In Flanders Fields

Monday, May 29th, is Memorial Day in the United States. It brings to mind the story of an old poem which has become synonymous with the holiday, worldwide…

On May 2nd, 1915, Canadian artillery officer Lt. Alexis Helmer was killed by a German artillery shell during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. His friend and artillery commander—brigade doctor Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae—was asked to bury the young soldier and wrote "In Flanders Fields" shortly afterward.

The now famous poem (click on the illustration above to read the poem in its entirety) inspired the remembrance poppies that commemorate military personnel who have died in war.

As this article explains, the remembrance poppy was an American idea, inspired by a Canadian and marketed by a French woman. Read more: The story behind the remembrance poppy .

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“All a poet can do today is warn.”
― Wilfred Owen

"One spake amid the nations, 'Let us cease
From darkening with strife the fair World's light,
We who are great in war be great in peace.
No longer let us plead the cause by might.'"
–John McCrae

1. And I thought putting together an issue of The Happiness of Art was a lot of work! ;-) Making the New York Times, September 1942.

2. Watch Cyberwar in Real-Time on This Map.

3. Unearthing the secrets of New York City's mass graves.

4. "In Flanders Fields" is a war poem in the form of a rondeau. So-called 'war poets' like Wilfred Owen, who wrote the moving "Dulce et Decorum est," and Thomas Hardy (see illustration below) who penned "The Man He Killed," used their art to describe the horrors and futility of war. 'The Hardy Tree' (click to see photo) in Od St. Pancras churchyard in Somers Town, central London, grows between gravestones leftover from when Hardy worked there.

5. How many Americans have died in U.S. wars? Here's a breakdown by conflict. Highly recommended: The Fallen of WWII is a short but powerful interactive documentary that not only puts into perspective the horrific costs of war, but ends on a more hopeful note: the decline in battle deaths in the years since the Second World War. As mentioned in the film, peace can be a hard thing to quantify, but The Fallen of WWII makes a compelling attempt, and I would urge you to take the time to watch.

"Yes; quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down
You'd treat if met where any bar is,
Or help to half-a-crown."
–Thomas Hardy

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This week's 'Weekly Doodle' is based on a c. 1920s photograph of a World War I 'Baby tank' taken outside the United States National Museum (now known as the Arts and Industries Building.) Click here or on the illustration above to see the original photo.

"The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war."
–Douglas MacArthur

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"To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die."
–Thomas Campbell

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About Me

Hi. I’m D.E.Uhlig. I’m an artist, author, husband and father.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved to draw. Years ago I gave my wife a hand-drawn card for our anniversary, and she loved it so much she made me promise to ALWAYS hand-draw her cards. Then our three kids made me promise to do the same with their birthday cards. And when I posted some of my drawings online, people began asking how they could purchase my work—so I created this newsletter. I believe in something I like to call “The Happiness of Art” and I hope it makes you smile.

Official Bio

D.E.Uhlig is an award-winning illustrator whose work has appeared in numerous publications including the Kansas City Star, Christian Science Monitor, University Daily Kansan, Editorial Humor Magazine, and World Policy Journal. Commercial illustration and design clients over the years have included Samsung, Sprint, and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, among others—and his Starbucks RedCup illustrations have been featured on the company's Pinterest and Facebook pages. In 1989, Mr. Uhlig co-founded Uhlig LLC, a leading provider of cross-media publishing and communication services in industries ranging from residential housing to book publishing to cancer care. Mr. Uhlig is married with three children and resides in Kansas City. He is currently working on children’s books, ebooks and apps.

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