Laclede in Linn County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial
| — | First World War Commemorative Garden | — |
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 22, 2025
1. Flanders Field American Cemetery Marker
Flanders Field is one of the best known of the American cemeteries due to John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields” written in 1916.
In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae
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.
In November, 1918, University of Georgia professor Moina Michael penned her response “We Shall Keep the Faith.”
We Shall Keep the Faith
by Moina Michael
Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms
this page online
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial
Dedicated: 1937
Location: Belgium
Burials: 368
Missing in Action: 43
Acres: 6
Missourians:
Roger Admire, Private, US Army
362nd Infantry Regiment, 91st Division
Plot B, Row 2, Grave #4
Missouri
Erected 2018 by Missouri State Parks.
Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Patriots & Patriotism • War, World I. A significant historical year for this entry is 1916.
Location. 39° 47.368′ N, 93° 10.254′ W. Marker is in Laclede, Missouri, in Linn County. It is on Prairie Street just west of Olive Street, on the right when traveling west. The marker is in the First World War Commemorative Garden at the General John J. Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 905 Pershing Drive, Laclede MO 64651, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this
2. Marker detail: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae
Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, Canadian Army, wrote the poem “In Flanders Field” at the back of an ambulance parked near the dressing station beside the Yser Canal, just a few hundred yards north of Ypres, Belgium.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Brookwood American Cemetery and Memorial (here, next to this marker); Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial (a few steps from this marker); First World War Commemorative Garden (a few steps from this marker); Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Somme American Cemetery and Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Saint-Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Laclede.
Related markers.
3. Marker detail: Moina Michael – Founder of Memorial Poppy – U.S. Postage Stamp
Today, the world recognizes the poppy as the symbol of remembrance for war veterans thanks to Moina Michael’s efforts.
Also see . . .
1. Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I and a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. McCrae's friend and former militia member, Lt. Alexis Helmer, was killed in the battle, and his burial inspired the poem, "In Flanders Fields", which was written on May 3, 1915. From June 1, 1915, McCrae was ordered away from the artillery to set up No. 3 Canadian General Hospital (McGill) at Dannes-Camiers near Boulogne-sur-Mer, northern France. On January 28, 1918, while still commanding No. 3 Canadian General Hospital (McGill) at Boulogne, McCrae died of pneumonia with “extensive pneumococcus meningitis” at the British General Hospital in Wimereux, France. He was buried the following day in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission section of Wimereux Cemetery.(Submitted on February 26, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial (Wikipedia).
4. Marker detail: Flanders Field American Cemetery location
Excerpt: Originally a temporary battlefield burial ground, Flanders Field American Cemetery later became the only permanent American World War I cemetery in Belgium. It is in the city of Waregem, Belgium. The Flanders Field American Cemetery commemorates 411 service members of the United States Armed Forces of which 368 are interred. The Walls of the Missing inside the chapel venerates 43 missing service members.(Submitted on February 26, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
The graves area consists of four rectangular plots. Each plot contains 92 graves marked with white Carrara marble headstones set in four rows. Eight Stars of David mark the graves of those of Jewish faith. 21 of the 368 graves in the cemetery are of Unknowns.
The majority of the soldiers memorialized at the Flanders Field American Cemetery represent four main divisions who fought in Belgium during the final weeks of the war. The 27th New York and the 30th Old Hickory Divisions saw action near Ypres from August 18 to September 4, 1918. The 37th Buckeye and 91st Wild West Divisions pushed west from Waregem and across the Scheldt River at Oudenaarde from October 30, 1918, until the Armistice on November 11, 1918. The FlandersField American Cemetery is situated on a battlefield where the 91st Division suffered many casualties in securing the nearby wooded area called “Spitaals Bosschen”.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 22, 20255. Flanders Field American Cemetery MarkerThe marker is near the southeast corner of the First World War Commemorative Garden.
The Flanders Field American Cemetery takes its name from the poem “In Flanders Fields” written by Canadian physician, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. McCrae wrote the poem near Ypres after attending the funeral of his friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 21, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 48 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on February 26, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
