The Dieppe Raid: Photographs by Lt. L. Pelman, RN (2)

The Combined Operations Daylight Raid Had Some Highlights

for Commandos. Very Few for Canadian Troops and Sailors

A11234 - Light naval craft covering the landing during the Combined

Operations daylight raid on Dieppe. MGB 321 is nearest the camera (partly

obscured by some sailors in the foreground) whilst submarine chaser Q 014

can be seen in the middle distance. Photo Credit: Lt. L. Pelman, Royal Navy

official photographer. Imperial War Museum (IWM)

Introduction:

A few notions and opinions that were held by my father (Doug Harrison, RCNVR, Combined Operations, 1941 - 45) about the Dieppe Raid were shared in Part 1 of this series related to photographs taken by Lt. L. Pelman, Royal Navy official photographer. (A link to his full collection of over 1,200 photos is also provided in Part 1).

Doug strongly felt that the raid "on August 19, 1942 should have been aborted too" - as Operation Rutter had been about five weeks earlier. More from his memoirs follow:

I wasn’t there because I was on leave but came back early (because, though I didn’t know where, I knew there was a raid coming) and was in position to see the Duke of Wellington carrying barges, my oppo and other buddies to Dieppe and certain death for the soldiers. There was a mishap before they even got to sea, i.e., soldiers were readying hand grenades and one somehow exploded and four were killed and many injured. It was an ill omen.

Much has been written about Dieppe so I will not enlarge upon it too much. My opinion is - it was a senseless waste of blood. The Germans were ready because we (i.e., the Allies) ran into a German convoy in the channel. The element of surprise was lost. The times of arrival at beaches were to be during the night, but some turned out to land in full daylight up against cliffs unable in any way to be scaled.

No softening up of defences by bombing was ever carried out. I will make it short and say I will remember it as a complete, useless waste of good Canadian blood and no one - even those who say we learned a valuable lesson there - will ever change my mind. No mock raids were held, as for St. Nazaire against home defences. It was simply a mess.

I lost my first comrades at Dieppe. Others were wounded. O/S Kavanaugh - killed. O/S Jack McKenna - killed. A/B Lloyd Campbell, London, Ontario died of wounds after his legs were nearly cut off by machine gun fire. Imagine Higgins boats made of 3/4 inch plywood going in on a beach like that.

Lt. McRae became a POW at Dieppe, 1942. Photo 

Credit - St. Nazaire to Singapore: Volume 1

Lieutenant McRae, our commander, Stoker Brown, and others I can’t recall were taken prisoner. And lots of people don’t even know Canada’s navy was represented at Dieppe. (The only other comrade I lost was Coxswain Owens, the man who left me stranded that night in Irvine. He was killed in North Africa, our next safari).

I was on leave at Calshot Camp in Southampton at the time, but was asked to go and clean up ALCs as they struggled back from Dieppe. I absolutely refused. I was so incensed I also refused to go to church there. I went to the door but never went in.

Nothing became of my refusals. In fact, I went through the war without one mark against my record.

A 1989 reunion of two shipmates at Dieppe. (L-R) R.W. Brown (stoker),

D. Harrison, Robert McRae (back), Art ‘Gash’ Bailey Photo credit -

St. Nazaire to Singapore: Volume 1

From “DAD, WELL DONE” Naval Memoirs of G.D. Harrison, Page 20 - 21

Please click here to read a significant, rare piece of prose by Lt. McRae concerning his eye-witness account of the Dieppe Raid. The first few lines are shared below:

Toronto made me, Dieppe undid me;
26, RCNVR, ordinary seaman to lieutenant
by '42, RN destroyers and mine-sweepers
in the North Sea, then from May the same year
hitched up to a new RCN flotilla
learning Combined Operations, 100 men, 15 sub-lieutenants
working our butts off up in Scotland making landings
in anything that floated - then in August ordered to Southampton
where persuasive talkers wanting men and boats
for a mystery job took us in hook, line and sinker,
our officers and men sprinkled through the fleet,
not going in as a unit, the price to be paid
for a chance at some close-in action...

