 |
| A German photograph of the aftermath of the Dieppe raid, Royal Canadian Air Force |
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/1942-dieppe-raid
Followed by oral testimonies of veterans who served there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otYbcd9sFrQ
In the case of Dieppe, it is important to understand the soldiers' perspectives and truly account for their horrific experiences. This event, more than any other, demonstrates the futility of warfare and the vast distinction between those who send the orders and those who must act upon them.
As with most anniversaries, I like to tie in a local connection, and found an interesting one with the story of Lieut.-Col. John Andrews. It is told through a series of articles in the St. Thomas Times-Journal over around 20 years and demonstrates how people on the home front were informed of the fate of their local soldiers.
St. Thomas Times-Journal, Jan. 16, 1942
PROMOTED LT.-COLONELThe promotion of Major John Andrews, son of Col. and Mrs. W. A. Andrews, 33 Roseberry Place, to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel about the first of December last has been learned of here. At the age of 32, he is one of the youngest men of that rank in the Canadian Army, either in Canada or overseas, there being only two younger so far as is known. Lt.-Col. Andrews is now in command of the Calgary Tank Battalion with the Canadian Corps overseas, succeeding Lt.-Col. Bradbrook, of Calgary, who recruited the battalion and took it overseas, and who has since been posted to other duties with the Middle East Command. The battalion is part of the Canadian Corps troops and is understood to have the newest of British tank equipment. Lt.-Col. Andrews has been overseas since about the middle of last year, having preceded to England as brigade major of the tank regiments which left Canada at that time. He had previously been stationed at Camp Borden as a tank expert, his special training having been with tanks and other armored fighting machines for several years prior to outbreak of the war. He had taken senior officers' tank courses in England before the war and was thoroughly grounded in all their features and uses.
St. Thomas Times-Journal, August 1942
Lieut.-Col. John Andrews, son of Lieut.-Col. and Mrs. W. A. Andrews, 33 Roseberry Place, who is reported missing from the Dieppe raid last Wednesday. He was in command of the Calgary Tank Battalion, and was one of the youngest men in the Canadian Army to hold the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He was 33 years old, a native of St. Thomas. By a coincidence, his paternal grandfather, Foster Andrews, a pioneer resident of St. Thomas, observed his 91st birthday, Friday, the day that word came that Lt.-Col. Andrews was missing. The message was received by Mrs. Andrews of Barrie, Ontario who was on vacation in the northern part of the province with her two-year-old daughter. Mrs. Andrews is a Winnipeg young woman. She communicated with her husband's parents in this city Friday night. Although official details have not been received, Lieut.-Col. Andrews is believed to have per-" (article not continued)
St. Thomas Times-Journal, September 1942
LIST BARRIE OFFICER MISSING AFTER RAID
Fear Was on Boat Hit by Shell at Dieppe
Barrie, Sept. 16
Lieut.-Col. John Gilby Andrews, 33, officer commanding 14th Army Tank Battalion (Calgary regiment)is reported missing in the official Dieppe casualty list. His wife, Mrs. Eleanor Catherine Andrews, Clapperton St., Barrie, has been informed the young officer was last seen leaving his tank with his crew for a launch, and that the launch was hit directly. Col. Andrews was one of the "originals" of the Canadian Armored Corps at Camp Borden, who established the Canadian Armored Fighting Vehicles school there, May 1, 1938. Mrs. Andrews and their two-year-old daughter Susan reside at Barrie; his parents and a sister, Geraldine, live in St. Thomas, and another sister, Jean, wife of Lieut. Pat McGiverin, Royal Regiment of Canada, in Toronto.
St. Thomas Times-Journal, Oct. 4, 1958
Col. Andrews to Attend Unveiling at Brookwood
When Queen Elizabeth on Oct. 25 unveils the Brookwood Memorial in England, which commemorates 3,500 men and women of Commonwealth land forces who died at sea, on raids and in other missions and actions during World War II, and who have no known graves, among the many Canadians watching will be Lt.-Col. Warren A. Andrews, St. Thomas Civic Defense co-ordinator. The Brookwood Memorial, standing in the Brookwood cemetery near Woking, Surrey, contains the names of 148 Canadians- among them the name of Lt.-Col. John Gilby Andrews, the son of Col. and Mrs. Andrews was a 33 year-old officer commanding the 14th Armored Battalion (Calgary Tanks), when he was killed at Dieppe. An "original" of the Canadian Armored Corps at Camp Borden, he helped establish the Canadian Armored Fighting Vehicles School there in 1938. Col. Andrews will sail from Montreal to England on Oct. 14. Arriving Oct. 20, he will visit his granddaughter, Miss Susan Wallace, who lives in Southport. Together, they will attend the unveiling ceremony of the Brookwood Memorial.
