Surviving RHLI Dieppe vets to reunite at vigil

Fred Engelbrecht and Ken Curry will get together possibly for the last time this weekend.

The two surviving members of Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, who took part in the ill-fated 1942 raid on Dieppe, are slated to unite for a candlelight vigil on Friday that is being organized by the Steel City chapter of the North Wall Riders Association. They will also attend a memorial service on Saturday commemorating the 75th anniversary of the assault on the French coastal town.

Both events will be held at Dieppe Veterans Memorial Park on Beach Boulevard, with Friday’s vigil scheduled to run from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday’s memorial service begins at 11 a.m.

According to Keven Ellis, president of the Steel City chapter, Veterans Affairs Canada offered to fly Curry to the ceremony in France but the 95-year-old Victoria resident said he preferred to be with his friends and colleagues in Hamilton.

Ellis said the names of 582 members of the RHLI who were at Dieppe will be read out during the vigil.

During a recent interview with Hamilton Community News, the 97-year-old Engelbrecht said he believes the lessons learned at Dieppe helped the Allies successfully land at Normandy less than two years later.

“We lost the battle, but we won the war,” he said.