National ceremony in Windsor, Ont., marks 80th anniversary of raid in Dieppe, France
CBC
A national memorial Friday at Dieppe Gardens in Windsor, Ont., remembered Canadians who died 80 years ago in a bloody raid in Dieppe, France.
Some veterans joined Ontario's lieutenant-governor, and numerous military and political officials at the ceremony hosted by Veterans Affairs Canada. The Essex and Kent Regimental Association, which lost 121 members in the raid, also participated.
Among those attending the ceremony were veteran John L. Date, one of the last surviving members of the Dieppe raid.
Date was born on Feb. 1, 1922, in Sarnia, Ont. Soon after he landed on the beaches of Dieppe, he was knocked unconscious from an explosion. When he came to, the battle was over and he was taken prisoner by the German army. He would remain a prisoner of war until near the end of the war, when Allied planes dropped leaflets instructing the German army to surrender to Date and his fellow prisoners.
Three members of the regiment were at ceremonies in Dieppe, France, on Friday.
Fellow Second World War veteran Arthur Boon was also at the ceremony in Windsor. He was born on Nov. 12, 1924, in Peterborough, England, and now lives in Stratford, Ont.
Boon landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. He stressed that while Dieppe was a disaster, it was an important learning experience for Allied troops.
"That's why the raid was on — to learn that stuff, find out the mistakes, and correct them when we go back to Normandy."
Theresa Sims, the Indigenous storyteller for the City of Windsor, drummed and sang a song of welcome to all those present.
Master of ceremonies Robert Löken delivered opening remarks, describing the situation in Europe at the time of the raid.
Honorary Col. Joseph Ouellette, of the Essex and Kent Regimental Association, also spoke, including remembering the soldiers who paid the ultimate price.
Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk and Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens also addressed the ceremony.
Dilkens spoke of his experience seeing veterans he had met the previous night, and touched on conflicts currently happening around the world, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"We have come so far from those days on the beach in France," said Dilkens. "And yet, you can call tell, we have so far to go."
