Books re Combined Operations

St. Nazaire to Singapore: The Canadian Amphibious War 1941 - 1945

[St. Nazaire to Singapore (2 volumes), inspired by Combined Operations]

The two volumes (8.5 in. by 11 in., light blue cardboard covers) are rare but essential to those collecting information and veterans' stories about Canadian efforts in Combined Operations, WW2. I obtained copies from my father many years ago and did not know they were treasures until just a few years back. I was delighted to buy an extra set via AbeBooks.com just one month ago. I check used-book sites regularly in the hopes of buying more. They can fortunately be viewed online at Our Roots as well as borrowed from the Canadian War Museum library via one's local library.

[Comb. Ops veterans put their heads and stories together in the 1990s]

A quick glance at the table of contents will reveal the wealth of information contained within the set. Stories are written by the veterans and are sometimes accompanied by rare photos or rarer hand drawings.

[Stories are often arranged in chronological order]

[Several stories tell of the disaster at Dieppe, Aug. 1942]

[Drawing of Robert McRae, a POW at the piano, circa 1945:
Signature is an 'M', perhaps a self-portrait]

[The two volumes are thick with accounts of Comb. Ops activities]

[David and Kit Lewis and Len Birkenes (Alberta) compiled the two-volume set]

My impression is that once printed in the early 1990s the books were distributed at Navy reunions and by word-of-mouth. Many sets are likely sitting on bookshelves belonging to veterans of WW2 or their survivors, but my feeling is the books need to be republished for public consumption. And I will see what I can do in that regard and pass information along on this site.

Link to Books re Combined Operations

Photos GH