John McCrae. The man, the poem, the letters, the medals, the memorabilia. It is as Guelph as Guelph gets.
The Guelph Museum’s McCrae House is the repository of much of that heritage, and on Saturday it received a major federal gift to enhance what it does.
Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield presented the City of Guelph with a FedDev Ontario grant of $100,000, money from the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program. It was one of 730 projects across Canada funded in the latest round of applications.
The money will be used to renovate and enhance the historic coach house on the McCrae House property, an original feature of the home.
Tammy Adkin, manager of Guelph Museums, said the small wooden building had been used mostly for storage up until 2015, when it became more of a “space for contemplation.” But it requires some work, including renovations to make it more suitable for group programs, lectures, and the hosting of school groups.
Despite a rainy morning, McCrae House was teeming Saturday for the announcement. Several members of the local Free Masons’ Remembrance Lodge were on hand to show their support for the facility.
About 20 years ago, the group helped secure McCrae’s medals for the museum. It makes regular financial contributions to it.
Member Ron Deline recited from memory In Flanders Fields, John McCrae’s battlefield poem. It has long been the defining poem of remembrance of those killed in battle.
Longfield said as part of Canada 150 celebrations the federal government seeks to fund and preserve Canadian heritage across the country. He said Guelph is steeped in heritage, and the life and work of John McCrae is an integral part of the community’s identity.
Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie agreed with Longfield that McCrae house is part of the city’s legacy, and that contributing now to improvements to it makes the city a better place to live and visit.
Next year, as part of the 100th anniversary of the death of John McCrae, Guelph Museums will conduct a group tour to Belgium and France. The In Flanders Fields Museum will be visited, and the group will attend a service at McCrae’s gravesite. Bookings begin soon.
