
Finally!! So nice to hear this poem spoken the way it was meant. Not slavishly according to the rhyme scheme but carefully, emphasizing its meaning. Well done Leonard Cohen. You were the best.
You've stated exactly what I think every time I hear this poem recited. So many reciters seem to think that their task is done when they memorize the poem and then pump it out with every line having the exact same rhythm and expression. That is not the way to do it, as Leonard Cohen obviously knew!
😂😂 I’m sorry, but as a Canadian, asking if we knew this poem, is adorable 🥰. We all had to memorize it and are very proud of the late great Doctor John McRae.❤❤❤❤ It still makes me weep at 62 years old.
You are not alone in shedding tears! Another interesting Canadian involved in WW1 was Dr. R. Tait Mckenzie, who was part of the medical team working on wounded soldiers in England, and who, with a few of his colleagues of a similar age and outlook, developed alternative physio-therapies for working on damaged legs and arms, understanding that just lying on a cot was not going to "improve" the lives of wounded soldiers! Mckenzie later became famous for his war memorials. He was a classmate of another famous Canadian, Dr. James Naismith, who, in the post-war years, invented the game of basketball while teaching PhysEd in a US school. Where would we be without the brilliant "outside the box" thinkers of that and any era!
This poem is absolutely a standard in Canada and is read at just about every Remembrance Day ceremony across the country. What astounded me is when I was going through my father's belongings after his passing , I found a small notebook which was like a diary. Now my Father was on the opposite side of the war and had been conscripted at 17 to serve in the German Wehrmacht and was sent to Russia, where he managed to survive, then after being severely wounded , he recovered and was sent to the western front in Bastogne , Belgium . In his diary he had the poem In Flanders Fields written in German, the date on the page was 12 Nov 1944. I asked various relatives where he might have had heard or had seen the poem. To the best of anyone's knowledge the poem had been given to him by my Grandfather who had been a German artilleryman near Ypres in the First World War. Somehow and somewhere in Belgium 1917-18 my Grandfather obtained a copy , from my one surviving Aunt , she said that this poem had struck a very deep emotional cord with my Grandfather who said the man who had written the poem truly understood the tragedy and loss of war. This poem is universal and any soldier in whatever uniform or flag they fight under , understands its very poignant message. One thing that I do know is when my father surrendered to the British , the notebook which was initially confiscated from him was returned , by a Canadian Captain , with the comment, written on the bottom of the page and signed by the officer "good taste in literature"
Wow! What a beautiful story- one of the best I have ever heard. Thank you so much for taking the time to share it here- it touched me deeply. I want to write it out and keep it somewhere special. ❤ A fellow Canadian
@@reneedoiron7560 Thank you, Having served in the Canadian Army, when I found the notebook and read its contents made me sit back for min and made me really,really think about duty ,honour and what it is to be a soldier. All the young men( and women) that were lost and what sacrifices they all made. It really gives one clarity about how we as citizens behave as Canadians and who stands up to protect what we have.
@hansbehrmann8152 It sure does. What moved me most about your story was how it demonstrated that first and foremost we are fellow human beings, not Germans or Canadians or Russians, or supporters of one political party or another, etc. Your comment came at the perfect time because of my concern over what is happening in the US. It bolstered my faith in humanity and in my own ability to be compassionate. So thank you again. ❤️
I am a 61 year old Canadian. Learning about the wars and sacrifices Canadians made, making Remembrance Day posters and learning the Flanders Fields' poem were a big part of school in November right from the first grade. Older Canadians know it well, I hope it is still being taught.
It is read every November 11. It is read in schools, and every Canadian knows this poem. It is on our money, and without a doubt, it is in the hearts of us all. I taught my kids this poem when they were 2 and 3. They could recite it by heart when they were 4. With it we remember and will never forget, the one still alive and the one lost, the heros.😢
I know this beloved poem by heart and can still recite it easily but even to this day, it always brings tears to my eyes and catches in my throat as I recite it. I will always remember and love “In Flanders Fields”. It means so much to me and to my fellow Canadians. Thank you for taking the time to watch and listen to a recitation of our cherished Canadian poem. ❤️🌺🇨🇦
Every Canadian of my generation has heard this, in grade school and beyond. Remembrance day in Canada is still observed by a lot of people. " Lest We Forget " are not just words to me, and this poem is not just a poem, but a stark reminder.
When I was a child in Primary School I was given the task of reciting the Poem In Flanders Fields in the auditorium in front of the entire school on Remembrance Day. I am now 61. I currently have the poem on my Facebook page and we wear a poppy in honor of those lost. Remembrance Day is ingrained in every fiber of our being. Lest we Forget
It was because of this poem that the poppy became the symbol of Remembrance Day. The poem became popular in Britain and the U.S. for awhile, but of course in Canada it has never been forgotten. It's particularly symbolic because McCrae had to perform surgery on wounded (and often dying) soldiers, sometimes without anesthetics ---- and the poppy, of course, is the natural source of anesthetic morphine. It was seeing poppies growing on the battlefield outside his surgical tent, and reflecting on the irony that caused him to write the poem.
Well said, thank you. My Grandfather fought in WW1 in the 38th (Ottawa) Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (Army). He was one of the pitifully few to make it home in one piece. Growing up with him I realized that no one goes to war and returns home unwounded, physically or mentally. He always set a place at the head of the Easter and Christmas tables for comrades left afield, followed by a moment of silence.. I bless their memories.
@@coldlakealta4043 My parents were both French Canadians who served in the Canadian Air Force during WW2. He as a Lancaster bomber pilot, and she as an aircraft controller. They never spoke about the war, when I was a kid. My father died long ago, but my mother lived until just a few years ago. I only found out the extraordinary things she had done when a military honour guard appeared at her funeral. I subsequently learned the history of the Ferry Command, where women pilots brought the fighter planes and bombers made in Canada across the North Atlantic, evading German fighters all the way, but with no guns installed. They did some of the most dangerous flying imaginable. After the war, the male pilots got jobs with commercial airlines, but the women pilots (some of the best in the world) were not even considered. A few of them ended up working as bush pilots in the Canadian north, and I remember some of them from my childhood up there, since they were notoriously colourful characters. As a kid, it never occurred to me to ask my mom why she could easily recognize a particular airplane just by glancing at it in the sky, or from a tiny screen image of an old war movie.
Thank you for the background on the author. I spent a lot of time in Canada while growing up and still have relatives there. My grandparents left Europe for Canada with their young family. He was in the 72nd Seaforth Highlander's in France. He made it out but with mustard gas in his lungs.
@@philpaine3068 There is a very good documentary about the British air pilots that flew the Lancaster. I found it very sad that pilots that flew those planes, after following orders to carpet bomb cities in Germany, were made to feel like murderers instead of heroes. I cried for them. You would think the British public would of been grateful to them for the powerful role they played in ending the war. Many never spoke about being a pilot on those particular planes because of how people reacted to them. Your mother would have known the price they paid when so few would return after a run. So many in that documentary were still very hurt by the way they were looked down on and made to feel guilty while also having to come to terms with the loss of friends and what they had to do. I wish I could remember the name of the documentary. It would give you real insight into how your dad probably felt and maybe why they didn't speak about it. The women who flew all the planes WERE some of the best in the world and probably better than the men who got the jobs as the women knew how to fly all the different types of planes and the men usually were either on bombers or fighter pilots and didn't fly each others planes. There's a great documentary about those women as well and both documentaries have live interviews.
@@joycenorthwind6874 Thankyou very much for this knowledgeable and sensitive comment. In Canada, there is a popular television series called "Heritage Minutes." These are one-minute long tributes to remarkable individuals in Canadian history. They are very well produced, often with talented actors portraying these historical characters in dramatized form. One of these Heritage Minutes was about Elsie MacGill, known as the "Queen of the Hurricanes." She was the first woman to earn a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering, and oversaw the production of Hawker Hurricane fighter planes in Canada. In the little dramatized segment, she brushes aside the condescending question of a reporter with an abrupt "I do what engineers do." Lancaster bombers were also produced in Canada in great numbers, at a factory/airbase in Toronto that still exists, though now it is primarily used to host huge rock concerts. Some were sent disassembled by ship, but that risked losing many at a time to U-boats, so the alternative was to have women pilots "ferry" them across the arctic wastes and the North Atlantic, dodging German fighters along the way. I don't think there was the same negative attitude in Canada towards the bomber pilots, but in general, I've found that WW2 veterans who saw real action seldom brought it up or boasted about their exploits. The greatest example of this was probably Léo Major, a Canadian soldier from Montreal who liberated an entire Dutch city single-handedly, among a long list of spectacular heroic deeds, and then never once mentioned any of them to his wife and four kids ---- who only found out many years later when a delegation from the Netherlands came over to invite them to a parade in his honour. He lived very quietly, working as a pipe-fitter, and died in 2008.
