Cannon in the Dieppe castle

Normandy – World War II Memorials – The Dieppe Raid

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

2 Memorials dedicated to the Canadians who died during WWII in Dieppe
2 Memorials dedicated to the Canadians who died during WWII in 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“.

Operation Jubilee museum for the Dieppe Raid, in Dieppe, Normandy
Operation Jubilee museum for the Dieppe Raid, in Dieppe, Normandy

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 WWII Memorial to the Canadians, next to the church
Hautot-sur-Mer WWII Memorial to the Canadians, next to the church

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.

French WWII memorial at Hautot-sur-Mer to the Canadians
French WWII memorial at Hautot-sur-Mer to the Canadians

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“.

English WWII memorial at Hautot-sur-Mer to the Canadians
English WWII memorial at Hautot-sur-Mer to the Canadians

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).

Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer in Normandy with its WWII Memorial dedicated to the Canadians.
Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer in Normandy with its WWII Memorial dedicated to the Canadians.

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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