Dieppe , 64 years ago today
- Thread starter Shec
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It is a good thing to remember.
They were joined on that trip by 40 Commando Royal Marines.
They were joined on that trip by 40 Commando Royal Marines.
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Ever since I saw the news item on Yahoo yesterday, I've been thinking about one man.
Back in the late 70's I worked as a Trg O for a cadet corps in Red Deer. The CO was an ex-army Staff Sgt (no, that's not a mistake: there was a time that the Cdn army has such a rank). When I met him in '79 he was in his mid to late fifties. I knew he'd joined the army during WWII and had spent time in Korea w/ the RCR. Then one evening while I was over at his house, he told me he was a rifleman with the Essex Scottish at Dieppe.
He was wounded, and was packed into a landing craft with a bunch of others as they tried to get off the beach. Part way back to the ships he passed out and, deciding he was dead, the others threw him over the side. The salt water hit his wounds, and he woke up screaming. I don't remember if he swam to the ship, or was picked up by another landing craft, (he was tough enough and mean enough to have done the former), but he made it home. He even showed me an excerpt from an old book about the raid that had his story in it.
I have to say I didn't have a good relationship with this man: few did. He was obnoxious, obstreperous, capricious and a whole lotta other words that end in "ous". Our final falling out at the corps ended with a "You're fired/I quit" type scenario. A year later I joined the Comm Res, reverted to my old rank of cpl. and didn't look back.
But last night I saw a picture of a replica of the new cairn that will be erected in Dieppe, honoring the Essex Scottish. I never got along with the man, but right now I wish I knew where Jim Maier was, just so I could shake his hand.
At the going down of the sun...
Back in the late 70's I worked as a Trg O for a cadet corps in Red Deer. The CO was an ex-army Staff Sgt (no, that's not a mistake: there was a time that the Cdn army has such a rank). When I met him in '79 he was in his mid to late fifties. I knew he'd joined the army during WWII and had spent time in Korea w/ the RCR. Then one evening while I was over at his house, he told me he was a rifleman with the Essex Scottish at Dieppe.
He was wounded, and was packed into a landing craft with a bunch of others as they tried to get off the beach. Part way back to the ships he passed out and, deciding he was dead, the others threw him over the side. The salt water hit his wounds, and he woke up screaming. I don't remember if he swam to the ship, or was picked up by another landing craft, (he was tough enough and mean enough to have done the former), but he made it home. He even showed me an excerpt from an old book about the raid that had his story in it.
I have to say I didn't have a good relationship with this man: few did. He was obnoxious, obstreperous, capricious and a whole lotta other words that end in "ous". Our final falling out at the corps ended with a "You're fired/I quit" type scenario. A year later I joined the Comm Res, reverted to my old rank of cpl. and didn't look back.
But last night I saw a picture of a replica of the new cairn that will be erected in Dieppe, honoring the Essex Scottish. I never got along with the man, but right now I wish I knew where Jim Maier was, just so I could shake his hand.
At the going down of the sun...
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