Robert William Service (1874-1958) was a poet and writer, often called "the Bard of the Yukon " is best known for his humorous tales in verse "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee " from his first book, Songs of a Sourdough. When World War I broke out, Service tried and failed to enlist, covered the war briefly for the Toronto Star, then worked as a stretcher bearer and ambulance driver with the American Red Cross. While convalescing in Paris, he wrote a new book of mainly war poetry, Rhymes of a Red Cross Man, dedicated to the memory of Service's "brother, Lieutenant Albert Service, Canadian Infantry, Killed in Action, France, August 1916."