Canada stamp to honor famous WWI poem

Canada Post will issue a stamp May 3 to mark the 100th anniversary of the poem that made the poppy an international symbol of wartime sacrifices, In Flanders Fields by Canadian combat surgeon John McCrae.

Grief-stricken over the death of a friend and a comrade during the Second Battle of Ypres (April 22-May 25, 1915), the lieutenant colonel composed the poem. It was first published in December 1915 in England's Punch magazine and, in the 100 years since, has been recited in countless war-remembrance ceremonies. 

In the April 30 press release announcing this new permanent-rate stamp, Canada Post said: "Designed by Janice Carter and Tejashri Kapure of q30, the stamp is based on iconic imagery drawn from the lines of the poem, with images of crosses 'row on row,' of singing larks and of the fragile red poppy, which appears with the permission of the Royal Canadian Legion. A five-stamp mini pane features the poem in the author’s handwriting — in a version that varies slightly from that made famous by Punch."

The stamps in the pane of five have water-activated gum, while stamps issued in a booklet of 10 are self-adhesive, according to information from Canada Post.

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