Dieppe, My Prison

Dieppe, My Prison follows the harrowing wartime account of Jacques Nadeau as told by Matin Chaput and Jacques' son, Jean-Guy, from his early life and military enrolment in 1941 through his training and transport to England where he waited to be sent into combat. When he finally sees action, it is at Dieppe, one of the bloodiest battles of WWII for Canadian troops. Not only does Jacques see his friends' lives ended before him and some of the most horrifying battlefield carnage imaginable, but he is subsequently captured and held prisoner by the Germans for thirty months. After enduring unimaginable conditions for years, he is released by the Russian advance into Poland, joining a small contingent of fellow captives that is ultimately repatriated to England. Throughout his ordeal, he manages to find moments of levity-and even compassion for his captors-and kindles a romance with Jacquie, the woman who would later become his wife.

Told in remarkable detail thanks to the help of extensive diaries and letters, Dieppe, My Prison is a firsthand account of a Canadian's experience on the Dieppe Raid-and one of the most detailed firsthand accounts of WWII by a Canadian. It is an indispensable piece of military memoir and a stark reminder of the horrors endured to win the world in which we now live.