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Wounded on Green Beach

The Dieppe Raid

Wounded on Green Beach

Transcript
We got a message from the headquarter's ship that we were to evacuate at a certain time. And I passed that order on to, to the companies and went to the position that I thought was appropriate and to supervise the actual evacuation. And, and this was down on the beach. Interviewer: So you're down on the beach and you're in charge of the evacuation procedures, and you notice the Royal Navy bringing in the landing craft, and they're getting ready ready to take your regiment off. Right Interviewer: What happened then? Well they came in, in the usual RN style, pretty good you know. And they were suffering casualties themselves. And yet they nevertheless kept coming, and the drill we had was after the troops who were going, were going to evacuate under fire, after they felt the sand or shale under their feet, they were to, the order was “Boats and bodies” I think was the expression used. Get people into the landing craft and break up your organization you see. And this was being done and people were getting off. At some time during this process a soldier was hit very close to me and he was, he would have drowned, he was sinking so I grabbed him and pulled him up where he was within his depth at least. And then I got hit, and I had the same experience. So that's how I got wounded. Interviewer: After you'd been wounded how is it that you weren't put on one of the landing craft and evacuated? I don't think you'd do that to the colonel. Interviewer: The colonel is expected to stay until.. No, but he's supposed to know what to do. Interviewer: So are you telling me you should have known what to do and, which was to get on the landing craft? No, but what I...yes. I'm saying that I should have known what to do and I did know what to do, which was continue and come on and not to evacuate myself. I was to help evacuate the others.
Description

Colonel Merritt was wounded as his troops were evacuating Green Beach. He recalls the activity.

Meta Data
Medium:
Video
Owner:
Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:
04:29
Person Interviewed:
Charles Cecil Ingersol Merritt
War, Conflict or Mission:
Second World War
Location/Theatre:
Europe
Battle/Campaign:
Dieppe
Branch:
Army
Units/Ship:
South Saskatchewan Regiment
Rank:
Colonel
Occupation:
Company Commander

Copyright / Permission to Reproduce

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