JUNO BEACH CENTRE, Normandy, France — , a Canadian history organization is mailing postcards to certain homes to honour soldiers who died during another major battle in the Second World War.
Friday, Aug. 19 is the 80th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid, and the (JBCA) — the charity that owns and operates Canada’s Second World War museum in Normandy, France — has sent 400 unique postcards to addresses across the country as part of the “He Lived Where You Live” campaign.
These cards share the name and fate of a soldier who lived at that address and perished in the 1942 battle. This is one of several initiatives the charity is undertaking to .
The front of the card shows a scene from the battlefield and the words “From Dieppe to Juno: The 80th Anniversary of the Dieppe Raid.” Inside is a soldier’s name and that he lived at that address.
The Dieppe Raid — also known as Operation Jubilee — was the Canadian army’s first major combat against Nazi Germany during the war. However, it was a deadly baptism of fire and failure because, within 10 hours of fighting, two-thirds of a force of 4,963 Canadians were wounded, captured or killed.
Over 900 Canadians were killed in action or died of wounds, with almost 600 buried in the Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery in Hautot-sur-Mer, France.
Only 2,210 soldiers returned to Great Britain after the battle, including 586 wounded. Meanwhile, the Germans captured 1,946 Canadians.
“The postcard initiative aims to create personal connections between contemporary Canadians and the young heroes who perished during the ill-fated Dieppe Raid 80 years ago,” the association said.
“The Dieppe Raid impacted families and communities across Canada, (while) its legacy can be traced to our present-day communities.”
The Juno Beach Centre Association has created an interactive map featuring the 400 fallen men whom the association was able to link with current addresses. Click to see the map.
Five men from Saskatchewan fought during the battle, although none were from Moose Jaw. The map shows that three men were from Regina and two were from Saskatoon.
In Regina, Cpl. Leonard John Ford, Lance-Cpl. Leonard Chiltin and Pte. Donald D.J. Tyman lived within blocks of each other, and all served with the 小蓝视频 Saskatchewan Regiment. Ford died at age 31, Chiltin at 23 and Tyman at 24.
In Saskatoon, Flight Sgt. Ronald Harvey Loyns served with the Royal Canadian Air Force and died at age 20, while Signalman Arthur Keith Adams served with the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals and died at age 21.
The JBCA is also sending four postcards to Alberta addresses; one to British Columbia, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; 22 to Manitoba; 316 to Ontario; and 50 to Quebec.
The charity is hosting a temporary exhibition at the Juno Beach Centre in Normandy, France, until Dec. 31, 2023. The exhibit explores the evolving understanding of the raid, its links to Juno Beach on D-Day in 1944 and the liberation of Dieppe in September 1944.
Click to see the main page commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid.
