dieppe raid memorial service

a piper!

the wind caught in the canadian flag

a great turnout

their lives were not in vain

firstborn dressed respectfully

her poppy corsage with her raf sweetheart brooch and the canadian flag

The Dieppe Raid, also known as Operation Jubilee, was a Second World War Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe. The raid took place on the northern coast of France on 19 August 1942. The assault began at 5:00 a.m. and by 10:50 a.m. the Allied commanders were forced to call a retreat. Over 6,000 infantrymen, predominantly Canadian, were supported by limited Royal Navy and largeRoyal Air Force contingents.

The raid, called a 'reconnaissance in force' by the planners, was a military disaster in terms of casualties and equipment lost.

Of the nearly 5,000 strong Canadian contingent deployed that early August morning, 907 were killed, 2,460 wounded and 1874 taken as prisoners of war. Of the 2,210 who returned to Britain, only 236 were unhurt - and 200 of these were men who had not been landed. The

British Commandos had lost 247 men. The Royal Navy lost one destroyer (HMS Berkeley) and 33 landing craft, suffering 550 dead and wounded. The RAF lost 106 aircraft  - including 13 from the Royal Canadian Air Force - the biggest allied air loss in a single day in the entire war. More than 150 aircrew were also killed or captured. Sixty per cent of the ground force became casualties, including almost 100 per cent of those tank crews who landed. The raid's planners had factored in 10 per cent casualties.