75^th Anniversary of the Dieppe Raid - Montréal Event

The Dieppe Raid:

The Dieppe Raid began before dawn on August 19, 1942. The operation was intended to test German defences, practise Allied assault techniques, force the enemy to divert military resources from the Eastern Front and acquire valuable intelligence. Supported by British and American commandos, almost 5,000 Canadian soldiers took part in the attack on the occupied French port of Dieppe. Sadly, it would prove to be the bloodiest single day of the entire Second World War for Canada and more than 3,350 of our soldiers were killed, wounded or taken prisoner.

75th Anniversary of the Dieppe Raid – Montréal Event:

• Ceremony
• Reception. A reception will be held following the ceremony where Second World War artifacts will be on display and a presentation by historian Béatrice Richard will take place.
• Canadian Armed Forces contingent. A guard of honour and band will be present at the event.

Béatrice Richard, Historian:

• Béatrice Richard is the Dean of Studies and an associate professor at Royal Military College Saint-Jean.
• Richard’s expertise is in the military historiography of Francophone North America, strategic culture, warfare, memory and representations war, gender and national minorities, and Veterans’ testimonies.
• Richard has published a book about the Dieppe Raid, entitled La mémoire de Dieppe, radioscopie d’un mythe.

Montréal Regiments in the Dieppe Raid:

• Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal: During the Dieppe Raid, this Montréal regiment was part of the reserve force and originally tasked with capturing the invasion barges in Dieppe harbour and sailing them back to England. However,  a miscommunication led to the belief that Canadians in the first waves of attackers had made  significant progress into the town of Dieppe, prompting Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal to be sent ashore to assist them. Unfortunately this led the regiment directly into heavy German gun fire, resulting in 119 fatal casualties.
• The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada: Established in Montréal in 1862, it is the oldest highland regiment in Canada. During the Dieppe Raid, this regiment was to support the assault of the Royal Regiment of Canada at Puys with machine guns and mortars. The German defenders were ready for the attack, however, and the members of the Black Watch found themselves pinned down and would suffer four fatal casualties.