The first time that this poem held REAL meaning to me is when I laid the legion wreath at the memorial in a small town in Saskatchewan while I was still in the military. I was dressed in my ceremonial military uniform (DEU's) and had the thought of several of my unit members that were serving in deployments out of country. I actually had a tear in my eye thinking that perhaps someone might be laying a wreath in my memory since I was in the service at the time. According to my girlfriend's father, the entire front row of WWII vets snapped to attention and saluted as I stepped back and saluted the monument. In the legion afterwards, they told me stories of basic training, and moments they had while in service. Several stories they had never told anyone else. My girlfriend sat in awe as her grandfather told me, a complete stranger to him, stories that he had kept quiet about for 50+ years. She later asked me why he and his friends told me such stories, and I said it is because we had similar experiences (basic training, weapons training etc) and we had very similar mindsets (since I also stepped up and joined the military) and had common ground. Probably also because I hadn't asked things to 'glorify' war or combat. I was also surprised at the many commonalities between their basic training and mine, many things hadn't changed. The thought of that day still brings a tear to my eye.
Your girlfriend got a rare gift when she got to hear a little about her grandfather's time during the war. Mine couldn't speak about it. Thank you for your service.
@joycenorthwind6874 yes she did, and there were so many stories left untold for obvious reasons. I think so did her father, but I think he knew that there were stories that he wasn't told, and he knew why he hadn't heard them.
Canadian children learn this poem in grade school, I'm 59 years old, still know it word for word, my uncle served for 5 years in WWII in England, The Netherlands and France, I have a picture of him in a foxhole in Normandy, he's a hero in my family, luckily he made it home after the war, many didn't come home, we wear the poppy for them. My uncle passed away 3 years ago at the age of 92. RIP Pte Paul Gauthier, Princess Patricia Light Infantry. Thank you to all of our Canadian heroes 🇨🇦
everything about that poem is part of who we are as Canadians. Between 2001-2006, On the Canadian 10 dollar bill, part of the Canadian Journey Series, is a portrait of Prime Minister John A MacDonald. On the back, includes a dove, the Canadian War Memorial with a male Master Corporal, a female Naval officer and retired senior citizen with a boy and a girl. Beside the poppies in the lower left corner are lines from Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae’s poem, In Flanders Fields and its French adaptation, Au champ d’honneur, by Jean Pariseau. There are four schools named after John MacRae that I know of in Ontario. John McCrae Public School in Guelph, John McCrae Public School in Markham, John McCrae Senior Public School in Toronto, and John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa. John MacRae was born in Guelph, Ontario. The house he was born in is a National Historic Site. John MacRae pased away in January 1918 from pneumonia and meningitis. John McCrae was buried with full military honours in Wimereux Cemetery, just north of Boulogne, not far from the fields of Flanders. In part because of the poem's popularity, the poppy was adopted as the Flower of Remembrance for the war dead of Britain, France, the United States, Canada and other Commonwealth countries.
I had to memorize it in school. Have heard it 100s of times. Lt Col John McCrae was from Guelph and was a medical surgeon in WW I. He died 1n 1918 in Boulogne-sur Mer, France. The poem was written by him and was published in Punch (1915?) There is a memorial museum to him and the poem near Ypres, Belgium. He was in the Boer war in 1900.
As a Canadian.. it has been my experience that as a child we learned and recited this poem every year days before November 11th.. so that on Remembrance Day we could recite this poem from memory at our school assembly or at the closest Cenotaph to the school.. to the public.. town leaders.. the soldiers and members of military that attended the tribute and ceremony.... that takes place each year on this day. Most Canadians can recite this poem as well as our national anthem.. and it has been ingrained upon us as Canadian citizens the importance of the meaning and history this has to our beloved nation!!! We feel so much respect to those who have served, and who now continue to serve!!! 🥰🍁🍁🍁
I'm heading out in a couple of hours to attend my 43rd consecutive Remembrance Day service. It's cold and rainy here in Halifax, Canada, but that is a trivial inconvenience compared to the sacrifices of those that fell in service to our country. As long as I can move and draw breath, I'll attend - and remember. (35-year Canadian veteran).
Awww, this gives me chills everytime. Will be saying it tomorrow again. As a Veteran's wife, I've been saying it for almost 5 decades and still will do it as long as I can.
He wrote it at the Battle of 2nd Ypres April 1915. My grandfather in the Seaforths out of Vancouver was declared MIA 3 times before they found him, lost most of his left leg and 90% of the function in his right arm(luckily was left handed). Also suffered lung damage, was invalided to Nottinghamshire where he met my future grandmother. Came back to Vancouver, they married when she followed several years later, and had three sons. He was 19 at Ypres, died suddenly at 46 although he looked 30 years older. I've always wondered if he went through that field hospital where the poem was written. This recitation by Leonard Cohen is by far the best. Thank you for doing this.
I was born and raised in Toronto. I attended John McCrae Senior Public school (a junior high school for grades 7 and 8) '79 through '81. Our school took Remembrance Day seriously, as I'm sure every other school did in the day. The poem was, of course, ingrained in us.
My nephew died while serving in Afghanistan, leaving behind a young wife and 3 small children. His picture stands in my kitchen where I see it every day, with 'in Flanders Field' beside it. Today at the cenetaph (Nov 11) it was read well and the 50+ grade school kids who were there were mouthing the words as it was spoken into the mike. Made me cry.
Asking if Canadians know the words to this is like asking if we know the words to "O Canada". Went to school in the 90s and early 00s we had to memorize this and say it every year in the Remembrance Day assembles. When i was in gr 10 my vocal music teacher actually put the words to music and we sang this as part of the assembly been almost 25 yrs but still sing it in honour of those who served and died for our country. Lest we forget. Thank you for watching this, and for learning more about Canada.
As a veteran, I've given presentations on Remembrance Day in schools, so, yes, to everyone uncertain and commenting below, the poem is still taught in Canadian schools. That's something.
As a senior, in my day at school, we learned four things: to sing God Save the Queen and to sing O Canada. And to recite: The Lord's Prayer and In Flanders Fields for public recital on November 11th, Remembrance Day (in Canada).
@@jujube8067O Canada, yes. In Flanders Fields, yes. No, my kids don't sing God Save the King (which we are a sovereign nation, so) and no to the Lord's Prayer, because school is public and we aren't a theocracy.
Tomorrow will be a difficult day for most of our veterans. I appreciate it means more to citizens now than the poem we memorized and most slow down and take stock. My daughter grew up with fourteen incredible young men all choosing to serve. Each year during leave, they'd all bane together for a long weekend of camping in Algonquin. In a matter of two years only one survives and what's happened to them can't be expressed here. Please appreciate the losses and families sacrifices, the POWs that can't process how they survived. Tomorrow is painful for many.
Colonel John McCrae was born and grew up in Guelph, Ontario. His former home is now a museum in his honour, which is open to the public. It's a cute little house, with a lovely garden, where you can get tea and have a sit, in the summer months. Part of the garden is set up as a memorial, and there is a ceremony there every November 11th. It's a lovely spot, just across the road from the Royal City Park, which has the Speed River flowing through it. It's worth a visit, if you are in the area. Guelph is about an hour west of Toronto. You may find that you hear he is from Montreal. That is because he attended McGill University, and it is where he was living when he signed up to serve his country.
Grade 4 for my daughter and I think the same for me. Every person knows this. I still can recite it. Fun fact -part of it was part of the Montreal Canadians dressing room. Inscribed along one wall - ' ...to you, from failing hands,we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high...' When they moved from the Forum into Bell Centre that piece of wall was removed and installed in the new arena. We take Flander's Fields very seriously. We all know it.
My grandfather served as a chaplain during World War Two. He was already a Salvation Army clergyman at the time and was a major in the Army. They kept his rank in the military and was responsible for R & R for the Canadian troops. He never spoke to his grandkids about it, my mom did. So much respect for those who do, especially in wartime.
From kindergarten on every Canadian kid learns this poem in school it is recited at remembrance day assemblies public ceremonies it is entrenched deep in our hearts
I'm Canadian, so definitely know this poem, and what it means. Leonard Cohen is Canadian and his recitation is probably the best I have ever heard. H nailed it, with all the respect and honour needed. Thank you.
As a Canadian, I learned this poem by heart in primary school. We recited it every Remembrance Day. It is beautiful, but so very sad. I’m 70 years old now.
