“Once you make that personal connection, those connections stick far better than the abstract understanding that there were a lot of people who died”
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As Canada approaches the 80th anniversary of a Second World War raid that killed, injured or imprisoned thousands of its soldiers, an Alberta organization is part of an effort to help young people understand those who were there.
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Edmonton’s No Stone Left Alone Memorial Foundation has joined with the Beechwood Cemetery Foundation in Ontario and France’s Juno Beach Center Association to encourage students from across Canada to write letters focusing on the August 1942 Dieppe Raid and its impact as part of a “Letters to Dieppe” project.
A selection of the letters will be given to the surviving Canadian veterans who were at the raid with the remainder being sent to France and placed at the headstones of the Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery.
The Dieppe Raid in August 1942 was the Canadian army’s first major fight against Germany in the war. After about 10 hours of fighting, two-thirds of a force of nearly 5,000 Canadians were wounded, taken prisoner, or killed.
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In their letters, students of all ages are being asked to consider questions including why the raid is important, how it impacted future operations, whether the reasons for the raid have changed and to reflect on the soldiers and their families.
Michelle Koch, national coordinator for the No Stone Left Alone Memorial Foundation, said the goal is to create more of a connection to history, the people who were involved, and what their experiences might have been like.
“Once you make that personal connection, those connections stick far better than the abstract understanding that there were a lot of people who died,” she said.
“Standing in front of a soldier’s headstone, and reading a name and how old they were when they passed, and understanding where they might have been and what they might have done is much more impactful for any of us, but particularly young people.”
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Koch said resources available on the organizations’ websites can be used to have age-appropriate conversations with students from kindergarten to high school.
The groups are already reaching out to schools around Canada and will be launching a social media campaign to help generate letters. There are also plans to develop a commemorative e-book.
The deadline for submitting letters is July 20.
Anyone in Western Canada who wants to can send their letters to:
dieppe raid
No Stone Left Alone Memorial Foundation
c/o Waterloo Ford Lincoln
11420 107 Ave.
Edmonton, Alta.
T5H 0Y5
