A Canadian tank crew will be among the many veterans honoured in France this weekend, on the 75th anniversary of the pivotal Dieppe Raid that took place during the Second World War.
A memorial and a ceremony are expected to pay tribute to members of the King’s Own Calgary Regiment who drove their tanks into Dieppe on Aug. 19, 1942, during Canada’s bloodiest day of the war. Some 5,000 Canadian troops were involved in the conflict, which resulted in more than half of the Allied forces being either killed, injured or captured. Historians say that despite the defeat, the Dieppe Raid was crucial to the war effort, as it laid the groundwork for the D-Day invasion of Normandy two years later.
King’s Own Calgary Regiment President Dick Cruickshank says the memorial will commemorate a “significant step” in the regiment’s history, at a time when very few veterans from the battle remain alive.
“It’s an opportunity, and maybe the last time we actually have surviving veterans able to join us,” he said.
Among those surviving veterans is 95-year-old William “Bill” Stewart, who served as a gunner in the battle at the age of 20. Stewart says he still remembers riding into battle inside the bulky, heavily-armoured, 38-ton Churchill tank that he and his four crewmates called “Bert.” The vehicle was part of a larger regiment of 28 tanks.
“It was a big one and (had) lots of steel in it, but a pea shooter for a gun,” Stewart told CTV Calgary. “You might as well be using a slingshot.”
“Bert” was one of five tanks to make it into Dieppe, but it was quickly disabled along with two others. Crews from the three disabled tanks were forced to cram into the other two that remained operational, so Stewart says he didn’t see much of the battle after that.
“I was laying behind the driver,” he said.
Stewart and his crewmates were ultimately captured in the battle, and he spent nearly three years as a prisoner of war.
He says although the battle was several decades ago now, he still remembers everyone he fought alongside on that day.
“You don’t try and forget,” he said. “You can’t.”
Lt-Col. Chris Hunt, who commands the regiment today, says the Dieppe Raid is a crucial part of the regiment’s history.
“I can say on behalf of all the soldiers of today’s Kings Own Calgary Regiment that we’re immensely proud of our Dieppe veterans and the standard of courage dedication and professionalism that they displayed on that morning,” Hunt told CTV Calgary. “It set the standard for the regiment, for the remainder of the war and right up until today.”
With files from CTV Calgary
