Remembrance Day: Brave young men, women grew up quickly Pt 2

I said earlier that more ‘growing up quickly’ took place when the SS Silver Walnut reached Sicily in the summer of 1943.

Earlier than that too, especially during the Dieppe raid in August, 1942.

Though there were some perks while training off the Ayrshire coast in Scotland for the raid (“we were treated royally by the townsfolk along Harbour Street where we tied up our landing craft, the ladies bestowing tea and cookies on us”, writes my father of those days) they were forgotten in the heat of battle.

“For about fifty-five officers and ratings (seamen) the moment of truth drew near when they would be put to the test, untried, but with a high esprit de corps and ready to live or die by Canadian navy traditions, and die some did.”


[“A Landing Craft (Mechanized) or LCM at speed”: photo by Bob Berger L/Sea, RCNVR]

“Seventy-one men of Combined Operations, RCNVR took part in the Dieppe raid, 19 August, 1942. One officer died at 0347 hours (that day) in the Channel, killed in a fiery exchange with a small German convoy.”

“During the long, suffering day two Canadian seamen were killed and one severely wounded. He (later) died and was buried in Berlin in October.”

Dad later compiled a list of those killed that he knew in some way. And heading the list are the four mentioned above.

They are:

Richard Cavanaugh, from Ottawa, buried at Dieppe
AB Joseph McKenna, from P.E.I., buried at New Haven
S/Lt Clifford D. Wallace, from Montreal, buried at Dieppe
AB Lloyd Campbell, from London, Ont., buried in Berlin

The names of twelve other men, who grew up quickly but were later killed in the war, also appear on the list.

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