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When I was in grade 7 in the small town of Perth Ontario, my father had as usual arranged for the speaker for the Annual Remembrance Day Dinner held at the local Legion. The speaker this year was a Presbyterian Minister, originally from Coburg. I had read about him in one of my school’s textbooks and asked him to autograph the book for me, which he most kindly did. However only after pressing him to add those 2 little initials after his name, did he do so. Here is his story as told in Just a Minute, written by Marsha Boulton. Oh yes, the textbook was turned into the Stewart School at the end of the year. Oh how foolish the young are. EVERY MAN --- CARRY A MAN Dieppe, France, August 19, 1942 - Honourary Captain John Foote, chaplain of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry was so determined to accompany his unit into battle that he stowed away with only the tacit consent of his superiors. Then, although he could have left the horror that marked the ill-fated assault on Dieppe, he decided to stay as a prisoner of war! Foote was a thirty-five-year-old Presbyterian minister in Coburg, Ontario when Canada officially entered the Second World War on September 10, 1939. He was among the earliest to apply for duty and he pursued his duties as a chaplain with his regiment stationed in England, Before the war ended, Canada's forces grew to more than a million men and women from a professional nucleus of fewer than 10,000. When it became apparent that Canadian troops were to finally be sent into battle on the secret mission dubbed "Operation Jubilee," Foote's commanding officer suggested that the popular padre stay back since he might be needed more than ever after the raid. "I'll make my own arrangements, and if you see me on the beach you can order me off," replied Foote. Along with close to 5,000 Canadian troops, Foote joined in the early morning landing at the chalk cliffs off the small port and gambling town of Dieppe. It was the first time most of the men confronted combat, and it was the first time the Allies had determined to test their ability to launch a large-scale amphibious raid on Hitler's continental fortress. The battle lasted for nine savage hours during which the troops faced incessant, deadly fire. They were raked by machine guns and picked off by snipers. Foote attached himself to a Regimental Aid Post on the beach and set about helping the wounded, constantly exposing himself to the hail of bullets. As the tide went out, the Post moved to a stranded landing craft, and Foote hauled wounded men to its cover, only to remove them when enemy shelling set its ammunition afire. When evacuation efforts began, the burly padre carried wounded men from the exposed beach to waiting landing craft. "Every man, carry a man," Foote shouted to all who could hear him. He may have saved as many as thirty lives and his courage set an inspirational example. Foote had several opportunities to embark, but as the last boat departed, he waded back to the bloodied beach. "The men ashore would need me far more in captivity than any of those going home," was his belief. More than 900 Canadians were killed at Dieppe and nearly 2,000 were taken prisoner. Padre Foote and medical officer Captain D. Clare both chose to be voluntarily imprisoned with the captured men. They led the grim column of captives on the march to prisoner of war camps, where they stayed until the end of the war. Amid the squalid camp conditions, Foote organized social activities, including an orchestra in which he played a mean trumpet. He conducted regular church services, and also used the church to conceal men who were escaping. Despite threats to his life, the padre harassed the Germans for better treatment for the men.
John Foote was awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroism at Dieppe, as was another brave Canadian, Vancouver's Colonel Charles "Cec" Merritt of the South Saskatchewan Regiment. Of the thousands who served, their valour and courage was singled out but they were not unique. There were many acts of heroism at Dieppe, and many more would follow, each one deserving of the everlasting gratitude of all Canadians.
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