St. Thomas Times-Journal May 6, 1961
New Hangar at Meaford Range Named for Col. Jack Andrews
Military personnel of the Meaford Armored Fighting Vehicle Range will be hosts in a dedication ceremony on Sunday, May 14, to commemorate the name of Lt.-Col. J. G. Andrews, who commanded the Calgary Regiment at Dieppe and who died in that action. The name, "Andrews Hangar" is being given to a new tank hangar which was built at the Range. This occasion affords the Royal Canadian Armored Corps an opportunity to record its appreciation for the services rendered by one of its original officers. Lt.-Col. Andrews was born in 1902 in St. Thomas, the son of Lt.-Col. W. A. Andrews and Mrs. Andrews, Roseberry Place, and attended school at St. Thomas Collegiate Institute. After graduation, he was employed in a local bank and soon became interested in the Militia and was appointed as a provisional lieutenant in the Elgin Regiment in 1928. This was his father's regiment. In 1930 he decided to make the Army his career and was attached to the Royal Canadian Regiment in August of that year. After completing a course at Royal Military College, Kingston, he was posted to the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
IN AT THE START
In 1936, a Canadian Tank School was established at London, Ont. This school was commanded by Major F. F. Worthington, MC and bar (afterwards Major-General F. F. Worthington, CB, MC, MM, CD). Lt. Andrews was selected for posting to this school as an instructor. In 1938 the school moved to Camp Borden and was redesignated the Canadian Armored Fighting Vehicle School. Lt. Andrews was promoted to captain at this time and transferred to the AFV School, still as a member of the PPCLI. During the next year he held posts at National Defense Headquarters and the Directorate of Military Training in Ottawa and later was brigade-major at headquarters, Army Tank Brigade. In June 1941 he went overseas in that capacity, and thus ended his five years as a technical officer and instructor in the use of tanks. Major Andrews has been in on the birth of what is now the Royal Canadian Armored Corps. On December 3, 1941, Major Andrews was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel and appointed to command the 14th Army Tank Battalion (Calgary Regiment). This was the first unit of the Canadian Armored Corps to go into action. The Dieppe Story is well known and the loss of Lt. Col. Andrews was one of the many tragedies of the day. Lt.-Col. Andrews was married in 1937 in Winnipeg to Eleanor Catherine Allan. They had one daughter, Susan, born in Barrie, who will unveil the memorial plaque on the "Andrews Hangar." His wife has since remarried, and is now Mrs. Ben Wallace, of Toronto.
ATTENDING FROM HERE
The ceremony next Sunday will be attended by Col. Andrews's father and mother, who will accompany their daughter, Mrs. T. Patrick McGiverin and Mr. McGiverin; Lt.-Col. F. H. Medcalf, honorary lieutenant-colonel of the Elgin Regiment, and Mrs. Medcalf; Lt.-Col. J. W. McNeil; and Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Agnew.
The Doc Alexander Blog describes the circumstances of Lt.-Col. Andrews's death:
"Andrews, Lt.-Col. John Gilby- The 33-year-old commanding officer of the CATR was Killed in Action on Aug. 19, 1942 during the Dieppe Raid. Andrews, who was commanding 'Regiment,' a Churchill MkII, attempted to land his tank on White Beach. But unknown to him, it appears that the waterproof cover had ripped as Regiment left Tank Landing Craft No. 8. The tank sank into roughly six feet of water and the engine flooded and died. Doc Alexander reports in his Dieppe journal that a few of the men climbed out of Regiment and were picked up by a small L-boat. Doc Alexander wrote: 'Some of the men escaped from the turret and I saw them picked up by a small L-Boat which immediately put out to sea, but only traveled a short distance when it received a direct hit from one of the shore batteries and burst into flames. I saw the men again jump into the water, but we do not know whether they were again picked up or not." Andrews was initially reported missing following the Dieppe Raid, but it was later confirmed that he had indeed been killed."
Finally, check out this collection of artifacts from Dieppe, including Lt.-Col. Andrews's Memorial Cross: https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2017/08/18/shackles-pebbles-and-posters-the-raid-on-dieppe-in-10.html
Thanks for reaching the end of this little Dieppe conglomeration; I hope that it enriched your reflections on that tremendous event.
Thanks for reading,
Delany (@DLeitchHistory on Twitter)
No comments:
Post a Comment