Photographs taken by Lt. L. Pelman now continue:

Heading - THE ROYAL NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR: THE DIEPPE RAID, AUGUST 1942

A11228 - Two of the landing craft, one containing a Bren-carrier, alongside a 

destroyer after returning from the beaches during the Combined Operations day-

light raid on Dieppe. The landing craft mechanised are (left to right) LCM(1)

169 and LCM(1)2. Photo Credit: Lt. L. Pelman, Imperial War Museum. IWM

A11229 - Two of the landing craft, one containing a Bren-carrier, come along-

side a destroyer after returning from the beaches during the Combined  Operations

daylight raid on Dieppe. The landing craft mechanised are (left to right) LCM(1)

169 and LCM(1)2. Photo Credit: IWM

A11230 - A naval motor-launch seen with four of the landing craft personnel

(large) used during the Combined Operations daylight raid on Dieppe. The landing

craft are numbered (left - right) LCP(L)85, LCP(L)41, number not visible and

R145. (IWM)

A11231 - A landing craft (possibly LCP (L) 32) approaching the shore under

the cover of a smoke-screen during the Combined Operations daylight raid on

Dieppe. Several more landing craft can be seen in the background. (IWM)

Heading - THE BRITISH NAVY'S PART IN THE COMBINED OPERATIONS DAYLIGHT RAID ON DIEPPE. 20 AUGUST 1942.

A11232 - A close view of Dieppe with light naval craft manoeuvring

close inshore. (IWM)

Heading - THE ROYAL NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR: THE DIEPPE RAID, AUGUST 1942

A11233 - Light naval craft covering the landing during the Combined

Operations daylight raid on Dieppe. MGB 321 is in the foreground whilst

submarine chaser Q 014 can be seen in the middle distance. (IWM)

The next photo in Lt. L. Pelman's series, i.e., A11234, is found at top of this page. GH

A11235 - A general view of some of the small naval craft covering the

landing during the Combined Operations daylight raid on Dieppe. (IWM)

A11236 - Wounded soldiers being brought on board a destroyer after

the Combined Operations daylight raid on Dieppe. (IWM)

A11237 - A German plane dives into the sea after being shot down

by gunfire from British warships. (IWM)

In Part 1 of this two-part series I shared a few paragraphs from my father's Navy memoirs including this note about a sharp-eyed Canadian sailor in Combined Operations (with my father and about 950 - 1,000 other Canadians by the end of WWII): 

Norm Mitchinson of Niagara Falls was credited with two planes shot down during the course of the war; one at Dieppe and one at Sicily. Both were low flying bombers. His weapon was a strip Lewis 303. ("DAD, WELL DONE" page 20)

The plane in the photo above (circled) is quite small and in the distant background - and I'm not 'sharp-eyed' enough to see if it's a bomber. GH

A11238 - A British destroyer rescues soldiers from a landing craft which was

sunk during the Combined Operations daylight raid on Dieppe. The men are

using nets to clamber up the side of the destroyer, they are being helped by

sailors wearing anti-flash gear. (IWM)

A11239 - A British destroyer rescues soldiers from a landing craft which was sunk

during the Combined Operations daylight raid on Dieppe. The men are climbing

out of the water and up the side of the destroyer using a scramble net. (IWM)

A11240 - A British destroyer rescues soldiers from a landing craft which was sunk

during the Combined Operations daylight raid on Dieppe. One man holds on to

a rope thrown from the destroyer whilst two more men are close by. (IWM)

A11241 - A British destroyer rescues soldiers from a landing craft which was

sunk during the Combined Operations daylight raid on Dieppe. Two men can

be seen hanging on to a scramble net on the side of the destroyer. (IWM)

A11242 - HMS BERKELEY settling down in the water after being bombed

during the Combined Operations daylight raid on Dieppe. One of the destroyers

boats is still alongside, empty but still attached to its davits. BERKELEY was

torpedoed shortly afterwards by British forces. (IWM)

Help Wanted: Why would British forces torpedo their own damaged ship? Too costly to repair? Fear that if Germans towed it to a dock they would learn of a few worthy innovations re ship-building? Comments from readers are welcomed. GH

A11243 - The last men leaving HMS BERKELEY as she settled down in

the water after being bombed during the Combined Operations daylight

raid on Dieppe. (IWM)

A11244 - HMS BERKELEY being torpedoed by our own forces after being

bombed during the Combined Operations daylight raid on Dieppe. Note how

the plume of water caused by the explosion dwarfs the destroyer. (IWM)

A11245 - The end of HMS BERKELEY. Photo - Lt. L. Pelman (IWM)

Another post featuring other WWII photographers and their photographs re "Canadians in Combined Operations" will soon follow.

