The name John McCrae does not immediately bring to mind any particularly famous poems in the minds of most people, and yet I think almost everybody knows his wonderful poem In Flanders Fields. If you visit Canada, not too far from he big city of Toronto in a place called Guelph, Ontario, it’s possible to visit the John McCrae Birthplace Museum. A really fascinating house about a very interesting man.
This small limestone cottage, built in 1858, was owned by the McCrae family from 1870 for just 3 years. The family moved a year after John’s birth, although he continued to live in Guelph before qualifying as a physician and serving in the Canadian Army Medical Corps. Other families occupied the house until 1966, when it was purchased and preserved as a museum. It is now an excellent exhibition and memorial to the life and times of this interesting man.
To view this video in full screen mode click the small box in the lower, right corner which appears after it has started to play.
If you enjoyed this little virtual trip, check out my literary tours and consider joining me to explore the world.
Selected links for relevant websites, books, movies, videos, and more. Some of these links are for protected content on this website, learn more about that here.