Canadian mint apologizes for Dieppe coin after outcry
DIEPPE, N.B.— It was officially codenamed Operation Jubilee and the Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe was a pivotal moment in the Second World War. But 75 years later, 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, which depicts a soldier rushing ashore with explosions in the distance, 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, roughly 28 grams of pure silver with a price tag of about $93, will continue to be sold as part of the mint’s Second World War battlefront series, something a military historian calls a mistake.
“That’s a bad idea,” Dieppe Military Veterans’ Association historian Ronald Cormier said. “The coin is wrong. It’s like showing a picture of the Parliament Buildings and calling it the House of Commons. It’s inaccurate.”
Keith Brewer, executive director of the veterans’ group, said if the error is allowed to stand, history will be “changed forever.”
A spokesperson for the mint said it consulted with the Department of National Defence’s history and heritage directorate to confirm the accuracy of the coin before producing it.