Please click here to view The Dieppe Raid: Photographs by Lt. L. Pelman, RN (1)

Unattributed Photos GH

The Dieppe Raid: Photographs by Lt. L. Pelman, RN (1)

About the Dieppe Raid, Many Strong Opinions Still Exist to

This Day, and Will Surely be Argued Well Into the Future 

A destroyer makes a smoke screen to cover the landing during

the Combined Operations daylight raid on Dieppe. A11210

Photo Credit: Lt. L. Pelman, Royal Navy official photographer. 

Source: Imperial War Museum (IWM)

Introduction:

Recently, after sharing two posts dedicated to Joe McKenna (a Canadian in Combined Operations killed during the Dieppe Raid), I went on to share three closely-related posts concerning photographs of Commandos and Canadians as they returned to Newhaven, England, after their part in the Dieppe landings on April 19, 1942.

It was while doing so that I came across a lengthy series of very clear, dramatic and instructive photographs taken by Lt. L. Pelman (Royal Navy official photographer) on the day of the raid, now archived at the Imperial War Museum (IWM). Finding the first Pelman photo led to a second, third and so on - to 36 total - some of which seemed familiar to me while others seemed new or fresh. (Readers who explore photographs of the raid on their own or by using the 'A -Z Directory' in the right hand margin (see under 'click on HEADINGS' and go to 'Dieppe' and 'Photographs') may feel the same). And because it feels fairly timely - the 84th anniversary of the raid was about 5 weeks ago, while I was working on related posts - I now share Pelman's series of photographs in two consecutive entries on this blog.

I have shared in earlier posts that my father said he missed Dieppe by one day but he had likely been involved in practice exercises on the southern coast of England, perhaps even upon the Isle of Wight, that were related to the August running of the Dieppe Raid, i.e., Operation Jubilee. However, he may have been involved in the cancelled raid on Dieppe that was launched on the end of the first week in July (Operation Rutter) or in slightly earlier practice exercises. He suggests in memoirs that he was in place to experience some activity related to Rutter but his dates are off:

"Eight German JU 88s came from the east, took position in the sun and attacked us from the stern. It was perhaps between eight and nine o’clock (mid-June, 1942 as Doug was on a ship bound for Southampton, from a Combined Ops training camp in Scotland) because I had undressed and climbed into my hammock next to Stoker Fred Alston. When the Klaxon went everybody hit the deck and tried to dress, and being the largest ship, we knew we were in for it."

"I got my socks on, put my sweater on backwards and got the suspenders on my pants caught on the oil valves. I was hurrying like hell and nearly strangled myself - scared to death. They needed extra gunners so Lloyd Campbell of London, Ontario (later to die of wounds suffered at Dieppe) said, “Let me at him.”

"The bombs came - and close. They really bounced us around. The gun crew on the foc’sle of the ship was knocked clear off the gun by the concussion and fell but were only bruised.

"The attack was short and sweet but it seemed an eternity. A near miss had buckled our plates and we lost all our drinking water. I ventured out on deck immediately and picked up bomb shrapnel as big as your fist. I noticed the deck was covered with mud from the sea bottom. I kept the shrapnel as a souvenir along with many other items I had but, alas, they were all lost in Egypt.

We arrived at Cowe (Isle of Wight) the next day with everyone happy to be alive and still shaking. It indeed had been a basinful. Incidentally, two German 88s were shot down. Norm Mitchinson of Niagara Falls was credited with two planes shot down during the course of the war; one at Dieppe and one at Sicily. Both were low flying bombers. His weapon was a strip Lewis 303.

The next evening, June 23, 1942 there was terrific activity. Motor launches by the dozen headed out to see what was going on, and it turned out to be the aborted attempt on Dieppe. (Operation Rutter, the first run at Dieppe was cancelled on July 7, 1942)

The next one on August 19, 1942 should have been aborted too. I wasn’t there because I was on leave but came back early (because, though I didn’t know where, I knew there was a raid coming) and was in position to see the Duke of Wellington carrying barges, my oppo and other buddies to Dieppe and certain death for the soldiers. 

Page 19, “DAD, WELL DONE” Naval Memoirs of G. D. Harrison

Other folks interested in the goals and outcome of the Dieppe Raid paint a more positive picture of what was learned during the raid and how it helped future raids or invasions lead to some success. Many would disagree, my father and I included. Oops, the quarrelling begins! More details about the raid in the second part of this two-part offering.

