Johannes Helms (8 November 1828 – 4 December 1895) was a Danish writer and schoolmaster who experienced the Three Years' War firsthand.
Helms was born in the rectory of Sørbymagle County. His father, Søren Bagger Helms (1788–1872), was the local rector and his mother, Nicoline Marie Zeuthen (1789–1870), was her husband's second wife. Four of the couples sons were present in Schleswig-Holstein during the battles in 1864 and subsequently published their experiences.
He graduated from Frederiksborg Gymnasium in 1847 and continued onto Philology at the University of Copenhagen that same year. At the time he was a member of the (a military unit made up of university students and a de facto competitor/substitute for the Copenhagen police). In March 1850 he joined the Danish army partaking in the nationalistic frenzy erupting in those months. He was promoted to (sergeant) before the Battle of Fredericia and received the Silver Cross for his actions there. He returned to his studies two-and-a-half year later and continued as a member of the Student Guard for the remainder of his student-period.
In 1856, after working as a private teacher, Johannes became teacher at the judiciary school of Slesvig. He had to leave this position due to the War of 1864. In 1867 he was appointed headmaster of at Christianshavn, a position he held until his death. In 1887 he became honorary doctor at the university and in 1892 he was elected a member of the Copenhagen City Council.In July 1875 he accepted two of the first female students in Denmark: Nielsine Nielsen and Marie Gleerup, who were graduated by Ludvig Trier 9 July 1877. He was succeeded as headmaster by his son-in-law, Peter C.G. Leuning.
His song "" ("I love the green meadows") is a well-known staple in Danish song books and was featured in the TV series Matador. The text was translated into Esperanto in the 1920s. ('A Soldier's Life in War and Peace') was reprinted and published in an edited version on the 150-year anniversary of the breakout of the war in 1848.