DEAR SIS "Dieppe" (Remembrance Day Canada Nov 11th)

(Stuart 1940)

 From Signaller Stuart Shiels,  HQ          South Saskatchewan Regiment  Sept 23, 1942
                                                (Written after he survived Dieppe)

                "The living owe it to those who no longer can speak, to tell their story for them." (Czeslaw Milosz)

(Stuart seated on right)

 DEAR SIS ( my mother Nessie):     Received your airgraph re Sept 5. I am OK.

(Stuart on left, Brother Bill in centre)

 Excuse writing as I am in a cast from hips to neck and out to fingers of right hand.

 Had one bullet just miss back bone, and go through seat about 5 inches deep.

 Another hit centre of right back but glanced up

 Smashing shoulder and have a neat hole through "humorous."

(German army)

 I took a prisoner and fetched him back, after being shot up,

(Yarrows 1943)

 so you can judge from that the injuries are slight.

(Stuart left , on farm with parents and Bill)

 When we evacuated amid a hail of bullets, shrapnel and dive bombing

 we could see green waves of Jerry pouring in for miles back.

(Signaller Stuart Shiels)

 The official score was 5000 dead and wounded for them,

(1939 King and Queen in Toronto)

  and 3350 dead and wounded and prisoners from us.

(Bren)

 Believe you me........

(Aldershot barracks)

 They have a healthy respect for Canadians.

(Mum(Nessie) left, Yarrows Shipyard, 1943)

 Will write as soon as right wing

 is working.....................

                           Love, Stuart.

 Battle of Dieppe, was an Allied attack on the port of Dieppe, occupied by the Germans in WW2.  Aug 19th, 1942. By 10 am the allies were in retreat. It involved 5000 Canadians, 1000 British and 50 US Rangers.

 The objective of the commanders was to seize a major port and gather intelligence.  None of which were really met.  Less than 10 hours after the first landings, the last troops evacuated ,  some left to be captured by German troops, 60% of the men who made it ashore were dead. Royal Airforce was not able to get the Luftwaft to engage, and lost 106 aircraft, 33 landing craft and one destroyer were also lost.  But the fiasco of Dieppe led the way for the battle in North Africa, known as Operation Torch and the landing at Normandy.

 My uncle was one of the lucky ones to survive and be evacuated to be sent home .
                                                  He died Feb 27 1975.