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Clinton News-Record, 1980-11-27, Page 10I"AGE It-CLINTQN NEWS -RECORD, CIRSUAY, NOV .BER 27, I9801 by Bud Sfurgeoco and Helen Owen vet remembers Dieppe "'Without Dieppe vie could not have won the war!" With these words., John Mellor, author of "Forgotten. .Heroes,' concluded his talk to the Bayfield Historical Society when he ad- dressed them on Monday, November 24th. It was a fitting occasion following so . closely on 'Remem- brance Day', and. Mr. _Mel ler:-he-ld-h-i•s-aisdi enthralled for an hour and a half. His lucid account th events leading upthe raid on Dieppe enabled his listeners to follow the story in such a personal way without ever losing sight of the overall pic- ture. Comparing the carnage with Gallipoli in World War 1, the horrific realities in figures were 4,963 Canadians involved of whom 3,369 were killed, wounded or captured - all within less than nine hours. In 1974, Mr. Mellor •suddenly became blind, as a result of the injury he.. had receivedtaking part in the Dieppe raid, and although the condition has now improved, it was at that time he resolved to research and write the story of -the -epic landing-.- His investigations led him to seek out survivors, pour over archives, and also to spend a week with the late Lord Mount- batten, who supplied him with details of the original plan for the raid, which unfortunately, was abandoned for a disastrous alternative. Bit by bit, the most detailed account emerged, told without bitterness and with an undoubted sincerity. The series of slides added graphic realism, starting with maps and diagrams, 'actual views of the for- midable defences and the brave but inadequate naval support.. The results of attempting to land in such unsuitable areas, absolute death traps, were emphasized by a group of film ob- tained from a captured ,German prisoner, and displayed only too clearly a record of the desperate tee----and-ga tl e troops against such of a appalling odds. Other pictures obtained to during the research in- cluded a collection ac- tually taken with a camera by the prisoners in the camp. These revealed the horrors suffered by the wounded men, and the treatment in the camp, portrayed in a way that really brought home the dreadful or- deals that were endured. Mr. Mellor also paid tribute to the undaunted spirits of the captives, whose ingenuity in overcoming. their har- dships' and making successful escapes was again demonstrated in the camp pictures. The resourcefulness and. audacity with which these exploits were pursued were all the more remarkable taking into. account, the har- shness of their existence, particularly during the time when they were kept in chains. So often Mr. Mellor interrupted his remarks to point out individual men, some still alive, others who did not sur- vive, but people he had known at -the time or met andtalked to since. These personal recollections added much to the poignancy of the oc- casion. Mrs. Elva Metcalf introducing Mr. 11/Mllor, gave the audience some foretaste of what they might expect as she told of his career, first in the navy and then as a commando; the raids in which rile actually took part, and his subsequent imprisonment and tor- ture in the Japanese jail in Singapore; described by Lord Mountbatten in a personal letter as "a man of the finest calibre". But he not only sur- vived his many battle experiences, he remembers those days and the men with whore he fought - and in the most practical way like contributing all the royalties from his Dieppe book to the funds of the Prisoner of War Association. Brigadier Morgan Smith expressing the thanks of the audience for a most remarkable evening paid tribute to Mr. Mellor's narration of this particular incident of Canadian military history, describing it as the best presentation and clearest account of the battle that he had ever heard - and a thoroughly appreciative audience, obviously much moved by what ' they had seen and heard, endorsed this. opinion. Copies of the book, "Forgotten Heroes," were available to those present ata special price, and kart of these proceeds Mr. Mellor is donating to the Bayfield Historical Society. The meeting, which concluded the 1980 program, had been arranged through Bill Partri.dge, Librarian, Goderich, and sponsored by "Outreach". As always Doris Reddoch, this time assisted by Dorothy Hovey and Grace Fraser provided refreshments. It Hess eelebrate five years together The Bayfield Lioness Club 'celebrated their fifth Anniversary on Saturday night at the Rayfield Community Centre. Affer a social hour, the club and guests sat down to ;a roast beef dinner which was catered by Mrs, Finkbeiner. Lion Ed Kincaid, Canadian representative for `Leader Dogs for the Blind', was the guest speaker. Lion Ed, who has been blind since 1.973 and has a leader dog, gave a very informative talkgon leader dogswhich resulted in a standing ovation by the audience at the end of his speech..A ehegae was presented to Lion 'Ed by Lioness President, Marilyn Haw on behalf of the Rayfield. Club, to be used for Leader Dogs for the $lied, District Qovernor, Warren Wicks presented the pins to the Lioness with perfect attendance. Certificates were, also John Mellor, left, author of the book, Dieppe: Forgotten Heroes was the honored speaker at