And now, please find below a small part of Lt. L. Pelman's collection of WWII photographs as found at IWM. They are numbered from A11211 - A11227 and appear under two headings, and the headings change back and forth from one to the other (for some unknown reason).

Please note: Readers interested in Pelman's photographs throughout the war (1,283 are listed) can visit the many pages (43) from his collection starting here.) 

Headings - The Royal Navy During the Second World War: The Dieppe Raid, August 1942 

A11211 - The crew of a destroyer's pom-pom gun bringing up fresh supplies

of two pounder ammunition during the Combined Operations daylight raid

on Dieppe. Photo Credit - Imperial War Museum (IWM) for all below

A11212 - A 20 mm Oerlikon Mark I gun on board a destroyer in action with

enemy aircraft during the Combined Operations daylight raid on Dieppe.

Both the crew are wearing anti-flash gear. (IWM)

A11213 - A scene on the bridge of a destroyer during the Combined Operations

daylight raid on Dieppe. One sailor is looking through a pair of binoculars

whilst another is about to send a signal with a hand held signalling lamp.

Heading - THE BRITISH NAVY'S PART IN THE COMBINED OPERATIONS DAYLIGHT RAID ON DIEPPE. 20 AUGUST 1942.

A11214 - The crew of a pom-pom gun looking out for the enemy aircraft.

A11215 - A stoker comes up from below for a breather during the lull.

A11216 - Sailors on board a destroyer enjoy a cigarette during the lull.

A11217 - A destroyer's wireless telegraphist* repairing an aerial shot away

during the action.

*the telegraphist could be my father's twin (said my wife while looking over my shoulder this week)!

Heading - The Royal Navy During the Second World War: The Dieppe Raid, August 1942

A11218 - Some of the Canadian troops resting on board a destroyer after

the Combined Operations daylight raid on Dieppe. The strain of the

operation can be seen on their faces.

Heading - THE BRITISH NAVY'S PART IN THE COMBINED OPERATIONS DAYLIGHT RAID ON DIEPPE. 20 AUGUST 1942.

A11219 - Troops on board a destroyer after the action.

A11220 - A destroyer covering the landing operations steaming close

to the French coast.

Heading - The Royal Navy During the Second World War: The Dieppe Raid, August 1942

A11221 - Landing craft in the distance passing a destroyer on their way

inshore during the Combined Operations daylight raid on Dieppe.

A11222 - A general view of the French coast as seen from the bridge of one of

of the covering destroyers during the Combined Operations daylight raid on Dieppe.

One of the sailors in the foreground is operating a bridge mounted signalling lamp.

A11223 - A submarine chaser laying a smoke screen during the Combined

Operations daylight raid on Dieppe.

Heading - THE BRITISH NAVY'S PART IN THE COMBINED OPERATIONS DAYLIGHT RAID ON DIEPPE. 20 AUGUST 1942.

A11224 - Some of the landing craft returning after the operation.

Heading - The Royal Navy During the Second World War: The Dieppe Raid, August 1942

A11225 - Wounded soldiers being helped on board the destroyer HMS

ALBRIGHTON by the RNVR surgeon, Surgeon Lieutenant J. Gask during

the Combined Operations daylight raid on Dieppe.

A11226 - Shells bursting among the shore batteries during the naval bom-

bardment that was part of the Combined Operations daylight raid on Dieppe.

A11227 - Wounded men climbing on board a destroyer while the action

was taking place.

The second set of photographs by Lt. L. Pelman, RN to soon follow.

Please click here to view "News Clips Linked to the Dieppe Report"

Unattributed Photos GH

England's National Memorial Arboretum, May 2026 (2)

Welcome Again to the National Memorial Arboretum,

"150 Acres of Beautiful Woodland and Gardens"

The Arboretum is a few Km south of Burton-Upon-Trent and

even a shorter distance east of Alrewas, Staffordshire, UK

Photo 'borrowed' from the Arboretum's free Visitor Map

A book by a Canadian author that I would highly recommend.

And I do, in the accompanying video, link provided below

Introduction:

My sons and I, having visited the National Memorial Arboretum in late May, 2026, with cameras in hand, have a few more photographs to share with readers.

Enlarge the map on your computer screen for better viewing. GH

We covered a fair bit of ground in the first offering and will do so again below, with several digital photographs and a short video made up of other photographs taken by my son David and I. I will try not to repeat any more than a few of the photos but I do plan to repeat what I said in an earlier video, i.e., that if you are a son, daughter or relative of a Canadian in Combined Ops, i.e., a  former member of the RCNVR and Combined Operations who served during WWII, I strongly encourage you to make a trip to Staffordshire, England, and set aside at least an afternoon or two to walk about this lovely woodlands and gardens to view some of the (over) 400 memorials. 

