Dieppe is a city that was exposed early on to the WWII invasion when the Canadians attempted an invasion called the “Dieppe Raid“, also known as “Operation Jubilee“. It was a sort of “test case” to see if it could be done, and unfortunately, it cost a lot of lives; 1400 died and1946 were captured.
You can see several memorials in Dieppe and the surrounding villages honouring the Canadians who died in the raid. Here are a few of them:
Dieppe
The two memorials above can be found on the beach sidewalk (the raid landed here on this part of the beach). The one on the right says “To the memory of those that left Canada, shed their blood on French ground while fighting under the banner of a Canadian French regiment“.
A museum is dedicated to the raid, called the Operation Jubilee museum, it is located close to the beach and the castle. Click here to access the museum’s web site.
Hautot-sur-Mer
Hautot-sur-Mer is a small village close to Dieppe. During the Dieppe Raid, a part of the Canadians ended up here, by mistake, with no back-up or assistance. Alongside the 16th century church, you will find several monuments honouring the soldiers that died in the town. Between the two Canadian flags you will find an inscription for the battle, and on both sides are the commemorative plaques.
The in French written plaque says “Here, on the 19th of August 1942, the 2nd Canadian division with elements of the South Saskatchewan regiment and of the Queen’s own Cameron Highlands of Manitoba, landed on this beach“.
And above is an in-English written stone, presented by the survivors.
Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer
Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer lies close to Dieppe as well, and saw a lot of the fighting during the Dieppe Raid. On the beach area you will find the following memorial with its inscription (in French).
The translation reads “In memory of the #4 Commando soldiers who landed on the beach of Sainte-Marguerite-Sur-Mer on the 19th of August 1942“.
Summary
There are more tributes to the fallen Canadians, not the least being the war cemetery in Dieppe. War is ugly, and seeing these memorials is proof. Sobering thoughts…
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