the Bayfield Historical Society last Monday. His visit was made possible by Bill Partridge, Huron County Librarian. (Bud Sturgeon photo) Fairboard__ elects officers The annual meeting of the Bayfield Agricultural Society was held cn Thursday, November 20th President Ted Dunn presided, and reports were read. The Fair suffered financially in 1980, in particular at the gate, and treasurer's report showed a. small bank balance with which to start 1981. Various ways of in - Caged captive escapes By Helen Owen Following on the story of- - the marauding squirrel's, your reporter had a unique opportunity to interview ane of the offenders during the past week. The seventh of a second series of captives was about to be tran- sported' when a .chance occurred to accompany the culprit. Although caged, he was obviously not at all alarmed at finding himself on the back seat of a car; nor was he reluctant to make a few personal comments. Before departure he had recei-ved -an- -additional ration of peanut butter, so it was necessary to wait until he had finished licking his fingers and whiskers before he an- swered questions. "No, he had not been aware of the trap. He was attracted by the smell of the peanut butter and had merely gone to in- vestigate." When asked if he did not consider the raiding of the bird feeders to be a criminal offense his reaction was to regard his interrogator with an amazed look from little boot button eyes, and he had no hesitation in ex- pressing his views on that point. He had, he volunteered, frequently overheard conversations concerning the "throw away society". Therefore was it illogical to assume that the bountiful supply of seed was nothing more than an example of this largesse. Likewise listening to exchanges whilst he wandered Shoppers fill Trinity church A fine, sunny afternoon be out, and for many the objective of the outing was to get to the Bazaar early. By the time the Rev. William Bennett had concluded the opening remarks, Trinity Anglican Church Hall was crowded with prospective purchasers. In no time at all, the stalls were surrounded, starting with the "fancy goods" stall manned by Berthena Hammond, Beulah Smith and Greta Scotchmer. Next came the craft stall and the bake stall manned by Lorna Merner, Helen LeBeau, Jan McDougal, Vera Turner, Doris Hunter, Fern Baker, Debbie and Mary Wain. The wide variety of beautifully hand made toys, knitted and crocheted goods soon found customers,.and as always the cakes, cookies and home baked bread disappeared very quickly. Part of the room had been set aside for tea, where at charmingly d+corated tables the shoppers could pause for a refreshing cup of tea and a choice from an .1 - 11 -• . -. attractive assortment of Providing the refresh- ments, as well as preparing and clearing up, were a willing band of . etpers - Ruby Fitz - simmons, assisted by Cindy Clark, Dawn Merner and Ev. Earl. Old Timers fall to Rink Mice win With the fast skating, sharp shooting perennial all-star Larouche out of action (suffering from an injury of undetermined origin), his Old Timers fell to the upstart Rink Mice by a 10 - O score. For the `Mice' it was Wailin' Winnie leading the scoring parade with five goals and not falling down once in the entire game. Greg 'the possum' recorded his first career shutout. Old Timer's captain `Blondie', said in a post game interview, "She hoped the fan's favorite, that nice Mr,., Larouche would be back soon ! " Larouche was reached by phone earlier this week and commented that he hopes to be back next Saturday night to try out his new skates and score his 24th goal of the season. The Old Timers still hold down first place with two victories and one defeat. Both these teams need reinforcements, so if there are still some little or no talent ho!key players out there somewhere and you would enjoy an hours exercise on Saturday nights come on out to the,, Bayfield Arena. Game time is 10 p.m. and couples are welcome. (Overage singles welcome too). Contact Tim or Nora West for further details at 565- 2799. around ,Graham's store and the Post Office, ;opinions he had garnered, /encouraged . him in the belief that as a Canadian born squirrel the resources in' his area were an integral part of his inheritance - regar- dless of Federal opinions to the contrary. He had, of course, heard a lot of dreary stuff from his grandfather about the nobility of labour and the satisfactions to be ob- tained from endless collection and storing of supplies, but he per- sonally considered that sort of thing old- fashioned. The type of economy expounded by the old boy was finished and he belonged to the 'do your own thing' generation. Questioned with regard to his present situation, he was amused rather than concerned and certainly not fearful. There was no doubt that he was enjoying the ride. Reaching the area of deportation, his capturer carried him towards a clump of trees and opened the door of the cage. Without a moment's hesitation the captive took advantage of his freedom and hurried away, his black tail signalling a hasty farewell as he took off out of sight. Rountl ahout° Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Makins and Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Makins attended the christening of their great -grand -daughter, and grand -daughter, Jana