The Dieppe Raid is shrouded in controversy and tragedy. For decades, it dominated Canadians’ collective memory of the war. Considered a tragic failure since 1942, its story is as complex as it is nuanced. The presentation will explore the challenges of putting together an exhibition on a subject of failure in a place of victory like Juno Beach. It will also explore our evolving understanding of the raid, its links to Juno Beach on D-Day and the liberation of Dieppe in September 1944 as well as its place in Canada’s collective memory of the Second World War.
Marie Eve Vaillancourt is the Exhibitions Director of the Juno Beach Centre. She holds a History BA from Carleton University and a Master of Education from the University of Caen. She began her career working with the educational services of the Canadian War Museum. In 2001, she participated in the Canadian Battlefields Foundation Study Tour. She has led the Juno Beach Centre’s Summer Institute, a Battlefields Study Tour for Canadian Educators since 2011.
The Maple Leaf Route webinar series is a partnership between the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada, the Canadian Battlefields Foundation and the Juno Beach Centre Association.