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Four question quiz that could be done as a discussion starter about women's impact in the military.

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Since the beginning of U.S. history, women have risked everything to serve their country, whether as spies, nurses, workers on the homefront, or soldiers in male disguise. Only recently did the U.S. military begin allowing women to serve officially. Are the following true or false?

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Great 2 minute video overview of what Veterans Day is and why it's celebrated. Created by History Channel.

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Short informative article that explains the significance and ceremony associated with this special place.

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This short 3 stanza iconic poem from WWI would be a great guided reading and discussion starter.

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by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Inspiration for "In Flanders Fields"

During the early days of the Second Battle of Ypres a young Canadian artillery officer, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, was killed on 2 May, 1915 in the gun positions near Ypres. An exploding German artillery shell landed near him. He was serving in the same Canadian artillery unit as a friend of his, the Canadian military doctor and artillery commander Major John McCrae.

As the brigade doctor, John McCrae was asked to conduct the burial service for Alexis because the chaplain had been called away somewhere else on duty that evening. It is believed that later that evening, after the burial, John began the draft for his now famous poem "In Flanders Fields".

For the story behind the inspiration for "In Flanders Fields", see our page at:

Inspiration for In Flanders Fields

Related Topics

The Story Behind the Remembrance Poppy

Also known as "The Poppy Lady" find out how this poem inspired the American teacher, Moina Belle Michael, to write a poem in response to "In Flanders Fields". Discover how she and Frenchwoman Madame Anna Guérin, known as "The French Poppy Lady", encouraged people to use the red Flanders poppy as a way of remembering those who had suffered in war, and how the Flanders Poppy became the symbol of remembrance that we know so well today:

The Story Behind the Remembrance Poppy

Essex Farm Advanced Dressing Station, Ypres

Find out more about the battlefield location where the poem is believed to have been composed on the evening of 2 May 1915.
Essex Farm Advanced Dressing Station, Ypres Salient
Related Reading

In Flanders Fields

by Linda Granfield

The story of John McCrae's World War I poem interweaves the poet's words with information about the war, details of daily life in the trenches, accounts of McCrae's experience in his field hospital, and the circumstances that contributed to the poem's creation.

A Crown of Life - The World of John McCrae

by Dianne Graves

The words of John McCrae, a soldier, doctor and poet, are called to mind every year on 11 November. It was his poem, In Flanders Fields, that was the inspiration for the poppy as a symbol of remembrance. This book charts the story of his life.

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by John McCrae, May 1915 In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead.

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Inspiration for John McCrae's WW1 poem - In Flanders Fields

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Inspiration for John McCrae's WW1 poem - In Flanders Fields

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Brief information about poet John McCrae and his fellow soldier who inspired the piece, plus information about Flanders Field as it is today.

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It is thought that doctor John McCrae (30 November 1872 - 28 January 1918) began the draft for his famous poem "In Flanders Fields" on the evening of the 2 May, 1915 in the second week of fighting during the Second Battle of Ypres.

John McCrae was serving as a Major and a military doctor and was second in command of the 1st Brigade Canadian Field Artillery. The field guns of his brigade's batteries were in position on the west bank of the Ypres-Yser canal, about two kilometres north of Ypres. The brigade had arrived there in the early hours of 23 April 1915.

It is believed that the death of his friend, Alexis Helmer, was the inspiration for McCrae's poem "In Flanders Fields". The exact details of when the first draft was written may never be known because there are various accounts by those who were with McCrae at that time.

One account says that he was seen writing the poem the next day, sitting on the rear step of an ambulance while looking at Helmer's grave and the vivid red poppies that were springing up amongst the graves in the burial ground.

Another account says that McCrae was so upset after Helmer's burial that he wrote the poem in twenty minutes in an attempt to compose himself.

A third account by his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Morrison, states that John told him he drafted the poem partly to pass the time between the arrival of two groups of wounded at the first aid post and partly to experiment with different variations of the poem's metre.

The Death of Lieutenant Alexis Helmer

Lieutenant Alexis Helmer was an officer in the 2nd Battery, 1st Brigade Canadian Field Artillery. He had become good friends with John McCrae. On the morning of Sunday 2 May Alexis left his dugout and was killed instantly by a direct hit from an 8 inch German shell. What body parts could be found were later gathered into sandbags and laid in an army blanket for burial that evening.

Alexis was 22 years old and a popular young officer. Before the outbreak of war he had graduated from McGill University with a degree in Civil Engineering. He was the son of Elizabeth I. Helmer of 122, Gilmour Street, Ottawa, and the late Brigadier General R. A. Helmer.

Near to the 1st Canadian Brigade's position on the canal bank there was a small burial ground which had originally been established by the French Army in the autumn of 1914, the previous year, during the First Battle of Ypres. Several months later the Second Battle of Ypres began on 22 April 1915. By early May 1915 the burial ground contained the graves of French and Canadian Army casualties. It became known as Essex Farm British Military Cemetery, after the farm in the vicinity named as Essex Farm on British military maps.

Lieutenant Helmer was buried on 2 May. In the absence of the chaplain, Major John McCrae conducted a simple service at the graveside, reciting from memory some passages from the Church of England's "Order of Burial of the Dead". A wooden cross marked the burial place. The grave has since been lost. Lieutenant Alexis Helmer is now commemorated on Panel 10 of the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Ypres; he is one of the 54,896 soldiers who have no known grave in the battlefields of the Ypres Salient.