Denise Miskie, at the Goderich Lutheran Church (Be aft„. -by-the Water) on Sund last. The god -parents in attendance were Brian Makins from Toronto and Bonnie Makins of Lon- don. creasing the funds were proposed, and it was decided the Society would be _forced to study charges to grdups using space at the Fair. This matter was left to a committee. The president reported on the recent 4- 1-1 Awards night in Clinton, and it was noted the Club supported by the Bayfield Society had perfectcompletion of the 4-H work for the year. A thank -you and congratulations . were givers to the Village of Bayfield by past president Bob Stirling for the excellent condition of the Fairgrounds following the levelling and seeding done by the Village. Ed. Oddleifson presided for The presentation of the Board of Directors for 1981, with the following results: oast president, Robert 'Stirling; president, Ted Dunn; 1st vice-pres., John Semple; 2nd vice- pz e$., Ueorge Wilson; directors, Everett McIiwain, Jack Mayhew, Thos. Penhale, Mrs. R. Huntley, Fred Clift, Grant Stirling, Mrs. D. Haw, Mrs. J. Merrier. A report of the ladies' section was given by Mrs. Doris Sc'hilbe showing a successful year. Officers for 1981 are as follows: president, Mrs. R. Huntley: vice-pres., Mrs. Ci. W Wilson, secretary - treasurer, Mrs. A. Schilbe and Mrs. J. Reder. Dates for the 1981 Fair were set as August 28th and 29th. This will be the 125th Annual Fair for the Society and the Pioneer idea will be used. Once again the need for more help was stressed if the Society is to continue with the Fair. In -coming Reeve George Fellows spoke on this m'otter, saying it would be a loss to the Village if the Fair did not continue, and the new council would be made aware of this matter. A committee will study ways in which to control entry at the gates and use of space. It was decided to hold a general meeting in February tri make fur- ther plans for 1981 Fair. Auditors Frank Burch and Len Apedaile were reappointed for 19.$1. The secretary reported that the Society was grateful to the many merchants and business people in Bayfield for the generous donations of cash and merchandise for the recent Fair. presented to each president (of the Lioness) of the last five years, namely . Joan Merner, Ruthann .Knights, (ac- cepted by Lulu Scot- chmer), Ilse Gerneinhardt, Carolyn Snell and Judy Huntley.. Seaforth Lioness President, Dorothy Hayes presented Lioness Joan Merner with an achievement award for assisting .in the formi ng of the Seaforth Lioness Club. Several draws were made during the evening ' and the winner of the door prize was Jim Fisher of Bayfield. Special guests- at the dinner and dance in- cluded' District Governor Warren Wicks and his p•a-ty.-..- District Governor John Paff and his wife Claudia, Zone chairman Grant Cookson and his' wife Joyce, Lioness chairman Gerry Glazier and his wife Dorothy, Bayfield Lions president John Siertsema and his wife Kathleen, Canadian representative for Leader Dogs Ed Kincaid and his wife Jarle (and • leader dog Wolfe) as well as former Lioness, charter members and Lions and Lioness from the A-15 District. Appropriate closing remarks were made and a fun evening of dancing was enjoyed by all. .i - Upcoming Lions and Lioness Events include; regular. Lioness Meeting, December .1st at the Community Centre, 7 pm sharp when a gift ex- change will take place; the Lioness Christmas Bazaar on Saturday. December 6 at the Community Centre from 11 a.m. to 5, p.m.; the Lions Turkey bingo on Monday, December 8 at 8 p.m. in . the Community Centre. Six rink play Last Monday night was the first night of action in the newly formed ,Bayfield Men's Curling League. Six rinks are competing in the league and will play at the arena every Monday night at 7 p.m. . On the north ice, Pat Graham (1 - 0) picked up 121/ 'ints as t_hm beat cllwain Rink (0 - - 1) who settled for 41/2 points on the outing. Bill Talbot used the south ice to advantage as his rink (1 - 0) picked up 103/4 points with a win while his opponent, Bob Orr (0 - 1) collected 41/ points. The third and final match -up saw Gerry Uniac (1 - 0) score 11/2 paints while defeating the Morris Sauve Rink (0 - 1) who managed 5 points. November _br e winners A B C bridge club scores for November 19th were: top score, Mildred Fellows, 6230; second, Kelly Ball, 4840; low, MackyGammage, 1540. would like to express my thanks to all those who nominated me and voted for me_ in the recent election. GWEN PEMBERTON r Now thai's wfhat I call s('rVice! As oj December 1,1980 the Workmen's Compensation - Board will be expanding its service in the London region. Its part of an on-going program to improve our services to the people of Oxford. Middlesex, Huron and Elgin counties. In addition to the claims enquiries and rehabi•Iitation and revenue programs we've already been handling. we will introduce decentralced claims adjudication. the payment of medical aid accounts and other allied functions The new Workmen's Compensation Board Regional Office is located at 200 Queen's Avenue West in London Phone 433-2331 or if.you are not in the local calling area. consult your telephone directory for the toll-free telephone number WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION BOARD 200 Queen's Avenue West, 2nd Floor, London, Ontario N6A 5J5