Public Service Announcement - 100th anniversary of the Second Battle of Ypres and unveiling of Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae Statue

OTTAWA, April 30, 2015 /CNW/ - Canadians are invited to take part in a ceremony in honour of those who fought at the Second Battle of Ypres 100 years ago. During the ceremony, a statue of Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae will be unveiled to mark the 100^th anniversary of the writing of In Flanders Fields.

Location:	National Artillery Memorial, Green Island, Ottawa
	(The ceremony will take place in the park in front of 111 Sussex Drive.)
Date:	Sunday, May 3, 2015
Time:	1:30 p.m. EDT

Please note that parking for the general public is limited near the site. 

Background

Some of the heaviest fighting of the First World War took place in the trenches near Ypres, Belgium. It was during the Second Battle of Ypres that the German Army first used deadly chlorine gas against Allied troops. Despite the debilitating effects of the gas, Canadian soldiers fought relentlessly and held the line. Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae was inspired to write the poem In Flanders Fields after presiding over the burial of a friend during this battle.

For more information about the Second Battle of Ypres, John McCrae, and his poem In Flanders Fields, visit the Veterans Affairs Canada website at veterans.gc.ca.

SOURCE Veterans Affairs Canada

Media inquiries: Media Relations, Veterans Affairs Canada, 613-992-7468