Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Lt. Col. John McCrae and several events are planned in his hometown of Guelph.
A Canadian doctor during the First World War and author of the famous poem, “In Flanders Fields” died of pneumonia on Jan. 28, 1918, in France at the age of 45.
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Guelph Museums, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, the 11th Field Artillery Regiment and the Royal Canadian Legion are all co-hosting events around the city on Saturday.
- Guelph Civic Museum, displays and reflections with free admission from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, memorial service starting at 10:30 a.m.
- McCrae House National Historic Site, displays and reflections with free admission from 12 to 5 p.m.
- McCrae Memorial Gardens, wreath-laying ceremony by Prince Arthur Guelph Loyal Orange Lodge No. 1331 starting at 12:30 p.m.
- Performance titled John McCrae: His Life in Words, Images and Song, featuring Hugh Brewster and the Elora Festival Singers at the River Run Centre. Tickets are $25. The performance starts at 3 p.m.
McCrae was born on Nov. 30, 1872, and his childhood home still stands in Guelph today as a museum and memorial.
He started writing poetry when he was a student at Guelph Collegiate Institute, and joined the Highfield Cadet Corps in Guelph at the age of 14.