The Dieppe Raid was the bloodiest day of the Second World War for Canada, and the bloodiest day for Hamilton as 197 men of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry died in the August 19, 1942 raid.
For 70 years, the debate raged regarding the merits and purpose of the raid. Was it to appease public opinion for some action, a response to Soviet demands for a second front, a much needed testing ground for the Normandy invasion, or just a fools errand by Lord Mountbatten?
A key piece of information was missing, parts of which remain classified even today - a raiding team commanded by Ian Fleming. The goal of this crack team of commandos from Bletchley Park (the closely guarded heart of Britain's wartime Intelligence and code-breaking work)? To capture one of the Nazis new Enigma machines and the cypher materials accompanying the machine.
It was a dark time for the Allies as the new Enigma left them blink to the movements of U-Boats, losses were increasing, and it seems the war could be lost.
This book is essential reading for Hamiltonians who were raised with stories of the Dieppe Raid, and saw the pained expression of those who left their youth behind on that beach.
One day in August the untold story behind Canada's tragedy in Dieppe, by David R. O'Keefe, 2013.