In Flanders Fields " In Flanders Fields " is a war poem in the form of a rondeau , written during the First World War by Canadian physician and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae . He was inspired to write it on May 3 , 1915 , after presiding over the funeral of friend and fellow soldier Alexis Helmer , who died in the Second Battle of Ypres . According to legend , fellow soldiers retrieved the poem after McCrae , initially unsatisfied with his work , discarded it . " In Flanders Fields " was first published on December 8 of that year in the London - based magazine " Punch " . It is one of the most popular and most quoted poems from the war . As a result of its immediate popularity , parts of the poem were used in propaganda efforts and appeals to recruit soldiers and raise money selling war bond s . Its references to the red poppies that grew over the graves of fallen soldiers resulted in the remembrance poppy becoming one of the world ' s most recognized memorial symbols for soldiers who have died in conflict . The poem and poppy are prominent Remembrance Day symbols throughout the Commonwealth of Nations , particularly in Canada , where " In Flanders Fields " is one of the nation ' s best known literary works . Background . John McCrae was a poet and physician from Guelph , Ontario . He developed an interest in poetry at a young age and wrote throughout his life . His earliest works were published in the mid - 1890s in Canadian magazines and newspapers . McCrae ' s poetry often focused on death and the peace that followed . At the age of 41 , McCrae enrolled with the Canadian Expeditionary Force following the outbreak of the First World War . He had the option of joining the medical corps due to his training and age , but volunteered instead to join a fighting unit as a gunner and medical officer . It was his second tour of duty in the Canadian military . He previously fought with a volunteer force in the Second Boer War . He considered himself a soldier first ; his father was a military leader in Guelph and McCrae grew up believing in the duty of fighting for his country and empire . McCrae fought in the second battle of Ypres in the Flanders region of Belgium where the German army launched one of the first chemical attacks in the history of war . They attacked the Canadian position with chlorine gas on April 22 , 1915 , but were unable to break through the Canadian line which held for over two weeks . In a letter written to his mother , McCrae described the battle as a " nightmare " : " For seventeen days and seventeen nights none of us have had our clothes off , nor our boots even , except occasionally . In all that time while I was awake , gunfire and rifle fire never ceased for sixty seconds . . . And behind it all was the constant background of the sights of the dead , the wounded , the maimed , and a terrible anxiety lest the line should give way . " Alexis Helmer , a close friend , was killed during the battle on May 2 . McCrae performed the burial service himself , at which time he noted how poppies quickly grew around the graves of those who died at Ypres . The next day , he composed the poem while sitting in the back of an ambulance . Poem . The first chapter of " In Flanders Fields and Other Poems " , a 1919 collection of McCrae ' s works , gives the text of the poem as follows : < poem > In Flanders fields the poppies blow Scarce heard amid the guns below . We are the Dead . Short days ago We lived , felt dawn , saw sunset glow , Take up our quarrel with the foe : To you from failing hands we throw We shall not sleep , though poppies grow As with his earlier poems , " In Flanders Fields " continues McCrae ' s preoccupation with death and how it stands as the transition between the struggle of life and the peace that follows . It is written from the point of view of the dead . It speaks of their sacrifice and serves as their command to the living to press on . As with many of the most popular works of the First World War , it was written early in the conflict , before the romanticism of war turned to bitterness and disillusion for soldiers and civilians alike . Publication . Cyril Allinson was a sergeant major in McCrae ' s unit . While delivering the brigade ' s mail , he watched McCrae as he worked on the poem , noting that McCrae ' s eyes periodically returned to Helmer ' s grave as he wrote . When handed the notepad , Allinson read the poem and was so moved he immediately committed it to memory . He described it as being " almost an exact description of the scene in front of us both " . According to tradition , McCrae was not satisfied with his work . It is said he crumpled the paper and threw it away . It was retrieved by a fellow member of his unit , either Edward Morrison or J . M . Elder , or Allinson himself . McCrae was convinced to submit the poem for publication . Another story of the poem ' s origin claimed that Helmer ' s funeral was actually held on the morning of May 2 after which McCrae wrote the poem in 20 minutes . A third claim , by Morrison , was that McCrae worked on the poem as time allowed between arrivals of wounded soldiers in need of medical attention . Regardless of its true origin , McCrae worked on the poem for months before considering it ready for publication . He submitted it to " The Spectator " in London , but it was rejected . It was then sent to " Punch " , where it was published on December 8 , 1915 . It was published anonymously , though " Punch " attributed the poem to McCrae in its year - end index . The word that ends the first line of the poem has been disputed . According to Allinson , the poem began with " In Flanders Fields the poppies grow " when first written . However , since McCrae ended a later line with the same word , " Punch " received permission to change the wording of the opening line to end with " blow " . McCrae himself used either word when making handwritten copies for friends and family . Questions over how the first line should end have endured since publication . Most recently , the Royal Canadian Mint was inundated with queries and complaints from those who believed the first line should end with " grow " when a design for the ten - dollar bill was released in 2001 that featured the first stanza of " In Flanders Fields " , ending the