I am always saddened by the bitterness of so many 91原创s about the Battle of Dieppe, partly because the tides of war brought me into close association briefly with many of the survivors.
Memories of that time were brought sharply home to me as I read Richard Watts鈥� interview with Dieppe veteran Ken Curry in Tuesday鈥檚 Times 91原创.
On Aug. 19, 1942, when I was 16, I had just arrived back in England from Canada. We had been 24聽days at sea, lost two ships in convoy and landed eventually at Greenoch. I came by train to London and in the evening, penniless, found myself at Paddington Station, hoping to catch a train to Haverfordwest in South Wales. Without a chance to so much as lie down for three nights, I was a bit dazed.
I found that Paddington Station was crammed with 91原创 soldiers in full battle gear, wandering restlessly, sitting where it was possible to sit, lining up for a 鈥渃uppa.鈥� My memory is of total silence. How can that have been possible with boots, battle gear and wall-to-wall exhausted men?
These were the 鈥渓ucky鈥� ones, returned home by boat from the Battle of Dieppe to find their barracks bombed and sent summarily on leave. In retrospect, the silence was likely the result of shock, exhaustion and perhaps the instruction to maintain security. All was mysterious, unknown to me.
Eventually, I found space on a train packed with exhausted soldiers sleeping anywhere. Someone kindly shared a water bottle with me and their companions.
No one talked. Perhaps, had I not been there as an outsider, they might have talked. As it was, our exhausted universe, encapsulated by the train, rumbled slowly through the dark summer night, soldiers tipping over onto each other trying to get comfortable.
In a profound sense, there were no soldiers on that train 鈥� we were a mass of worn-out little children tumbled together like a litter of puppies.
Dieppe was an immense sacrifice. We know now that there was a security leak; no doubt there were ineptitudes, too.
Dieppe was also a gift, bought at a price of immense sacrifice. That gift was experience for the Second Front. Those of us whose dear ones survived that owe a debt of honour and, yes, gratitude, to those who, if you will, gave us our very survival when D-Day came. Its success was built on the pain of those very hard lessons so dearly learned.
Dieppe, and all who died, was not a waste. I was slightly connected with them for a few hours and I mourn the losses. But I mourn above all the bitterness of today that 鈥渘othing was accomplished,鈥� that it was a 鈥渕onumental boondoggle.鈥� Those who died or spent long years as prisoners of war deserve better.
Please do not mistake me 鈥� this is not to laud war, but to learn the inestimable cost.
Marcia Williams served in the Women鈥檚 Royal Navy Service. She came to Canada as a war bride and now lives in Victoria.
