Never got too Serious about Battle

Well we went to the coast in Britain and you’d fire on targets in the ocean being towed by a boat. And we got to do stuff like that and we done a lot of training on the Isle of Wight before Dieppe. A lot of people trained there, infantry and Calgary Tanks and all. We were all on the Isle of Wight before we went over there. Interviewer: And with the long hours and days of training, the anticipation of the Dieppe Raid, were you given any awareness at all that it was gonna happen? I guess I was too young to worry but ya, probably a lot of people did worry themselves sick over that but Dieppe was planned in July that same year and we went into the ocean and the weather was very bad and they cancelled it and everybody went on leave with their girlfriends. Imagine how many people told them and they shot us right back to Dieppe on the next round. I guess I was kinda always just took it with a humorous side. I didn’t get serious although I should have because it was a bad place to land, you know what I’m saying. But I didn’t get too serious about it but I remember who I was talking to and all that on the boat on the way in – a guy from Edmonton, George Folk and I said to him, “I think when we get there, they’re gonna be using live ammunition,” and we joked around like that before we landed. So you were pretty young then cause I joined when I was 18 right after my birthday and I was 19 when I landed in Dieppe so we were just young people, you know.

Being young and unaware of the reality of battle, Mr. Edwards shares his perspective of not really being aware of the level of danger he would witness in Dieppe.

Stanley Edwards

Mr. Stanley Edwards was born February 17, 1923 in Big Valley, Alberta. He enlisted in the army on February 19, 1941 as part of the Calgary Tanks holding rank of trooper. He first received training on the Churchill tanks at Stettler, Alberta and for another year trained in Camp Borden, Ontario before travelling overseas to Scotland. In the summer of 1942, the crew went to England to undergo advanced training. Mr. Stanley fought in the Dieppe Raid as a member of the tank crew. He was soon captured and taken prisoner where he would remain until 1945, shortly after the war ended. Returning home to Canada, Mr. Edwards began working at the Calgary Brewery, married Anncherri and raised four children with his wife. In retirement, Mr. Edwards volunteered within his community and to this day is a member of the local legion. Now residing in Calgary, Alberta with his two daughters, Mr. Edwards is honoured in having an opportunity to travel back to France for the 75th Anniversary of the Dieppe Raid. This being his first time back since wartime, Mr. Edwards looks forward to seeing the terrain where he fought and visiting the gravesite of his brother who never returned home and pay tribute to those who served alongside him during this battle.