The Burial Ground at Essex Farm

Lieutenant Colonel Morrison wrote about the small burial ground where Alexis Helmer was originally buried in May 1915:

"A couple of hundred yards away, there was the headquarters of an infantry regiment and on numerous occasions during the sixteen day battle, we saw how they crept out to bury their dead during lulls in the fighting. So the rows of crosses increased day after day, until in no time at all it had become quite a sizeable cemetery. Just as John described it, it was not uncommon early in the morning to hear the larks singing in the brief silences between the bursts of the shells and the returning salvos of our own nearby guns." ⁽³⁾

Publication of "In Flanders Fields"

During 1915 John McCrae sent the poem to The Spectator magazine. It was not published and was returned to him. It was, however, published in Punch magazine on 8 December 1915.

The version of the first line in the December 1915 publication of the poem in Punch magazine has the word "blow". McCrae did also use the word "grow" in the first line in other handwritten and printed versions.

"In Flanders Fields"

Read the poem:
"In Flanders Fields" Poem
Related Topics

Essex Farm Military Cemetery

Find out more about how the cemetery developed from the early days of May 1915 when John McCrae was there. The remains of later concrete dressing station bunkers can still be seen there today.

Essex Farm Military Cemetery

The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, Ypres

Find out more about the famous British memorial to the many thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers who have no known grave in the Ypres Salient, and who are named on this memorial:

The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing

Second Battle of Ypres, April-May 1915

Major John McCrae was second in command of the 1st Brigade Canadian Field Artillery in the Second Battle of Ypres. Read our innovative Battle Study on the build-up to the battle and the surprise trial gas attack north of Ypres on 22 April 1915 by the German Fourth Army.
Battle Study: Second Battle of Ypres
McCrae House, Guelph, Canada

Visit the website of the arts centre and museum at Guelph which was the birthplace of John McCrae.

Website: www.guelpharts.ca

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Inspiration for John McCrae's WW1 poem - In Flanders Fields

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It is thought that doctor John McCrae (30 November 1872 - 28 January 1918) began the draft for his famous poem "In Flanders Fields" on the evening of the 2 May, 1915 in the second week of fighting during the Second Battle of Ypres.

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This has some tough questions and great talking points. Small groups could research the answers to different questions.

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From the Veterans Administration, a great overview of how Veterans Day has been recognized and celebrated in the US.

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History of Veterans Day

World War I - known at the time as "The Great War" - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of "the war to end all wars."

Soldiers of the 353rd Infantry near a church at Stenay, Meuse in France, wait for the end of hostilities. This photo was taken at 10:58 a.m., on November 11, 1918, two minutes before the armistice ending World War I went into effect

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations..."

The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m.

The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these words:

Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and

Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and

Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday-a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day." Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation's history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first "Veterans Day Proclamation" which stated: "In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible."

President Eisenhower signing HR7786, changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day. From left: Alvin J. King, Wayne Richards, Arthur J. Connell, John T. Nation, Edward Rees, Richard L. Trombla, Howard W. Watts

On that same day, President Eisenhower sent a letter to the Honorable Harvey V. Higley, Administrator of Veterans' Affairs (VA), designating him as Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee.

In 1958, the White House advised VA's General Counsel that the 1954 designation of the VA Administrator as Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee applied to all subsequent VA Administrators. Since March 1989 when VA was elevated to a cabinet level department, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has served as the committee's chairman.

The Uniform Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to ensure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates.

The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of our citizens, and so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the desires of the overwhelming majority of state legislatures, all major veterans service organizations and the American people.

Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

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Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs

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World War I - known at the time as "The Great War" - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France.

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Stories from the Veterans History Project (Library of Congress)

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Stories from the Veterans History Project (Library of Congress)

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Firsthand audio and video accounts of soldiers' experiences at home and aboard during war. Fantastic example of primary sources.

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prisoner war voice war book companion chapter veteran memoir story vets oral history interview war story experiencing war veterans history project library of congress

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Experiencing War (Voices of War): Stories from the Veterans History Project (Library of Congress)

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Experiencing War (Voices of War): Stories from the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress. This companion Web site accompanies Voices of War, the first book of stories drawn from the collections of the Veterans History Project. The book relates war through the eyes of 60 veterans and civilians caught up in the momentous conflicts of the 20th century.

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My Hero Is... Creating a Veterans Memorial activity

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My Hero Is... Creating a Veterans Memorial activity

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Let students show their creativity and understanding of Veterans Day by creating a memorial of their own.

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Beautiful display of the Veterans Day posters that are issued annually. Use this to inspire students to create their own posters. Also a terrific way to examine symbolism.

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Veterans Day Poster Gallery - Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs

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Short video about Veterans Day @ The Nest and our Wall of Honor.

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Fact Sheet about Injuries and Casualties in US Wars

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Fact Sheet about Injuries and Casualties in US Wars

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Startling statistics in an easy to understand format. This could be an excellent way to bring in Math to the Veterans Day discussion.

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This picture book explains the importance of the White Table that honors and remembers our POWs and MIAs. This is online and shows each page of the book. There is a White Table in our library.

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The book America's White Table by Margot Thies Raven Illustrated by Mike Benny. The reading is done by a group of third grade students.

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Different classroom ideas from the Dept. of Veterans Affairs.

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Great article shared by Mr. King