Trooper (Ret’d) Stanley Edwards
Stanley Edwards was born on 17 February 1923 in Big Valley, Alberta. One of three brothers who enlisted in the Army during the Second World War, he joined the Calgary Tanks 19 February 1941 as a Trooper. Little did he know, he would take part about a year later in one of the Second World War’s most famous raids, in a small town on the northern coast of France, Dieppe.
Stanley Edwards grew up on the family farm in Alberta, the second youngest of eight children. Shortly after his father passed away, he left school at age 13 and went to work on a neighbouring farm to help sustain his family. A mere two days after his 18th birthday, he and his brother Grant joined the King’s Own Calgary Regiment. They were assigned different units.
Stanley Edwards became a Trooper and trained on the Churchill tanks in Stettler, Alberta before training continued for another year at Camp Borden, in Ontario. He was then deployed overseas to Salisbury Plains, England, for his final training.
The Dieppe Raid was scheduled to take place in July 1942, but Stanley says the sea conditions delayed the attack. “We went into the ocean, and the weather was very bad, and they cancelled it, and everybody went on leave with their girlfriends.”
“A pile of people died on [that] beach. The tank protection was a good thing for us. That’s why we lived. If you’re out in the open, you know how easy it would be to die.”
On 19 August 1942, the German-occupied French town was attacked by Allied forces. Stanley Edwards was one of nearly 5,000 Canadians who came ashore in the Dieppe Raid. Almost 2,000 were taken prisoner. Edwards was one of them. Many others were killed. “A pile of people died on [that] beach. The tank protection was a good thing for us. That’s why we lived. If you’re out in the open, you know how easy it would be to die.”
“It was horrible. I guess it’s better than dying but it’s – a thing you don’t want to do is surrender.”
He spent almost three years in captivity at Stalag VIII-B, a prisoner-of-war camp near Poland. Living conditions were difficult, with upwards of 300 men cramped in a barrack living on very little food. “It was horrible. I guess it’s better than dying but it’s – a thing you don’t want to do is surrender.”
Stanley Edwards attempted to escape twice. He was successful on his second attempt, where he escaped to the Russian front in Poland with a fellow Canadian and an American. They were reunited with their fellow countrymen 20 days later, with the surrender of Germany.
His brother, Grant, never made it home. He perished in France in 1944. When Stanley returned to Calgary in 1945, his mother “cried and cried and said I would never leave again.” The war had taken its toll on the family. They’d also lost Stanley’s older brother, who had enrolled before, in the Italian Campaign.
Stanley Edwards left us in December 2019. This article, as well as his Heroes Remember interviews, preserve his legacy and recognize his service to our country.
In honour of the 75th anniversary the end of the Second World War, Stanley Edwards is this week’s Face of Freedom. You can also hear his story first hand by listening to his episode of our Faces of Freedom podcast.
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