I offer no guarantee that you'll jump up and down with excitement at the wide variety of designs and symbolism reflected in the many memorials (if you are near my age the "jumping up and down" has passed the best-before-date), but I do believe there would be few people - young or old, who would regret the experience.

For those who viewed the short video in the previous post I share the following details: I repeat one or two, maybe three still photographs in the next short video; yes, I do stop for greater lengths of time at 'Navy' (especially if related Combined Ops) memorials than at memorials for other forces; I bet I didn't see even half of the 400+ memorials on display, and not because we hurried; my boys and I are already discussing plans to return to the UK. "There is so much more to see and do."

Please click below to view a video related to the second half of our trek that day -

Video - England's National Arboretum, May 2026 (2)  

A complete version of Crossing the Bar by Alfred Lord Tennyson follows:

Poem as found at fineartamerica.com

An entry related to the Canadian 80th Flotilla of Landing Crafts (LCMs, in which my father was a member during the invasion of Sicily (i.e., Operation Husky, beginning July10, 1943) and Italy, at the toe of the boot (i.e., Operation Baytown, beginning September 3, 1943) will soon follow and will include the use of the photograph below:

Photo Credit - Imperial War Museum. Dated September 3, 1943

I believe the DUKWs are embarking from Mili Marina, Sicily

Please click here to view an entry, with video, about how we found the grave of Joe McKenna (RCNVR/Combined Operations), a 19-year old Canadian, killed during the Dieppe Raid, as mentioned in an earlier entry. 

One of my father's favourite WWII pubs. It is no longer standing!

One of my favourite pubs, still standing, June 2026, discovered during

my first trip to London in 2012. My sons liked it too! Photo GH

Photographs and a story or two will soon follow related to Operation HUSKY.

Please click here to view England's National Memorial Arboretum, May 2026 (1)

Unattributed Photos GH

England's National Memorial Arboretum, May 2026 (1)

Welcome to the National Memorial Arboretum,

(England's) Year-Round Place to Remember

The Submariner Memorial: "3500kg of bronze sculpted into a divided fin of a

submarine with the lone figure of a submariner standing between the two halves

looking to the surface." Photo Credit - Submarineremembrance.uk

Churchill quote: “Of all the branches of men in the forces there is none which

shows more devotion and faces grimmer perils than the submariners.”

Photo Credit - same as top photo

Introduction:

I have been doing research and written work about my father's 'Navy Days' (Doug Harrison, RCNVR and Combined Operations, June 1941 - September '45) for about a dozen years. Over that period of time I have written newspaper columns about my dad's WWII service and developed and maintained a blog related to my father and his 950 - 1,000 mates, hoping to create a substantial archive that will inform readers about the contribution made by hard-working Canadian sailors during WWII. Along the way my two sons have grown to share a sincere interest as well in their grandfather's service. "Where did he go? What did he do?"

From May 28 - June 10, 2026 we three 'Harrison Boys' travelled to England for research and enjoyment purposes (my father's Navy memoirs, shared on this blog, provided a very helpful roadmap to training grounds and nearby pubs!) and one of many highlights was our visit to the 150-acre National Memorial Arboretum a few miles south of Burton-on-Trent (it has some connection to classic IPAs I'm told : ) and about a mile east of Alrewas in Staffordshire, England. 

After passing through the Memorial Arboretum's main building - helpful directions were needed to point us toward the Combined Operations Command memorial - and entering the grounds, the first memorial (of more than a few) that caught my eye and held my interest for some time was the Submariners Memorial (photos above), followed by many, many more. I will share some of our photos in this entry and the next.

My father saw many gliders during the landings of Allied troops on the 

east coast of Sicily (beginning July 10, 1943) "but not one of them was intact."

Please click below to view a video related to part of our trek that day - 

Video: England's National Memorial Arboretum, May 2026 (1)  

Questions or comments can be addressed to GH at gordh7700@gmail.com

More details re 'For the Fallen' by Laurence Binyon

More photographs and another YouTube video related to our trek around England's National Memorial Arboretum will soon follow.

Please click here to view Memorials Dedicated to Combined Operations (2)

Unattributed Photos GH