On 19 August 1942, soldiers of the Second Canadian Division took part in the ill-fated and controversial raid on Dieppe, France. Was it folly to attack a well-defended port or a necessary sacrifice of young Canadians to save countless lives later?



This story honours the young French Canadians who, as proud members of Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal, took part in the ill-fated raid. I was fortunate to know three Fusiliers veterans, my father Jean-Pierre Laekas and his friends Arthur Fraser and Maurice Jolicoeur, who survived the raid and the subsequent difficult period in captivity. Through our discussions over the years, they provided me with their first-hand accounts of the terrible events of that day and the aftermath.



The idea to put their words to print came during my 47-day trip in 2011 that followed my father’s Second World War journey.



A portion of the profits from the sale of this book will be donated to the Last Post Fund (Quebec Region).