Hamilton commemorates 82nd anniversary of Dieppe Raid

A memorial service was held at Hamilton’s Dieppe Veteran’s Memorial Park Monday morning for the raid’s 82nd anniversary.

The service began at 11 a.m. on Hamilton’s Beach Boulevard, paying tribute to the more than six thousand allied forces that took part in the largest raid of the second world war.

The memorial included a performance by the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (RHLI) band and an aircraft flyover arranged by the Canadian Heritage Warplane Museum.

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Retired captain of the RHLI and squadron historian Tim Fletcher says the ceremonies help communities remember how important it is to remember and respect the conflicts of the past.

“If we forget that people went to war on our behalf – sacrificed their very lives it only encourages people to continue warfare – to take up arms against their brothers,” he said.

“If we continue to remember the sacrifice and the horrors of war that made them sacrifice, maybe we will have it in our mind at some point to really and truly work for peace.”

582 members of the RHLI took part in the raid in Dieppe, France on Aug. 19, 1942 and has been recorded as the largest single day in the loss of Hamiltonian life to date.

About 197 members of the regiment died and nearly 300 were wounded or taken prisoner during the war.