EIGHT OBJECTS, EIGHT STORIES FROM DIEPPE
The Dieppe raid of Aug. 19, 1942 — the Canadian army’s first engagement in Europe in the Second World War — was a debacle that killed more than 900 Canadian soldiers.
Another 2,000 were injured and captured in the amphibious attack against German-led forces.
The goal of the nine-hour assault on Dieppe, a small coastal town northwest of Paris, was to take the port, demolish it and then leave by sea in an operation that included nearly 5,000 Canadian soldiers. To mark Saturday’s 75th anniversary, we take a look at the meaning behind items relating to Dieppe, from the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa and the Canadian Military Heritage Museum in Brantford, Ont.
Men of Valour (They fight for You)
Popular at the time, propaganda posters were used in Canada to stoke public support of our soldiers’ efforts in the Second World War. This creation by artist Hubert Rogers of P.E.I. pays tribute to Lt.-Col. Charles Merritt of the South Saskatchewan Regiment. Wounded in the assault, Merritt led his unit through a barrage of gunfire from well-defended heights as the soldiers approached the village. He received the Victoria Cross for his bravery, in absentia, while a prisoner of war. After he was freed, he returned to Canada and served as a Vancouverarea MP from 1945 to 1949, and died in July 2000. Rogers created this poster for the Wartime Information Board.
Memorial Cross for Lt.-Col. John Gilby Andrews
Born in St. Thomas, Ont., in 1909, Andrews was keen to join the militia soon after he graduated from high school. In 1928, at age 19, he was made a provisional lieutenant in his local Elgin regiment. He joined the Royal Canadian Regiment, and soon became a member of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. Moving up through the ranks he specialized as an instructor in the use of tanks. He was appointed lieutenant-colonel in December 1941, and was commander of the 14th Army tank battalion (Calgary regiment) at Dieppe, where he died. According to reports, the tank he was travelling in sank in water. A rescue vessel used by the survivors was later fired on from the shore and burst into flames. At the time the memorial cross went to a soldier’s surviving mother and/or spouse.
Shackles
Beginning in October 1942, the Germans used cords to tie the wrists of Canadian prisoners. But a few months later, after complaints from soldiers were logged with the Red Cross that the cords cut into their wrists, the Germans introduced the use of shackles. The shackles lasted until December 1943, according to the Canadian War Museum. Sapper Larry Kennedy, a member of the 2nd field company of the Royal Canadian Engineers, was captured by the Germans at Dieppe, and he brought his shackles (pictured here) back to Canada after he was freed.
The helmet
Bombardier George Gow, of Ottawa, was a member of the 2nd field battery, 4th regiment of the Royal Canadian Artillery. Part of the artillery’s role was to capture German guns and use them against the enemy. But Gow was wounded and captured. A French nun, Sister Marie du Sacré-Coeur, later found Gow’s steel helmet and kept it, says Eric Fernberg, a collections manager with the Canadian War Museum. In 1972, Canada’s veterans affairs department organized a pilgrimage to Dieppe and the nun gave the helmet to the group. The helmet was presented the following year to Gow by the veterans minister, Daniel J. MacDonald. Gow died in 1991, and his family donated the helmet to the museum.