Called the most talented Canadian physician of his time, John McCrae (1872-1918) achieved international fame by his poem, "In Flanders Fields." The most popular English-language poem of the First World War, it has made the poppy inseparable from memories of war.
John McCrae's life was a microcosm of the years of tumultuous changes in late Victorian Canada. Son of Scottish pioneers, he fought in the Boer and First World Wars, taught medicine art McGill University, was a member of the influential English-speaking elite of Montreal, and a friend of the great and near-great. Deeply religious, he was marked by kindliness and laughter.
This book describes the full-blooded vigour of John McCrae's early and middle years, the writing of "In Flanders Fields" at the height of a battle in 1915, the impact of the poem, and the tragedy of his last years working in a Canadian hospital in war torn France.
Standing Against Fire chronicles the history of the Fire Service that has served within Canada's military for the better part of a century. Today, the Fire Service is a cohesive organization with its members qualified to stringent international standards. However, for years after its tentative beginnings during World War I, the Fire Service led a nomadic existence, first as part of one military branch then another, before settling in as a component of the Military Engineers.
Drawing on archival documents, personal memoirs, contemporary accounts, and military records, Standing Against Fire gathers together for the first time a comprehensive account of the Fire Service's legacy and accomplishments. Embarrassments, humorous tales and outstanding achievements by both fire crews and individual firefighters are recounted. Approximately 200 visuals complement the text. Standing Against Fire is a tribute to the men and women who have proudly and honourably served Canada in the Fire Service.