Ieper in West-Vlaanderen, Flanders, Belgium — Northwestern Europe
In Flanders Fields
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, November 12, 2024
1. In Flanders Fields Marker
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.
Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • War, World I. In addition, it is included in the In Flanders Fields series list. A significant historical date for this entry is January 28, 1918.
Location. 50° 52.297′ N, 2° 52.394′ E.
this page online
Regionally, it is in Europe, the European Union, Atlantic Europe, the Benelux Low Countries, the Schengen Area, Western Europe, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire and specifically also the Holy Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae (here, next to this marker); McCrae Site, the Canal Bank 1914-1918 / Site McCrae de Canadijk 1914-1918 (a few steps from this marker); Medische hulppost John McCrae / Medical Aid Post John McCrae (within shouting distance of this marker); Kanaaldijk - Site John McCrae (within shouting distance of this marker); 49th (West Riding) Division Memorial / Gedenkteken 49ste (West Riding) Divisie (within shouting distance of this marker); Essex Farm Cemetery
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, November 12, 2024
2. In Flanders Fields Marker
Also see . . . In Flanders Fields (Wikipedia).
"In Flanders Fields" is a war poem in the form of a rondeau, written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and fellow soldier Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, who died in the Second Battle of Ypres. According to legend, fellow soldiers retrieved the poem after McCrae, initially dissatisfied with his work, discarded it. "In Flanders Fields" was first published on December 8 of that year in the London magazine Punch. Flanders Fields is a common English name of the World War I battlefields in Belgium and France.(Submitted on January 28, 2025, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York.)
In Flanders Fields and Other Poems, a 1919 collection of McCrae's works, contains two versions of the poem: a printed text as below and a handwritten copy where the first line ends with "grow" instead of "blow", as discussed under Publication:
Credits. This page was last revised on January 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 27, 2025, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York. This page has been viewed 193 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 27, 2025, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York.