first line with " blow " . Popularity . According to Fussell , " In Flanders Fields " was the most popular poem of its era . McCrae received numerous letters and telegrams praising his work when he was revealed as the author . The poem was republished throughout the world , rapidly becoming synonymous with the sacrifice of the soldiers who died in the First World War . It was translated into numerous languages , so many that McCrae himself quipped that " it needs only Chinese now , surely " . Its appeal was nearly universal . Soldiers took encouragement from it as a statement of their duty to those who died while people on the home front viewed it as defining the cause for which their brothers and sons were fighting . It was often used for propaganda , particularly in Canada by the Unionist Party during the 1917 federal election amidst the Conscription Crisis . French Canadian s in Quebec were strongly opposed to the possibility of conscription , but English Canadian s voted overwhelmingly to support Prime Minister Robert Borden and the Unionist government . " In Flanders Fields " was said to have done more to " make this Dominion persevere in the duty of fighting for the world ' s ultimate peace than all the political speeches of the recent campaign " . McCrae , a staunch supporter of the empire and the war effort , was pleased with the effect his poem had on the election . He stated in a letter : " I hope I stabbed a [ French ] Canadian with my vote . " The poem was a popular motivational tool in Great Britain , where it was used to encourage soldiers fighting against Germany , and in the United States where it was reprinted across the country . It was one of the most quoted works during the war , used in many places as part of campaigns to sell war bond s , during recruiting efforts and to criticize pacifists and those who sought to profit from the war . American composer Charles Ives used " In Flanders Fields " as the basis for a song of the same name that premiered in 1917 . Historian Paul Fussell criticized the poem in his work " The Great War and Modern Memory " ( 1975 ) . He noted the distinction between the pastoral tone of the first nine lines and the " recruiting - poster rhetoric " of the third stanza . Describing it as " vicious " and " stupid " , Fussell called the final lines a " propaganda argument against a negotiated peace " . Legacy . McCrae was moved to the medical corps and stationed in Boulogne , France , in June 1915 where he was promoted to Lieutenant - Colonel , and placed in charge of medicine at the Number 3 Canadian General Hospital . He was promoted to the acting rank of Colonel on January 13 , 1918 , and named Consulting Physician to the British Armies in France . The years of war had worn McCrae down , however . He contracted pneumonia that same day , and later came down with cerebral meningitis . On January 28 , 1918 , he died at the military hospital in Wimereux and was buried there with full military honours . A book of his works , featuring " In Flanders Fields " was published the following year . " In Flanders Fields " has attained iconic status in Canada , where it is a staple of Remembrance Day ceremonies and may be the most well known literary piece among English Canadians . It has an official French adaptation , entitled " " , written by Jean Pariseau and used by the Canadian government in French and bilingual ceremonies . In addition to its appearance on the ten - dollar bill , the Royal Canadian Mint has released poppy - themed quarters on several occasions . A version minted in 2004 featured a red poppy in the centre and is considered the first multi - coloured circulation coin in the world . Among its uses in popular culture , the line " to you from failing hands we throw the torch , be yours to hold it high " has served as a motto for the Montreal Canadiens hockey club since 1940 . McCrae ' s birthplace in Guelph , Ontario has been converted into a museum dedicated to his life and the war . In Belgium , the In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres , named after the poem and devoted to the First World War , is situated in one of Flanders ' largest tourist areas . Despite its enduring fame , " In Flanders Fields " is often ignored by academics teaching and discussing Canadian literature . The poem is sometimes viewed as an anachronism ; It spoke of glory and honour in a war that has since become synonymous with the futility of trench warfare and the wholesale slaughter produced by 20th century weaponry . Nancy Holmes , professor at the University of British Columbia , speculated that its patriotic nature and usage as a tool for propaganda may have led literary critics to view it as a national symbol or anthem rather than a poem . Remembrance poppies . The red poppies that McCrae referred to had been associated with war since the Napoleonic Wars when a writer of that time first noted how the poppies grew over the graves of soldiers . The damage done to the landscape in Flanders during the battle greatly increased the lime content in the soil , leaving the poppy as one of the few plants able to grow in the region . Inspired by " In Flanders Fields " , American professor Moina Michael resolved at the war ' s conclusion in 1918 to wear a red poppy year - round to honour the soldiers who died in the war . Additionally , she wrote a poem in response called " We Shall Keep the Faith " . She distributed silk poppies to her peers and campaigned to have it adopted as an official symbol of remembrance by the American Legion . Madame E . Guérin attended the 1920 convention where the Legion supported Michael ' s proposal and was herself inspired to sell poppies in her native France to raise money for the war ' s orphans . In 1921 , Guérin sent poppy sellers to London ahead of Armistice Day , attracting the attention of Field Marshall Douglas Haig . A co - founder of The Royal British Legion , Haig supported and encouraged the sale . The practice quickly spread throughout the British Empire . The wearing of poppies in the days leading up to Remembrance Day remains popular in many areas of the Commonwealth of Nations , particularly Great Britain , Canada , and South Africa , and in the days leading up to ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand . External links . magazine