Every year around Remembrance Day, the entire school would congregate in the gymnasium and there would be a ceremony with the entire school reciting that poem at the end of the service.
We were required to learn this poem when I was in school. I’m in my late 70s now and I can still recite it word for word. It is a very moving poem. Thank you for reacting to this poem especially at this time of year. 👏👏🥰🇨🇦
My name is Lorraine, I am 89 yrs old. I learned this poem years ago when I was in school. If I hear the beginning i remember the rest. Nowadays, it brings tears to my eyes. Two world wars and many other wars and still wars occur. Will this ever end?
As my grandma was dying of dementia, she started to recite “In Flanders Fields.” Her mind took her back in time and this was something that was important to her. She was born shortly after WW1. She would recite a certain section of it, so my daughter recited it during her funeral. Every time I hear the poem, it has a dual purpose for me. ❤
As a Canadian senior I have recited this poem many times in school every year on Nov 11 th. As an adult it is recited at Remembrance Day Ceremonies . It is a staple in our country. That was only one verse , there are three verses , it is a beautiful poem.
I grew up hearing this yearly. My dad would recite it to us and we heard it in school. Growing up in a family full of folks who fought in both world wars and others we were taught to respect the day and those who served.
School children ( and others) recite this every year for Nov 11th - Remembrance Day, here in Canada. It is as beautiful and haunting, as a poem can be. I agree, Leonard Cohen is the best ever, reciting it.
Dr. John McCrea was a Canadian Military Doctor - who wrote this poem the morning after having seen his closest friends killed in the trenches of the War. EVERY Canadian school child knows this poem by heart by the time they are in Grade 4. Just like we know the lyrics to "God Save The Queen" (as it was through most of my life). Though the US'ers make a big hairy deal of their participation in the War - they actually had no intention of joining the Allies - and despite Churchill's pleas - refused to join us. They were resolute in staying OUT of the War. Until Pearl Harbour happened. THEN they joined. But 'til then - it was the CANADIAN soldiers who were the fierce fighters and carried the day and liberated so many towns and villages from the Nazis. Canada also hid the members of Dutch royalty here in Canada during the years of the War - for which we were gifted millions of tulips - and we have tulip festivals across the country every year in the Spring - to commemorate the ties we have with Holland/The Neterlands. There is another poem we learn - "This Was My Brother At Dunkirk" - that will make you cry. The Canadian soldiers were among the fiercest and best-trained in the world. Every year - up 'til the mid-'70s - Canada beat the pants off the US teams in the international war games trials. We don't wear our patriotism on our sleeves the way the US'ers do - waving our flag everywhere, and boasting about our accomplishments. But - we are patriotic, just the same. Scratch one of us and see . . . LOL
FYI..This is from World War 1. I agree that the US had the same mentality, though, as they joined both world wars after they had been going on a few years and they were forced to (same as they do today, unfortunately). But In Flanders Field had nothing to do with Churchill or Pearl Harbour.
During WWII the Americans stayed out of the war at first. However despite it being illegal (congress had forbidden anything that would be considered taking a side), The president (Eisenhower?), sent people to Camp X in Ontario for training in military intelligence. The Americans could have stayed out of the European theater and just concentrated on the Japanese but didn't. An aside, before the start and at the beginning of the war the Japanese ambassador to Germany was signing letters of entry to allow Jewish people to leave Germany. He was recalled because of this. While on the train back to Japan he continued to sign them. Japan did many horrible things during the war, this at least is a very minor redemption
James Doohan who played Scotty on TV's "Star Trek" was in Canadian Military with the Artillery and was shot several times and injuried (loosing middle finger) , in chest (cigarette case saving him) and in legs . This happened on D-Day on Juneau Beach . Later he would fly aircraft in Air Force. I was in Canadian Armed Forces for 22 years and while posted to Germany me and a buddy travelled through France and along the Normandy Coast - Vimy Ridge which is a war memorial site dedicated to the memory of Canadian soldiers killed in first World War (my buddy's uncle was one of soldiers buried there) , plus other sites including Juneau Beach (which now has a museum in 2003 ) but when I visited there was only a sign on the beach. Also Omaha Beach where American soldiers that died are buried. We then continued north to Holland(Netherlands ) where Canadians are treated like royalty because Canadians liberated so many towns and villages there.
Being raised in Quebec, we did not hear it (maybe in french) but I don't recall That being said, it did give me chills down the spine!!!! Remembrance day is 11 / 11 and at 11:11 am on the 11 day of the 11 month there's a silence moment
John McCrae wrote this on the battlefield between surgeries during the first world war. I don't know if they still do it but it was recited and taught to kids in school all through K-6. It is played on Canadian air waves, t.v., radio, every year on Remembrance Day.
Somebody here said they do, and that he participates in it every year. I live next door to a school and they always have a holiday. In fact all government employees do.
If you grew up in Canada you would have recited it every Remembrance Day on November 11th in school, you probably would have heard it at many Remembrance Day ceremonies as well.
Every Canadian has heard this poem. It's been set to music and is sung every year at the Remembrance Day services at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, by the Ottawa Children's Choir. It always brings chills, and I teared up just listening to the recitation in this video. This poem is part of Canada's national identity. Mert, if you want to experience another aspect of Remembrance Day in Canada, watch the ceremony from Parliament Hill. It's live on TV on the 11th, but there are probably clips of it on TH-cam. The part to pay attention to is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The official wreath-laying takes place in front of the Tomb, but when the official part of everything is over, it's customary for the public to lay their poppies on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, to express respect and gratitude to the veterans. This isn't an official part of the program, but some years ago one person did it as a spontaneous gesture (since poppies are to be removed after the ceremony). Next thing anyone knew, the Tomb was covered in poppies. This has continued every year since then.
My wife’s great uncle was a stretcher bearer and one of the first 500 of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment (the Blue Puttees). He was at Gallipoli and Beaumont Hamel. He lived to be 102 yrs old. His name was Abe Mullet.
This poem is part of all Remembrance Day ceremonies in Canada, at all schools and at Cenotaphs. We usually study the poems, colour pictures with the poem and recite the poem while at school.
I can't speak for everywhere, but here in Kitchener-Waterloo, my kids learned this poem in school. and that's over the last 2 to 10 years. So it's still held very dear to us...as it should. Lest we forget.
I'm a 76 year old Canadian. I learned this poem when I was a schoolboy. Canadians are well aware of this poem. Another poem you should check out is High Flight written by a young Canadian airman who was training for the Battle of Britain. Unfortunately , he was killed in a training accident.
Yes, I know this poem and have heard it at all Remembrance Day ceremonies I have attended. It is also engraved on marble in the Canadian parliament and I found it very emotional to read with my own eyes. Living in France for 20 years now and going to attend the ceremony tomorrow. Happy that my 16-year-old son is coming with me. He knows it is important.
It was engraved on stone in the entrance foyer of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, where McCrae was a surgeon before going to war. As a student nurse there, I would stop to read the familiar, much loved poem, and contemplate the doctor who saw so much horror that he was driven to write those words. ❤
The line about the torch being thrown nd breaking faith with the fallen, resonates loudly in the ears of every CAF member. Every kid in the country memorizes this poem at some point, and if you want to know why Canadian war fighters are a different breed, they can't break the faith with those boys in that field.
Every Remembrance day it is read at all ceremonies. I memorized and recited it solo on stage at a service when I was 11. My father fought in WW2 that is why I was chosen.
Thank you for this Mert! This poem is almost sacred in Canada. We all learn it in school - when I was a kid we always had a ceremony at school and this poem was always recited. I’m 76 and old now and it still makes me cry. Also I just love Leonard Cohen! I got to see him live once and he was fabulous. Love from 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦.
My sisters and I attended John McCrae Public School in Windsor, Ontario. (public school meaning kindergarten to grade 6 in Canada). Yes, we learned 'In Flanders Fields' at a very young age. The McCrae family owned and restored Eilean Donan Castle, near Dornie in north-west Scotland.
That is a an important part of our Remembrance Day history. One comment regarding Cohen’s reading, was spot on. It is intended to be recited in that particular way, to put emphasis where McCrea meant it to be. It truly guides me to reflect on the sacrifices made for our rights and freedoms. Those who complain about their rights and freedoms being infringed upon clearly have no experience of the real lack of rights and freedoms. But they surely would have if they lived in many other places in this world. We owe so much to those who have fought and died for us, and those who returned who live with the horrors they witness.
