A small crowd of veterans, dignitaries and invited guests marked a final, drenched ceremony in Ottawa today in remembrance of the 75th anniversary of the raid on Dieppe in France.
WATCH: Montreal marks 75th anniversary of Dieppe raid
The ceremony was held in the pouring rain at the National War Memorial, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took note of the weather as he paid tribute to the soldiers killed, wounded and captured during Canada’s bloodiest Second World War battle.
WATCH: Veterans who served 75 years ago in Dieppe honoured in Calgary
It was the final acknowledgment of the sacrifices made by the soldiers who landed at Dieppe on August 19, 1942.
Trudeau joined the Canadian delegation, including Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr, who had just returned from a service held in France on Saturday, where a new monument was unveiled to honour members of the King’s Own Calgary Regiment who fought at Dieppe.
Of the nearly 5,000 Canadians who took part in the raid, nearly 2,000 were taken prisoner and only about 2,200 made it back to England.
Another 900 were killed.