Day 13,  Sunday, September 10,  2023

We left early for our 2 hour drive to Dieppe and waited for the museum to open in a lovely park dedicated to the Canadians who died in the Dieppe Raid.

The Museum “Le Mémorial du 19 août 1942” is dedicated to the Raid on Dieppe in 1942 and exhibits items and objects from that battle.  There is an informative film at the beginning of our visit, with a backdrop of photos of soldiers that fought at Dieppe.

It was a lovely theatre before it became a museum.

After the film Bob looks at the exhibits…

…and I rather unsuccessfully sketch a couple of the items exhibited.  I have a hard time with wars, and why they have to happen in the first place.

The uniforms were made of woollen material which is a naturally flame resistant fabric, that will char, but doesn’t flame or melt.  Uniforms made of wool were also naturally breathable as well as being warm, but they look rather heavy and cumbersome.

Many of the exhibits were donated by families of the men who served during the raid. It is a small museum but there are lots of interesting items.

In the lobby there is a list of all those who died during the battle…it is a very long list. Almost 70% of the 5000 Canadian troops were either captured or killed.

The Canadians tried to get past the beach and onto this esplanade but they were unsuccessful.  The modern looking building is called the Casino Hotel and the original building suffered  major damage during the raid.

Beaches that were the site of a bloody battle are filled with people enjoying the summer.

We walk along the esplanade, remembering those who who gave their lives here defending our freedom..

…and then back along the beach, dipping our toes into the English Channel.