My grandfather was in the first worldwar Vimi Ridge. He was hit three times by German machine gun two on the left side of his body and once through the left bicep. He always wore a white T-shirt sailor cut under his shirt. I never saw him without it except one time and right away, I noticed the scars and I asked him about them. He said in the most typical Canadian way, Oh that happened in the war, and that was it. He put his T-shirt on, and I never saw him without it on again. I had to ask my father about it to find out. He was very nearly killed. Starting in grade one all the way through grade 13 we recited that poem, learned it by heart and then learned its history.
I'm Canadian from Ontario and we learned that poem in public school when we were wee kids and it's a poem I've never forgotten ...and I'm in my 70's now.. I'm an Admin on a site of my town and I just put a version of the poem on my site that was written out with a drawing of a soldier ,kneeling at a grave...then I came across your version of it...both beautiful.
My 6 year old just memorized it for school. I doubt there is any Canadian who isn't at least aware of the poem. Most of us are familiar and some of us know off by heart. I think if in a crowd of Canadians you read the first part, "In Flanders fields the poppies blow", a chorus of "Between the crosses row on row" would ring out.
As a Canadian, this is particularly moving. We memorized this in grade 4 (age 9) and it as much a part of Remembrance Day as the poppies we wear and the playing of taps. It is interesting to hear that these words affect you as well.
We grew up with that poem. We all learned it in school. I don’t know if they still teach that beautiful poem. I can’t believe more countries don’t know that poem.
I had the honour in grade 8, as a representative of our city’s schools, to recite In Flanders Fields at the November 11th ceremony held outdoors at the city’s cenotaph. My father was a Korean War veteran, and my grandfather fought in WW1. I think that was part of the reason I was chosen. This was in 1971. He never said so but I’m sure my dad was proud of me that day. I had the privilege of honouring him and other Canadian servicemen when I visited the National War Museum in Seoul, South Korea in 2012. It’s sad to think that all these decades later North Korean soldiers are on the doorstep of Europe helping Russia attack a democratic country. Wars never end, they only take pauses. 😢
This poem is why we wear poppies for Remembrance Day. We all have this memorised in elementary school. I went to McRae's alma mater, the University of Toronto, and the poem is memorialised in stunning stained glass in the Hart House bell tower.
I've lived in the UK now for nearly 18 years, and on this past Remembrance Sunday, when we stood in silence for two minutes in a public event, I was silently reciting the poem in my head. As a Canadian, it is one of the most powerful pieces of literature ever produced by my country. All children learn it in November and, through reading a lot of the comments below, I see that it is something that stays with people all through their lives.
"In Flanders Fields" is so important to Canadians that we printed it on the back of our $10 bill. Every Canadian knows this poem, particularly anyone who is from a military family like myself. I think this poem truly epitomizes the sacrifices made by those soldiers in WW1. It makes me feel reverent and humble
I’m 🇨🇦. It was as an adult that I truly read this. I cried. I thought of all our soldiers who have carried the torch down through the years. May we never break faith 🙏
LEST WE FORGET--REMEMBER THE ANIMALS The pigeon, the dog and the mighty horse all part of regiments in the war's course. Even the cats were down in the trench purring comfort in that awful stench. Mankind often forgets they were there and the many crosses these animals bare. These fine creatures helped the war staying with soldiers in the bloody gore. So think of animals on this Remembrance Day In the moment of silence...think where they lay
Being from Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae's hometown, Guelph, Ontario myself, this poem was recited every Remembrance day and we wore poppies from as long as I can remember. My father was proud member of the Royal Canadian legion, branch 234 (Guelph), that serves our veterans and military.
Of course I've heard it, it was WRITTEN by a Canadian WW1 soldier, and taught in every school in Canada since WW1. It is WHY Commonwealth countries WEAR the Poppy on 11 November.
I live in Guelph, Ontario - the town where John McCrae lived. The McCrae house museum is the scene for solemn Remembrance Day ceremonies every year on November 11. You'll still see a number of Canadian wearing red poppy pins this time of year - combination remembrance and fund raiser for the legion. Not as much these days, but when I was a kid back in the 50's, you'd be ashamed to be walking about without your poppy pin.
"Canadian" has a different definition these days......and schools teach NOTHING about Canada's place in History......just Gender and 'woke' BS. Just as most Canadians know NOTHING about the bloodiest war in Canadian History, the war of 1812-1815, when the Americans INVADED....and we beat them back. Not too many tours any more of the Niagara battlefields, Queenston Heights and Lundy's Lane....the Brock Monunent.....or....even Fort York in Toronto. sad. 🤔
I'm a Canadian. That poem is the most loved and respected in Canada. It is recited every Remembrance Day. That's the poem that drew attention to the poppy and that is why we wear poppies every Remembrance Day.
Asking a Canadian if they’ve heard Flanders Field is like asking if we’ve heard of hockey.
Well said.
This sums it up. We're taught this poem as kids. It is everywhere around Remembrance Day. An excerpt even used to be printed on our $10 bills.
We had to memorize this poem in school and would recite it every Remembrance Day during an assembly.
You don't get people wearing poppies without Flanders Fields.
Lol true story. As soon as I hear the title my mind starts reciting it
I can't, at 71, remember when I didn't know In Flanders Field and didn't follow the words in my mind. My grandfather joined the British Army at age 16 and was never questioned about his age as he stood six feet tall when most men at that time averaged 5'6". He fought at Ypres, was blinded by mustard gas and sent home until his sight returned and was then sent back to fight once more. After Armistace was declared on November 11, 1918, he stayed in France for a year helping to clean up the mess left behind. In my eyes, my Grampy has always been my hero. To you, Lieutenant McCrae, I lift my glass in honour and respect for you and those heroes who gave their lives on that field and were buried there in the soil of a foreign land and who would not allow these brave men to be forgotten.
In elementary school we learned the words of the poem. In high school we learned the history of the poem. As adults we understood the sacrifice behind the poem. This is as much a part of being Canadian as our flag.
Our flag of today - minus the maple leaf - was used as ID markings on our tanks in WWII.
Well said.
I would say even more so than the flag because this poem has been recited for more than 100 years where our flag is only 60 years old.
I was in my 30s when i realized the intensity behind the last line. They might be surrounded by poppies/opium but it won't help them to sleep if we don't carry on.
Absolutley right!
While on vacation in Hawaii, my wife and I met a couple from Flanders. They asked if we knew where that was, and I said of course we do, we're Canadian. They said they love Canadians and have a parade every year. We kept in touch and when I told them that my great uncle, who was a Seaforth Highlander, died in France in WWI, they made a trip to visit his grave, leave flowers and sign the guestbook. It was the first time anyone had been to visit his grave and pay respects.
Respect
I have visited Canadian war cemeteries in Europe and the range of emotions is vast: deep sorrow, limitless thanks. The ages on the tombstones, young and old, really bring home the terrible cost of war.
That gave me the chills. What a wonderful experience and those people understood the sacrifice. I had two uncles that actually survived that war (Vimy Ridge) but had everlasting health issues from being hit with mustard gas.🇨🇦❤️🇨🇦❤️🇨🇦❤️ 🇨🇦 I am so proud of those guys.
What a great story.❤
This brought me to tears.
In my day, every kid learned this by memory in school. ❤️🇨🇦
When my children and I were in school there was always an assembly in the gymnasium. At 11 AM, a previously selected class would have the children recite "In Flanders Fields" and pictures of the younger grades had drawn of poppies placed on the gym walls.
Older children were given a class assignment the week before Remembrance Day to talk to veterans.
Then they would write about the veteran. Where they fought and their regiment, how they traveled to the country. Simple questions for kids.
We live near an Air Force base.
Although, my relatives that fought in WWII are now gone, the regiment is still here.
Lest We Forget ❤️💐😞🇨🇦
We didn't have to memorize it, but we all knew it. Know it.
Came here to say this. I remember having to memorize it as a small child, learning about what the poem meant, what the day meant. We stood in silence for an uncomfortable amount of time - whether it was 1m or 5, I don't know. Poppies and death all jumbled up in early memories. ❤
We still do.
I can easily recite it. On the visor of my car I have St. Christopher and a poppy
Haunting. I'm Canadian and I too memorized this poem in school and recited it every Remembrance Day. Proud of my Scottish heritage!
❤️ Same for me!
Finally!! So nice to hear this poem spoken the way it was meant. Not slavishly according to the rhyme scheme but carefully, emphasizing its meaning. Well done Leonard Cohen. You were the best.
You've stated exactly what I think every time I hear this poem recited. So many reciters seem to think that their task is done when they memorize the poem and then pump it out with every line having the exact same rhythm and expression. That is not the way to do it, as Leonard Cohen obviously knew!
The rhythm helps our minds to remember it, so it has its place. But Leonard always makes me cry, whether singing or reciting.
