Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery is a Second World War military

war grave A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed forces or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations. Definition The term "war grave" does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to b ...

cemetery, located in the village of

Hautot-sur-Mer Hautot-sur-Mer (, literally ''Hautot on Sea'') is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography A small town of farming and light industry situated in the Pays de Caux, immediately to the west of ...

, south of

Dieppe Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newha ...

in Normandy, France. It contains Canadian and British soldiers killed during the

Dieppe Raid Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid (19 August 1942) was an Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War. Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, supported by a regiment o ...

on the 18/19 August 1942. This large scale daylight assault on a fortified objective was an abject failure and casualties were very heavy. Of an attacking military force of some 6,100, over 3,600 were killed, wounded, missing or taken prisoner. 765 identified Allied service personnel are interred in the cemetery, of which 582 are Canadian; a further 187 are unidentified. Further casualties from the Dieppe raid are buried in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

, where the Germans took captured soldiers, some of whom later died of their wounds. There are seven non-Commonwealth graves and two not from the Second World War.

History

The cemetery is unique in that it was created by the occupying Germans, as the Allied raid was a disaster and many dead were forced to be left behind in enemy territory. The headstones were placed back-to-back in long double rows, typical of German burials but unlike any other Commonwealth war cemetery. When Dieppe was liberated in 1944, the Allies elected not to disturb the graves, so this unusual arrangement remains. The post-war design was by

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

(CWGC) architect

Philip Hepworth Philip Dalton Hepworth (12 March 1888 – 21 February 1963) was a British architect. He studied in both the UK and France, at the Architectural Association School of Architecture and the École des Beaux-Arts, and returned to work as an architec ...

and the cemetery in France was the first CGWC cemetery to be completed in 1949. The cemetery is maintained by the commission.

Notable interments

* Pilot Officer Dastur Rustom Nariman (

Royal Indian Air Force The Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) was the aerial force of British India and later the Dominion of India. Along with the Indian Army, and Royal Indian Navy, it was one of the Armed Forces of British Indian Empire. The Indian Air Force was offi ...

) of

No. 12 Squadron RAF Number 12 Squadron, also known as No. 12 (Bomber) Squadron and occasionally as No. XII Squadron, is a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The squadron reformed in July 2018 as a joint RAF/Qatar Emiri Air Force squadron. It is currently ...

who was killed over Normandy on 31 August 1941 aged 22. * Brigadier Mary Janet Climpson, a British

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

Officer, who was killed when her vehicle was strafed by German planes, in 1940.

References

External links

Veterans Affairs Canada page

Commonwealth War Graves Commission page
* {{Find a Grave cemetery Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in France Canadian military memorials and cemeteries World War II cemeteries in France Buildings and structures in Seine-Maritime 1942 establishments in France Tourist attractions in Seine-Maritime Dieppe de:Operation Jubilee#Soldatenfriedhof