Project: Statue of John McCrae unveiled in Ottawa
Beneficiary: Royal Canadian Artillery Heritage Trust
Amount: 50.000 CAD
Duration: May 2015
On Sunday, May 3rd in the Canadian capital Ottawa a statue was unveiled to commemorate the Canadian military physician John McCrae (1872-1918). John McCrae fought during World War I as a volunteer with the Allied Forces and was stationed near Ypres.
There he wrote in early May 1915 the famous poem "In Flanders Fields" in memory of his fallen friend, former student and fellow soldier Lt. Alex Helmer. Helmer was killed on May 2, 1915 by the explosion of a grenade during the second German gas attack. John McCrae died on January 28, 1918 and is buried in the northern French Wimereux near Boulogne-sur-Mer.
The Government of Flanders financially supported the set up of the statue of John McCrae. The inauguration in Ottawa on May 3 was attended by Koen Verlaeckt, Secretary-General of the Department of Foreign Affairs.