This poem is why poppies are used as the symbol of Remembrance Day
😂😂 I’m sorry, but as a Canadian, asking if we knew this poem, is adorable 🥰. We all had to memorize it and are very proud of the late great Doctor John McRae.❤❤❤❤ It still makes me weep at 62 years old.
Me too! Big buckets full!
The "I'm Sorry" is the typical response of any Canadian.✌✌✌
@@sheiladodds4186 yes, it is! Some stereotypes are true! Good catch
👍 60 yrs old 🇨🇦
You are not alone in shedding tears! Another interesting Canadian involved in WW1 was Dr. R. Tait Mckenzie, who was part of the medical team working on wounded soldiers in England, and who, with a few of his colleagues of a similar age and outlook, developed alternative physio-therapies for working on damaged legs and arms, understanding that just lying on a cot was not going to "improve" the lives of wounded soldiers! Mckenzie later became famous for his war memorials. He was a classmate of another famous Canadian, Dr. James Naismith, who, in the post-war years, invented the game of basketball while teaching PhysEd in a US school. Where would we be without the brilliant "outside the box" thinkers of that and any era!
This poem is absolutely a standard in Canada and is read at just about every Remembrance Day ceremony across the country. What astounded me is when I was going through my father's belongings after his passing , I found a small notebook which was like a diary. Now my Father was on the opposite side of the war and had been conscripted at 17 to serve in the German Wehrmacht and was sent to Russia, where he managed to survive, then after being severely wounded , he recovered and was sent to the western front in Bastogne , Belgium . In his diary he had the poem In Flanders Fields written in German, the date on the page was 12 Nov 1944. I asked various relatives where he might have had heard or had seen the poem. To the best of anyone's knowledge the poem had been given to him by my Grandfather who had been a German artilleryman near Ypres in the First World War. Somehow and somewhere in Belgium 1917-18 my Grandfather obtained a copy , from my one surviving Aunt , she said that this poem had struck a very deep emotional cord with my Grandfather who said the man who had written the poem truly understood the tragedy and loss of war. This poem is universal and any soldier in whatever uniform or flag they fight under , understands its very poignant message. One thing that I do know is when my father surrendered to the British , the notebook which was initially confiscated from him was returned , by a Canadian Captain , with the comment, written on the bottom of the page and signed by the officer "good taste in literature"
Wow! What a beautiful story- one of the best I have ever heard. Thank you so much for taking the time to share it here- it touched me deeply. I want to write it out and keep it somewhere special.
❤
A fellow Canadian
@@reneedoiron7560 Thank you, Having served in the Canadian Army, when I found the notebook and read its contents made me sit back for min and made me really,really think about duty ,honour and what it is to be a soldier. All the young men( and women) that were lost and what sacrifices they all made. It really gives one clarity about how we as citizens behave as Canadians and who stands up to protect what we have.
@hansbehrmann8152 It sure does. What moved me most about your story was how it demonstrated that first and foremost we are fellow human beings, not Germans or Canadians or Russians, or supporters of one political party or another, etc. Your comment came at the perfect time because of my concern over what is happening in the US. It bolstered my faith in humanity and in my own ability to be compassionate.
So thank you again.
❤️
In regards to this poem that's the most beautiful story I've ever heard.
@liveandwrite I agree.
Respect to all of our service members , both for today and in the past. THANK YOU for your service
Thanks for doing it. It means alot to Canadians.
I am 72 yrs old now. I learned this poem by heart in school. I still cry every time I heard it or recite it.
I am a 61 year old Canadian. Learning about the wars and sacrifices Canadians made, making Remembrance Day posters and learning the Flanders Fields' poem were a big part of school in November right from the first grade. Older Canadians know it well, I hope it is still being taught.
It is still an important poem that is recited during every Remembrance Day celebration in school.
Every Canadian child must memorize and recite this poem in front of their classmate’s. as it should be.
Not anymore. 😢
used to, not today
It is read every November 11. It is read in schools, and every Canadian knows this poem. It is on our money, and without a doubt, it is in the hearts of us all. I taught my kids this poem when they were 2 and 3. They could recite it by heart when they were 4. With it we remember and will never forget, the one still alive and the one lost, the heros.😢
I know this beloved poem by heart and can still recite it easily but even to this day, it always brings tears to my eyes and catches in my throat as I recite it. I will always remember and love “In Flanders Fields”. It means so much to me and to my fellow Canadians. Thank you for taking the time to watch and listen to a recitation of our cherished Canadian poem. ❤️🌺🇨🇦
Every Canadian of my generation has heard this, in grade school and beyond. Remembrance day in Canada is still observed by a lot of people. " Lest We Forget " are not just words to me, and this poem is not just a poem, but a stark reminder.
Remembrance Day is still huge in this country. We won't forget those who laid down their lives.
When I was a child in Primary School I was given the task of reciting the Poem In Flanders Fields in the auditorium in front of the entire school on Remembrance Day. I am now 61. I currently have the poem on my Facebook page and we wear a poppy in honor of those lost. Remembrance Day is ingrained in every fiber of our being. Lest we Forget
It was because of this poem that the poppy became the symbol of Remembrance Day. The poem became popular in Britain and the U.S. for awhile, but of course in Canada it has never been forgotten. It's particularly symbolic because McCrae had to perform surgery on wounded (and often dying) soldiers, sometimes without anesthetics ---- and the poppy, of course, is the natural source of anesthetic morphine. It was seeing poppies growing on the battlefield outside his surgical tent, and reflecting on the irony that caused him to write the poem.
Well said, thank you. My Grandfather fought in WW1 in the 38th (Ottawa) Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (Army). He was one of the pitifully few to make it home in one piece. Growing up with him I realized that no one goes to war and returns home unwounded, physically or mentally. He always set a place at the head of the Easter and Christmas tables for comrades left afield, followed by a moment of silence.. I bless their memories.
@@coldlakealta4043 My parents were both French Canadians who served in the Canadian Air Force during WW2. He as a Lancaster bomber pilot, and she as an aircraft controller. They never spoke about the war, when I was a kid. My father died long ago, but my mother lived until just a few years ago. I only found out the extraordinary things she had done when a military honour guard appeared at her funeral. I subsequently learned the history of the Ferry Command, where women pilots brought the fighter planes and bombers made in Canada across the North Atlantic, evading German fighters all the way, but with no guns installed. They did some of the most dangerous flying imaginable. After the war, the male pilots got jobs with commercial airlines, but the women pilots (some of the best in the world) were not even considered. A few of them ended up working as bush pilots in the Canadian north, and I remember some of them from my childhood up there, since they were notoriously colourful characters. As a kid, it never occurred to me to ask my mom why she could easily recognize a particular airplane just by glancing at it in the sky, or from a tiny screen image of an old war movie.
Thank you for the background on the author. I spent a lot of time in Canada while growing up and still have relatives there. My grandparents left Europe for Canada with their young family. He was in the 72nd Seaforth Highlander's in France. He made it out but with mustard gas in his lungs.
@@philpaine3068 There is a very good documentary about the British air pilots that flew the Lancaster. I found it very sad that pilots that flew those planes, after following orders to carpet bomb cities in Germany, were made to feel like murderers instead of heroes. I cried for them. You would think the British public would of been grateful to them for the powerful role they played in ending the war. Many never spoke about being a pilot on those particular planes because of how people reacted to them. Your mother would have known the price they paid when so few would return after a run. So many in that documentary were still very hurt by the way they were looked down on and made to feel guilty while also having to come to terms with the loss of friends and what they had to do. I wish I could remember the name of the documentary. It would give you real insight into how your dad probably felt and maybe why they didn't speak about it. The women who flew all the planes WERE some of the best in the world and probably better than the men who got the jobs as the women knew how to fly all the different types of planes and the men usually were either on bombers or fighter pilots and didn't fly each others planes. There's a great documentary about those women as well and both documentaries have live interviews.
@@joycenorthwind6874 Thankyou very much for this knowledgeable and sensitive comment. In Canada, there is a popular television series called "Heritage Minutes." These are one-minute long tributes to remarkable individuals in Canadian history. They are very well produced, often with talented actors portraying these historical characters in dramatized form. One of these Heritage Minutes was about Elsie MacGill, known as the "Queen of the Hurricanes." She was the first woman to earn a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering, and oversaw the production of Hawker Hurricane fighter planes in Canada. In the little dramatized segment, she brushes aside the condescending question of a reporter with an abrupt "I do what engineers do." Lancaster bombers were also produced in Canada in great numbers, at a factory/airbase in Toronto that still exists, though now it is primarily used to host huge rock concerts. Some were sent disassembled by ship, but that risked losing many at a time to U-boats, so the alternative was to have women pilots "ferry" them across the arctic wastes and the North Atlantic, dodging German fighters along the way.
