Last month, the Royal Canadian Mint unveiled a new silver coin honouring the 75th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid.
There’s just one problem: the coin labeled the raid as a “Battle.” And now veterans want the mint to take the coin back and correct it, even if it costs a lot of money.
The coin was produced as part of the mint’s “Second World War Battlefront Series.”
It’s meant to honour the sacrifices of Canadian troops who landed on the beach at Dieppe, France, on Aug. 19, 1942.
The Canadians suffered heavy losses in the raid, which was carried out in an effort to breach enemy defences.
READ MORE: ‘It will be very emotional’: Dieppe cadets heading to France for 75th anniversary of Dieppe Raid
Members of the Dieppe Military Veterans’ Association, which is based in Dieppe, N.B., object to the labelling of Dieppe as a “battle” instead of a “raid.”
“Everybody we’ve ever spoken to, it’s the Dieppe Raid,” association president Nils Liljemark told Global News.
“It’s never been known as a battle or the Dieppe battle, so this really threw us off, it really didn’t make any sense.”
Veterans want the mint to recall the coins and correct them so that the raid is remembered accurately.
But the mint defended its coin, saying the word “battle” was appropriate.
READ MORE: Breaking German codes real reason for 1942 Dieppe raid: historian
Military historian David O’Keefe doesn’t feel the same way.
“Battles take place over days, weeks, months, whereas a raid like Dieppe was, happens in a matter of hours,” he told Global News.
“In and out. And in this case, it was incredibly costly.”
The mint has said that changing the name of the coin would be impossible because thousands have already been sold.
But that’s of little concern for veterans who say that would just be the cost of being respectful and making sure it’s right.
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