On the 19th August 1942 the British Combined Operations launched a cross channel raid on the French port of Dieppe.
The main force of Canadian troops sought to capture the port facilities. It was allegedly an exercise in
discovering how difficult such an operation would be, and a means of developing inter service co-operation for
amphibious operations.
The raid is generally considered to have been an unmitigated disaster, with no major objectives
accomplished and 4,384 of the 6,086 men who made it ashore killed, wounded, or captured, whilst the Royal Navy suffered
555 casualties.
For the men involved there was some desperate fighting, some indication of which can be gained from the
fact that three Victoria Crosses that were awarded for action that day.
Landing craft of No 4 Commando running in to land at Vasterival on the right flank of the main assault at Dieppe. The unit achieved its objective, the destruction of the 'Hess' Battery in a copybook action, the only success of the raid. |
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Captain (later Major) Patrick Anthony Porteous
(1918–2000)
At Dieppe on the 19th August 1942, Major Porteous was detailed to act as Liaison Officer between the two detachments whose task was to assault the heavy coast defence guns.
In the initial assault Major Porteous, working with the smaller of the two detachments, was shot at close range through the hand, the bullet passing through his palm and entering his upper arm. Undaunted, Major Porteous closed with
his assailant, succeeded in disarming him and killed him with his own bayonet thereby saving the life of a British Sergeant on whom the German had turned his aim. In the meantime the larger detachment was held up, and the officer
leading this detachment was killed and the Troop Sergeant-Major fell seriously wounded.
Almost immediately afterwards the only other officer of the detachment was also killed. Major Porteous, without hesitation and in the face
of a withering fire, dashed across the open ground to take over the command of this detachment. Rallying them, he led them in a charge which carried the German position at the point of the bayonet, and was severely wounded for the second
time.
Though shot through the thigh he continued to the final objective where he eventually collapsed from loss of blood after the last of the guns had been destroyed. Major PorteousŐs most gallant conduct, his brilliant leadership
and tenacious devotion to a duty which was supplementary to the role originally assigned to him, was an inspiration to the whole detachment. For his bravery under fire, Porteous was awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest military honour.
In spite of severe wounds, Pat Porteous went on to make a full recovery and had a distinguished military career in Palestine, Germany and Singapore, rising to the rank of Colonel before he retired in 1970. He had the honour of being in
the leading car at the late Queen Mother's 100th Birthday Parade, before his death in August 2000. An obituary notice can be found on the Victoria Cross website.
Adapted from the World War II Today website, edited by Martin Cherrett. Used with
permission. World War II Today
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