I don't think there was the same negative attitude in Canada towards the bomber pilots, but in general, I've found that WW2 veterans who saw real action seldom brought it up or boasted about their exploits. The greatest example of this was probably Léo Major, a Canadian soldier from Montreal who liberated an entire Dutch city single-handedly, among a long list of spectacular heroic deeds, and then never once mentioned any of them to his wife and four kids ---- who only found out many years later when a delegation from the Netherlands came over to invite them to a parade in his honour. He lived very quietly, working as a pipe-fitter, and died in 2008.
The first time that this poem held REAL meaning to me is when I laid the legion wreath at the memorial in a small town in Saskatchewan while I was still in the military. I was dressed in my ceremonial military uniform (DEU's) and had the thought of several of my unit members that were serving in deployments out of country. I actually had a tear in my eye thinking that perhaps someone might be laying a wreath in my memory since I was in the service at the time. According to my girlfriend's father, the entire front row of WWII vets snapped to attention and saluted as I stepped back and saluted the monument. In the legion afterwards, they told me stories of basic training, and moments they had while in service. Several stories they had never told anyone else. My girlfriend sat in awe as her grandfather told me, a complete stranger to him, stories that he had kept quiet about for 50+ years.
She later asked me why he and his friends told me such stories, and I said it is because we had similar experiences (basic training, weapons training etc) and we had very similar mindsets (since I also stepped up and joined the military) and had common ground. Probably also because I hadn't asked things to 'glorify' war or combat. I was also surprised at the many commonalities between their basic training and mine, many things hadn't changed.
The thought of that day still brings a tear to my eye.
That is so moving, thank you.
Thank you and thank you for your service.
Thank you for writing that. We are fortunate to have you protecting us.
Your girlfriend got a rare gift when she got to hear a little about her grandfather's time during the war. Mine couldn't speak about it. Thank you for your service.
@joycenorthwind6874 yes she did, and there were so many stories left untold for obvious reasons. I think so did her father, but I think he knew that there were stories that he wasn't told, and he knew why he hadn't heard them.
Canadian children learn this poem in grade school, I'm 59 years old, still know it word for word, my uncle served for 5 years in WWII in England, The Netherlands and France, I have a picture of him in a foxhole in Normandy, he's a hero in my family, luckily he made it home after the war, many didn't come home, we wear the poppy for them. My uncle passed away 3 years ago at the age of 92. RIP Pte Paul Gauthier, Princess Patricia Light Infantry. Thank you to all of our Canadian heroes 🇨🇦
The poem always brings tears to my eyes
Absolutely! VERY much so!
everything about that poem is part of who we are as Canadians. Between 2001-2006, On the Canadian 10 dollar bill, part of the Canadian Journey Series, is a portrait of Prime Minister John A MacDonald. On the back, includes a dove, the Canadian War Memorial with a male Master Corporal, a female Naval officer and retired senior citizen with a boy and a girl. Beside the poppies in the lower left corner are lines from Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae’s poem, In Flanders Fields and its French adaptation, Au champ d’honneur, by Jean Pariseau. There are four schools named after John MacRae that I know of in Ontario. John McCrae Public School in Guelph, John McCrae Public School in Markham, John McCrae Senior Public School in Toronto, and John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa. John MacRae was born in Guelph, Ontario. The house he was born in is a National Historic Site.
John MacRae pased away in January 1918 from pneumonia and meningitis. John McCrae was buried with full military honours in Wimereux Cemetery, just north of Boulogne, not far from the fields of Flanders. In part because of the poem's popularity, the poppy was adopted as the Flower of Remembrance for the war dead of Britain, France, the United States, Canada and other Commonwealth countries.
Your recollection is perfect. "WE will remember THEM"
John A Macdonald no capital D it is important
@@alpearson9158 ... Aye, it is, indeed.
I had to memorize it in school. Have heard it 100s of times. Lt Col John McCrae was from Guelph and was a medical surgeon in WW I. He died 1n 1918 in Boulogne-sur Mer, France. The poem was written by him and was published in Punch (1915?) There is a memorial museum to him and the poem near Ypres, Belgium. He was in the Boer war in 1900.
As a Canadian.. it has been my experience that as a child we learned and recited this poem every year days before November 11th.. so that on Remembrance Day we could recite this poem from memory at our school assembly or at the closest Cenotaph to the school.. to the public.. town leaders.. the soldiers and members of military that attended the tribute and ceremony.... that takes place each year on this day. Most Canadians can recite this poem as well as our national anthem.. and it has been ingrained upon us as Canadian citizens the importance of the meaning and history this has to our beloved nation!!! We feel so much respect to those who have served, and who now continue to serve!!! 🥰🍁🍁🍁
So many of us revere this poem and know it by heart!
I'm heading out in a couple of hours to attend my 43rd consecutive Remembrance Day service. It's cold and rainy here in Halifax, Canada, but that is a trivial inconvenience compared to the sacrifices of those that fell in service to our country. As long as I can move and draw breath, I'll attend - and remember. (35-year Canadian veteran).
Thank you for your service
Awww, this gives me chills everytime. Will be saying it tomorrow again. As a Veteran's wife, I've been saying it for almost 5 decades and still will do it as long as I can.
He wrote it at the Battle of 2nd Ypres April 1915. My grandfather in the Seaforths out of Vancouver was declared MIA 3 times before they found him, lost most of his left leg and 90% of the function in his right arm(luckily was left handed). Also suffered lung damage, was invalided to Nottinghamshire where he met my future grandmother. Came back to Vancouver, they married when she followed several years later, and had three sons. He was 19 at Ypres, died suddenly at 46 although he looked 30 years older. I've always wondered if he went through that field hospital where the poem was written.
This recitation by Leonard Cohen is by far the best. Thank you for doing this.
I was born and raised in Toronto. I attended John McCrae Senior Public school (a junior high school for grades 7 and 8) '79 through '81. Our school took Remembrance Day seriously, as I'm sure every other school did in the day. The poem was, of course, ingrained in us.
My nephew died while serving in Afghanistan, leaving behind a young wife and 3 small children. His picture stands in my kitchen where I see it every day, with 'in Flanders Field' beside it. Today at the cenetaph (Nov 11) it was read well and the 50+ grade school kids who were there were mouthing the words as it was spoken into the mike. Made me cry.
I'm a Canadian and I can honestly say I know this poem by heart. In fact, we had to recite it in school every November.
Asking if Canadians know the words to this is like asking if we know the words to "O Canada". Went to school in the 90s and early 00s we had to memorize this and say it every year in the Remembrance Day assembles. When i was in gr 10 my vocal music teacher actually put the words to music and we sang this as part of the assembly been almost 25 yrs but still sing it in honour of those who served and died for our country.
Lest we forget.
Thank you for watching this, and for learning more about Canada.
This poem hits even harder if you have lost someone in service to their country,
RIP Lt. Justin G. Boyes.
As a veteran, I've given presentations on Remembrance Day in schools, so, yes, to everyone uncertain and commenting below, the poem is still taught in Canadian schools. That's something.
Thank you for your service!
I hope they never stop teaching this beautiful poem in our schools!
Yes! For sure! Thanks for telling us !
As a senior, in my day at school, we learned four things: to sing God Save the Queen and to sing O Canada. And to recite: The Lord's Prayer and In Flanders Fields for public recital on November 11th, Remembrance Day (in Canada).
In my day too. I doubt they sing God Save The King or even O Canada anymore, and I know they don’t recite The Lord’s Prayer..
Remembrance services would be incompletewithout this poem. C hoirs sing it now.
@@jujube8067O Canada, yes. In Flanders Fields, yes. No, my kids don't sing God Save the King (which we are a sovereign nation, so) and no to the Lord's Prayer, because school is public and we aren't a theocracy.
None of my schools had prayer involved. Public schools.
We also sang "The Maple Leaf Forever" long forgotten by most now I guess. I loved that song.
Tomorrow will be a difficult day for most of our veterans.
I appreciate it means more to citizens now than the poem we memorized and most slow down and take stock.
My daughter grew up with fourteen incredible young men all choosing to serve. Each year during leave, they'd all bane together for a long weekend of camping in Algonquin. In a matter of two years only one survives and what's happened to them can't be expressed here.
Please appreciate the losses and families sacrifices, the POWs that can't process how they survived. Tomorrow is painful for many.
Yes, very painful.
Thank you for bringing not only this great poem, but Leonard Cohen to those who are not familiar. We are proud of both.
