1000 Men, 1000 Stories : Articles: Dieppe Raid 1942

Long Casualty Lists Continue, Rare Photographs Appear, and More.

Newspaper Reports From The Winnipeg Tribune, August 25 1942

[Photo Credit - Associated Press Wirephoto, as seen in The Tribune Aug. 25]

Introduction:

As seen in earlier posts, the casualty lists related to the Dieppe Raid are lengthy, and The Winnipeg Tribune paid particular attention to troops with a connection to their city.

It strikes me that photographs and news articles related to the burial of Canadian servicemen - within just a few days of the raid - are very rare. Two photographs are presented with today's news.

Above we see "high-ranking Canadian officers on Sunday" (August 23, four days after the raid) "at the cemetery near Brookwood, England." Details related to the burial service were presented in an earlier post, i.e., Articles (5). Look for details in the story that begins with the following headline and opening paragraph:

In the caption connected to the top photograph we read that Maj-Gen. J. H. Roberts "led the Dieppe raid." An article is presented in today's articles that shed more light on that statement. And readers should understand that much has been written about Maj-Gen. Roberts linked to the notion he was in a very poor position aboard a ship in the English Channel, with very poor communications equipment, so his role and responsibilities faced an uphill battle, leading writers to suggest Roberts was made the scape-goat concerning the tragic outcome of the raid.

Little can be found about the role of Canadians in Combined Operations who manned landing crafts on the day of the raid. However, I discovered one reference to a Canadian officer (RCNVR and Comb. Ops) aboard landing crafts and draw attention to it later in this entry.

Readers are encouraged to peruse the August 25 issue of The Winnipeg Tribune for more details about the day.

* * * * * *

Some of the photographs that appear above can be found at the Imperial War Museum in fine quality. Two of the four also appear on this site. Go to 'click on Headings' archive, side margin and go to 'photographs'.

For the second time I have included a full page from The Tribune that relates to casualty lists. Sections from two of the main stories appear beneath the full page:

Piper Charles Gunn was mentioned in an earlier entry as missing. He has yet to be found:

Some critics of the Dieppe Raid would argue about a line or more in the following brief comment about the "Achieved Purpose":

Some writers have mentioned that Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal, as reserves, were sent in toward the beaches of Dieppe because Maj-Gen. Roberts believed things were going better than they actually were (due to inaccurate and incomplete communications):

As mentioned in the introduction, two rare photographs follow of the burial of some of those lost at Dieppe.:

[Brookwood Cemetery, England - and this burial - are mentioned on Wikipedia]

In spite of the tragedy at Dieppe, or perhaps because of it, more volunteers lined up at recruitment offices in Canada:

I am sure for many readers back in the day, the lengthy casualty lists - chiefly related to Dieppe - dominated and negatively affected their thoughts.

However, occasionally we read that good news crossed the Atlantic as well, as we see below.

Leading the following list is a Canadian officer in RCNVR and Combined Operations, Sub-Lt. Jack E. Koyl, "on loan to Royal Navy."

"On loan to Royal Navy" is a term I have come across more than once and I take it to mean that those Canadian officers and ratings (like my father, initially rated as an Ordinary Seaman in RCNVR) who volunteered for Combined Operations, an organization in the British War Office charged with creating offensive operations, did so with the permission of the Canadian Navy.

In my father's Navy records I do not see "on loan to the Royal Navy" but do see 'Ty' and C.O. ('Tmpy') elsewhere, and I take it to mean Temporary, whilst in Combined Operations.

Note the last two lines: "Rt (Rating or Rated) advanced to act* Ldg Smn (CO) (Ty)

(Leading Seaman, Combined Operations, Temporary) whilst in Combined Ops.

*act could also mean active. See 4th line up from bottom, dated 26. Oct '43, which likely means "Rated Temporary Active Leading Seaman (Combined Operations)"

And in my father's memoirs he writes two complete stories about his connection to "Uncle Jack" or Jake Koyl, a man he learned to greatly respect, a man with feet the size of shoe boxes and a stellar hockey record with a New York Rangers farm team.

Sub.-Kt. Koyl's own memoirs, very valuable recollections, can be found on this site as well.