The Guelph Storm have unveiled a special commemorative jersey that honours Lt.-Col. John McCrae and features the words of his iconic war poem In Flanders Fields.
The jerseys will be worn during their game against the Barrie Colts on Friday at Sleeman Centre, which will also feature a special pre-game ceremony.
McCrae was born in Guelph on Nov. 30, 1872, and attended Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute.
He wrote the famous First World War poem during the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium in 1915.
“Always remembered in his hometown of Guelph with the conversion of his family into the McCrae House Museum, the Guelph Storm are honoured to recognize the local, national and worldwide legacy of Lt.-Col. John McCrae,” the team said in a news release.
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McCrae died of pneumonia on Jan. 28, 1918, and was buried in France, not far from the fields he immortalized.
The jersey features an image of McCrae, the words of In Flanders Fields, poppies blowing in a field of crosses, and a statue of McCrae erected at the Guelph Civic Museum.
Following the game, the jerseys will be auctioned off online and every dollar raised will be donated to local Royal Canadian Legions, including the John McCrae Memorial Branch 234 on Watson Parkway.