Colonel John McCrae was born and grew up in Guelph, Ontario. His former home is now a museum in his honour, which is open to the public. It's a cute little house, with a lovely garden, where you can get tea and have a sit, in the summer months. Part of the garden is set up as a memorial, and there is a ceremony there every November 11th. It's a lovely spot, just across the road from the Royal City Park, which has the Speed River flowing through it. It's worth a visit, if you are in the area. Guelph is about an hour west of Toronto. You may find that you hear he is from Montreal. That is because he attended McGill University, and it is where he was living when he signed up to serve his country.
And there is a lovely memorial to him at the Guelph cemetery as well at the family plot.
Grade 4 for my daughter and I think the same for me. Every person knows this. I still can recite it. Fun fact -part of it was part of the Montreal Canadians dressing room. Inscribed along one wall - ' ...to you, from failing hands,we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high...' When they moved from the Forum into Bell Centre that piece of wall was removed and installed in the new arena.
We take Flander's Fields very seriously. We all know it.
Thank you for playing this. I love the respect you show for canada.
My grandfather served as a chaplain during World War Two. He was already a Salvation Army clergyman at the time and was a major in the Army. They kept his rank in the military and was responsible for R & R for the Canadian troops. He never spoke to his grandkids about it, my mom did. So much respect for those who do, especially in wartime.
I am a daughter of Veterans and a Mother of a Veteran...My Grand children know that poem, Im 70
From kindergarten on every Canadian kid learns this poem in school it is recited at remembrance day assemblies public ceremonies it is entrenched deep in our hearts
The most memorable and moving poem that we had the fortune to appreciate within our curriculum.
I'm Canadian, so definitely know this poem, and what it means. Leonard Cohen is Canadian and his recitation is probably the best I have ever heard. H nailed it, with all the respect and honour needed. Thank you.
We all learned it in elementary school. All of us.
As a Canadian, I learned this poem by heart in primary school. We recited it every Remembrance Day. It is beautiful, but so very sad. I’m 70 years old now.
Every year around Remembrance Day, the entire school would congregate in the gymnasium and there would be a ceremony with the entire school reciting that poem at the end of the service.
We were required to learn this poem when I was in school. I’m in my late 70s now and I can still recite it word for word. It is a very moving poem. Thank you for reacting to this poem especially at this time of year. 👏👏🥰🇨🇦
Thank you for honouring this poem. It's always wonderful when people learn it was written by a Canadian. ❤🇨🇦
My name is Lorraine, I am 89 yrs old. I learned this poem years ago when I was in school. If I hear the beginning i remember the rest. Nowadays, it brings tears to my eyes. Two world wars and many other wars and still wars occur. Will this ever end?
As my grandma was dying of dementia, she started to recite “In Flanders Fields.” Her mind took her back in time and this was something that was important to her. She was born shortly after WW1. She would recite a certain section of it, so my daughter recited it during her funeral. Every time I hear the poem, it has a dual purpose for me. ❤
As a Canadian senior I have recited this poem many times in school every year on Nov 11 th. As an adult it is recited at Remembrance Day Ceremonies . It is a staple in our country. That was only one verse , there are three verses , it is a beautiful poem.
I grew up hearing this yearly. My dad would recite it to us and we heard it in school. Growing up in a family full of folks who fought in both world wars and others we were taught to respect the day and those who served.
School children ( and others) recite this every year for Nov 11th - Remembrance Day, here in Canada. It is as beautiful and haunting, as a poem can be. I agree, Leonard Cohen is the best ever, reciting it.
I felt so much honour being one of the people who got to recite it at a Remembrance Day assembly.
Dr. John McCrea was a Canadian Military Doctor - who wrote this poem the morning after having seen his closest friends killed in the trenches of the War. EVERY Canadian school child knows this poem by heart by the time they are in Grade 4. Just like we know the lyrics to "God Save The Queen" (as it was through most of my life). Though the US'ers make a big hairy deal of their participation in the War - they actually had no intention of joining the Allies - and despite Churchill's pleas - refused to join us. They were resolute in staying OUT of the War. Until Pearl Harbour happened. THEN they joined. But 'til then - it was the CANADIAN soldiers who were the fierce fighters and carried the day and liberated so many towns and villages from the Nazis. Canada also hid the members of Dutch royalty here in Canada during the years of the War - for which we were gifted millions of tulips - and we have tulip festivals across the country every year in the Spring - to commemorate the ties we have with Holland/The Neterlands.
There is another poem we learn - "This Was My Brother At Dunkirk" - that will make you cry. The Canadian soldiers were among the fiercest and best-trained in the world. Every year - up 'til the mid-'70s - Canada beat the pants off the US teams in the international war games trials. We don't wear our patriotism on our sleeves the way the US'ers do - waving our flag everywhere, and boasting about our accomplishments. But - we are patriotic, just the same. Scratch one of us and see . . . LOL
FYI..This is from World War 1. I agree that the US had the same mentality, though, as they joined both world wars after they had been going on a few years and they were forced to (same as they do today, unfortunately). But In Flanders Field had nothing to do with Churchill or Pearl Harbour.
During WWII the Americans stayed out of the war at first. However despite it being illegal (congress had forbidden anything that would be considered taking a side), The president (Eisenhower?), sent people to Camp X in Ontario for training in military intelligence. The Americans could have stayed out of the European theater and just concentrated on the Japanese but didn't. An aside, before the start and at the beginning of the war the Japanese ambassador to Germany was signing letters of entry to allow Jewish people to leave Germany. He was recalled because of this. While on the train back to Japan he continued to sign them. Japan did many horrible things during the war, this at least is a very minor redemption
Different wars.
@@liveandwrite THE SAME sentiment prevailed for WW I, AND WW II. The US Presidents had an ISOLATIONIST mindset.
Wrong war.
James Doohan who played Scotty on TV's "Star Trek" was in Canadian Military with the Artillery and was shot several times and injuried (loosing middle finger) , in chest (cigarette case saving him) and in legs . This happened on D-Day on Juneau Beach . Later he would fly aircraft in Air Force. I was in Canadian Armed Forces for 22 years and while posted to Germany me and a buddy travelled through France and along the Normandy Coast - Vimy Ridge which is a war memorial site dedicated to the memory of Canadian soldiers killed in first World War (my buddy's uncle was one of soldiers buried there) , plus other sites including Juneau Beach (which now has a museum in 2003 ) but when I visited there was only a sign on the beach. Also Omaha Beach where American soldiers that died are buried. We then continued north to Holland(Netherlands ) where Canadians are treated like royalty because Canadians liberated so many towns and villages there.
We know it by heart.
Being raised in Quebec, we did not hear it (maybe in french) but I don't recall
That being said, it did give me chills down the spine!!!!
Remembrance day is 11 / 11 and at 11:11 am on the 11 day of the 11 month there's a silence moment
Yes, we're silent for 2 minutes.
John McCrae wrote this on the battlefield between surgeries during the first world war. I don't know if they still do it but it was recited and taught to kids in school all through K-6. It is played on Canadian air waves, t.v., radio, every year on Remembrance Day.
Somebody here said they do, and that he participates in it every year. I live next door to a school and they always have a holiday. In fact all government employees do.
If you grew up in Canada you would have recited it every Remembrance Day on November 11th in school, you probably would have heard it at many Remembrance Day ceremonies as well.
Every Canadian has heard this poem. It's been set to music and is sung every year at the Remembrance Day services at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, by the Ottawa Children's Choir.
It always brings chills, and I teared up just listening to the recitation in this video.
This poem is part of Canada's national identity.
Mert, if you want to experience another aspect of Remembrance Day in Canada, watch the ceremony from Parliament Hill. It's live on TV on the 11th, but there are probably clips of it on TH-cam. The part to pay attention to is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The official wreath-laying takes place in front of the Tomb, but when the official part of everything is over, it's customary for the public to lay their poppies on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, to express respect and gratitude to the veterans.
This isn't an official part of the program, but some years ago one person did it as a spontaneous gesture (since poppies are to be removed after the ceremony). Next thing anyone knew, the Tomb was covered in poppies. This has continued every year since then.
My wife’s great uncle was a stretcher bearer and one of the first 500 of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment (the Blue Puttees). He was at Gallipoli and Beaumont Hamel. He lived to be 102 yrs old. His name was Abe Mullet.
This poem is part of all Remembrance Day ceremonies in Canada, at all schools and at Cenotaphs. We usually study the poems, colour pictures with the poem and recite the poem while at school.
We used to recite this poem as children for Remembrance Day. I'm in my 60s, and I don't know if they still do that today.
