Dieppe coin still doesn’t sit well with veterans

DIEPPE, N.B. • It was officially code-named Operation Jubilee and the allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe was a pivotal moment in the Second World War. But a battle is brewing over just what to call the bloody assault that claimed the lives of nearly a thousand Canadian soldiers.

The Royal Canadian Mint issued a collector coin in May commemorating the Battle of Dieppe, prompting outcry from a New Brunswick veterans’ group that says the attack is called the Dieppe Raid. After months of growing tension, a truce has been called.

The mint said Monday it understands the concerns expressed by the veterans’ group and apologized if the coin offended anyone. It also plans to produce a Dieppe Raid collector coin in 2018.

But the current coin, about 28 grams of pure silver with a price tag of about $93, will continue to be sold.

Keith Brewer, executive director of the veterans’ group, said if the error is allowed to stand, history will be “changed forever.”

The crux of the issue is the difference between a raid and a battle, and what took place on Aug. 19, 1942.

“In a battle, you go and take ground and you try to hold it, like Vimy Ridge,” Brewer said. “But in a raid, you go in and do your dirty work and you get out.”

Both the Canadian War Museum and Veterans Affairs Canada refer to the attack on the French port city as the Dieppe Raid.