I don’t know if they still do but 12 years ago when my daughter was in grade 1 her class learned it to recite at the Remembrance Day assembly
@@momocrafts7151 I'm so happy to hear this!
@@karenseeley6174 My younger cousins said they still have to memorize it in elementary school
I can't speak for everywhere, but here in Kitchener-Waterloo, my kids learned this poem in school. and that's over the last 2 to 10 years. So it's still held very dear to us...as it should.
Lest we forget.
I'm a 76 year old Canadian. I learned this poem when I was a schoolboy. Canadians are well aware of this poem. Another poem you should check out is High Flight written by a young Canadian airman who was training for the Battle of Britain. Unfortunately , he was killed in a training accident.
Yes, I know this poem and have heard it at all Remembrance Day ceremonies I have attended.
It is also engraved on marble in the Canadian parliament and I found it very emotional to read with my own eyes.
Living in France for 20 years now and going to attend the ceremony tomorrow. Happy that my 16-year-old son is coming with me. He knows it is important.
It was engraved on stone in the entrance foyer of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, where McCrae was a surgeon before going to war. As a student nurse there, I would stop to read the familiar, much loved poem, and contemplate the doctor who saw so much horror that he was driven to write those words. ❤
The line about the torch being thrown nd breaking faith with the fallen, resonates loudly in the ears of every CAF member. Every kid in the country memorizes this poem at some point, and if you want to know why Canadian war fighters are a different breed, they can't break the faith with those boys in that field.
Yes.
Too right! We will NEVER break faith.
Every Remembrance day it is read at all ceremonies. I memorized and recited it solo on stage at a service when I was 11. My father fought in WW2 that is why I was chosen.
Thank you for this Mert! This poem is almost sacred in Canada. We all learn it in school - when I was a kid we always had a ceremony at school and this poem was always recited. I’m 76 and old now and it still makes me cry.
Also I just love Leonard Cohen! I got to see him live once and he was fabulous.
Love from 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦.
Like every Canadian here, I too memorized this in school, and hear it every year at Remembrance Day services. In sixty years, it has not grown old....
My sisters and I attended John McCrae Public School in Windsor, Ontario. (public school meaning kindergarten to grade 6 in Canada). Yes, we learned 'In Flanders Fields' at a very young age. The McCrae family owned and restored Eilean Donan Castle, near Dornie in north-west Scotland.
That is a an important part of our Remembrance Day history. One comment regarding Cohen’s reading, was spot on. It is intended to be recited in that particular way, to put emphasis where McCrea meant it to be. It truly guides me to reflect on the sacrifices made for our rights and freedoms. Those who complain about their rights and freedoms being infringed upon clearly have no experience of the real lack of rights and freedoms. But they surely would have if they lived in many other places in this world. We owe so much to those who have fought and died for us, and those who returned who live with the horrors they witness.
My grandfather was in the first worldwar Vimi Ridge. He was hit three times by German machine gun two on the left side of his body and once through the left bicep. He always wore a white T-shirt sailor cut under his shirt. I never saw him without it except one time and right away, I noticed the scars and I asked him about them. He said in the most typical Canadian way, Oh that happened in the war, and that was it. He put his T-shirt on, and I never saw him without it on again. I had to ask my father about it to find out. He was very nearly killed.
Starting in grade one all the way through grade 13 we recited that poem, learned it by heart and then learned its history.
I'm Canadian from Ontario and we learned that poem in public school when we were wee kids and it's a poem I've never forgotten ...and I'm in my 70's now.. I'm an Admin on a site of my town and I just put a version of the poem on my site that was written out with a drawing of a soldier ,kneeling at a grave...then I came across your version of it...both beautiful.
My 6 year old just memorized it for school. I doubt there is any Canadian who isn't at least aware of the poem. Most of us are familiar and some of us know off by heart. I think if in a crowd of Canadians you read the first part, "In Flanders fields the poppies blow", a chorus of "Between the crosses row on row" would ring out.
True.
As a Canadian, this is particularly moving. We memorized this in grade 4 (age 9) and it as much a part of Remembrance Day as the poppies we wear and the playing of taps. It is interesting to hear that these words affect you as well.
We grew up with that poem. We all learned it in school. I don’t know if they still teach that beautiful poem. I can’t believe more countries don’t know that poem.
We learned this in school, and I still know it by heart. It always gives me chills.
I had the honour in grade 8, as a representative of our city’s schools, to recite In Flanders Fields at the November 11th ceremony held outdoors at the city’s cenotaph. My father was a Korean War veteran, and my grandfather fought in WW1. I think that was part of the reason I was chosen. This was in 1971. He never said so but I’m sure my dad was proud of me that day.
I had the privilege of honouring him and other Canadian servicemen when I visited the National War Museum in Seoul, South Korea in 2012. It’s sad to think that all these decades later North Korean soldiers are on the doorstep of Europe helping Russia attack a democratic country. Wars never end, they only take pauses. 😢
This poem is why we wear poppies for Remembrance Day. We all have this memorised in elementary school. I went to McRae's alma mater, the University of Toronto, and the poem is memorialised in stunning stained glass in the Hart House bell tower.
We had to memorize and repeat this poem every November while I was in elementary school.
I am 80 years old and I remember learning this poem in elementary school.
I'm 65; same.
I remember learning this poem in school, maybe the first thing I learned. “The al larks still bravely singing fly”. Love that line
We learned it in school.🇨🇦
I've lived in the UK now for nearly 18 years, and on this past Remembrance Sunday, when we stood in silence for two minutes in a public event, I was silently reciting the poem in my head. As a Canadian, it is one of the most powerful pieces of literature ever produced by my country. All children learn it in November and, through reading a lot of the comments below, I see that it is something that stays with people all through their lives.
Every Canadian knows this poem practically by heart. Its also sung every November 11 th for Remembrance day by the a childrens choir in Ottawa.
Yes I learned this poem in school, and someone usually recites it during Rememberance Day services. There is also a Heritage Minute about John McCrae.
I knew that poem before I could even read. Still know how important it truly is as well. Our hero’s rest easy, as we guard and keep them alive! 🇨🇦🖖🏻🇨🇦
"In Flanders Fields" is so important to Canadians that we printed it on the back of our $10 bill. Every Canadian knows this poem, particularly anyone who is from a military family like myself. I think this poem truly epitomizes the sacrifices made by those soldiers in WW1. It makes me feel reverent and humble
I’m 🇨🇦. It was as an adult that I truly read this. I cried. I thought of all our soldiers who have carried the torch down through the years. May we never break faith 🙏
LEST WE FORGET--REMEMBER THE ANIMALS
The pigeon, the dog and the mighty horse
all part of regiments in the war's course.
Even the cats were down in the trench
purring comfort in that awful stench.
Mankind often forgets they were there
and the many crosses these animals bare.
These fine creatures helped the war
staying with soldiers in the bloody gore.
So think of animals on this Remembrance Day
In the moment of silence...think where they lay
So often forgotten. They didn't ask for a war.
A lot of people don't know that there is actually more to this poem, but this is the part we all recite on Remembrance Day in Canada.
Yes, and same thing with O’Canada.
Being from Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae's hometown, Guelph, Ontario myself, this poem was recited every Remembrance day and we wore poppies from as long as I can remember. My father was proud member of the Royal Canadian legion, branch 234 (Guelph), that serves our veterans and military.
Of course I've heard it, it was WRITTEN by a Canadian WW1 soldier, and taught in every school in Canada since WW1. It is WHY Commonwealth countries WEAR the Poppy on 11 November.
This poem is a Canadian staple for Remembrance Day. As a Canadian, we hear it every year, and are intensely proud of it!
I live in Guelph, Ontario - the town where John McCrae lived. The McCrae house museum is the scene for solemn Remembrance Day ceremonies every year on November 11. You'll still see a number of Canadian wearing red poppy pins this time of year - combination remembrance and fund raiser for the legion. Not as much these days, but when I was a kid back in the 50's, you'd be ashamed to be walking about without your poppy pin.
"Canadian" has a different definition these days......and schools teach NOTHING about Canada's place in History......just Gender and 'woke' BS. Just as most Canadians know NOTHING about the bloodiest war in Canadian History, the war of 1812-1815, when the Americans INVADED....and we beat them back. Not too many tours any more of the Niagara battlefields, Queenston Heights and Lundy's Lane....the Brock Monunent.....or....even Fort York in Toronto. sad. 🤔
Also from Guelph …at this time of year we always have a poppy pinned to our lapel. I wish people would honour all our vets past, present,and future.
@@airborne63 No one here wants to read your political vitriol.
@@hilariousname6826 OH, you mean 'the truth"?.....FACTS are real, YOUR opinion....isn't.