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Local author depicts horror of Dieppe raid By Mary Stupart Three years ago, Kitchâ€" ener resident John Mellor visited an old navy buddy in Toronto that he knew at the battle of Dieppe. He was shocked to find the man living in a oneâ€"room shack and barely subsisting on dog food. His friend assured him that many Dieppe survivors were living in similar or worse conditions because they received no prisoner of war pensions. Appalled by this descripâ€" tion of the fate of Dieppe survivors, Mr. Mellor beâ€" came determined to write a book describing what really> happened to Canaâ€" dian soldiers on the stony beaches of Dieppe in Augâ€" ust, 1942. He embarked on an exâ€" haustive three year search for Dieppe survivors that took him to eight countries. When the Canada Council refused to give him a grant for the research, he dug into his personal savings of $17,000 and pushed on with the project. . Forgotten Heroes; The Canadians at Dieppe is the culmination of this extensive research and his interviews with 250 living survivors. *‘There have been books written about Dieppe beâ€" fore but they‘ve been written by the big shots not by the ordinary men. This book was written by the men themselves. I just put it together in book form," said the 53â€"yearâ€"old Kitchener _ resident who micaculously survived the Dieppe raid as a memâ€" ber of the British commanâ€" dos. A former high school teacher, Mr. Mellor said he wrote the book to show young Canadians the truth about Canadian â€" involveâ€" ment in World War IL. **American textbooks give a distorted view of the Canadian role in the war. Many high school students ‘Lunch with Wayne mMmUSIC & and entertainment with Wayne Gregory Weekdays â€"10a.m. to 2p.m. Although they suffered more during three years of internment than ordinâ€" ary POW‘s, Mr. Mellor contends the Canadian solâ€" diers have never received prisoner of war pensions. Veterans‘ _ organizations are still pushing for a 20 percent disability pension for Dieppe survivors but their pleas have fallen on He returned to the beach at Dieppe early one mornâ€" ing at 6 a.m. The controversial Dieppe raid, which claimed more than 1,000 Canadian lives, was the worst military disaster in Canadian hisâ€" tory. It was just the beâ€" ginning of three years of deprivation, mental torture and. anguish for the men who survived but were capâ€" tured. Mr. Mellor‘s book is the first to detail their fate at the hands of the Germans. The â€" Canadian _ soldiers were kept chained by their captors for three years, exâ€" posed to the cold without adequate clothing, starved to death by meagre rations, herded like animals on death marches and transâ€" ported in crowded box cars. ‘"I also wanted to draw the attention of the public to the plight of these heroes. I don‘t think they have any idea how the survivors have been consciously igâ€" nored by successive Canaâ€" dian _ governments," _ he said. * Researching the book brought back many vivid and horrible memories for Mr. Melior who was only 19 at the time of the battle. ‘‘There was no _ onge around. Everything was quiet. Suddenly I realized I was crying and it all came back to me. I could hear the sounds of battle and picâ€" ture the dead men lying on the beaches." today don‘t know what role Canada played. â€" 1490 Regional news and views . KITCHENER®@WATERLOO®CAMBRIDGE ON YOUR DIAL Mr. Mellor found to his own personal anguish that the scars of Dieppe are farâ€" reaching and unchecked by time. Last May, when he was teaching a class of high school students in Kitchâ€" ener, he suddenly went blind. Mr. Mellor is critical of decisions made by comâ€" manding officers in Britain deaf ears in Ottawa. Mr. Melior claims the horrible conditions in the POW camps have had lastâ€" ing and irreversible effects on the men who survive toâ€" day. Many have psychoâ€" logical problems, stomach disorders and other related ailments. ‘"‘The dreadful privations are taking their toll on surâ€" vivors today. They are dropping off like flies." Eye specialists subseâ€" quently found a piece of shrapnel from Dieppe that had severed his optic nerve. Finishing the book beâ€" fore his sight faded comâ€" pletely became a â€" race against time but he pushâ€" ed himself tirelessly workâ€" ing 18 hours a day. He finâ€" ished Forgotten â€" Heroes before October 31 1974. It has been buried in his head for 33 years. Partial vision eventually returned in one of his eyes but he was forced to retire early from his teaching post. The most impressive feature of his book is the way Mr. Mellor has detailed the fate of dozens of inâ€" dividual soldiers. Examples of great bravery and perâ€" sonal sacrifice are freâ€" quent. Now living on a small pension with a family of four to support, Mr. Mellor is not bitter about his fate. He feels he was lucky to have 33 years of healthy vision. Many other soldiers were not so lucky. Only 600 Dieppe survivors are alive today out of almost 5,000 who participated webnd John Mellor of Kitchener has written a book describing what life was really like for Canadian soildiers on the beach at Dieppe in August, 1942. He holds a copy of the book, Forgotten Heroes, which may become a Canadian bestâ€" seller. ~ Po qo log: o to cancel proposed advance _ critical acclaim from wellâ€" gotiating film rights. air support and auxiliary known Canadian writees _ But Mr. Mellor is more tank support for the raid. Hugh Garner, Pierre Berâ€" excited by the prospect He contends the Canadians ton and Gordon Sinclair. that public acceptance of had no chance for survival â€" Sales of the book have also the book will help the Dieppe or victory because of been good. British, Ameriâ€" survivors. He has donated these changes in the origiâ€" can and New Zealand rights a portion of the b°°|‘ S nal battle plan. for the book have been sold royaltlc:s‘ ";?‘_Ul‘e_ Rli?gsfns- The book has ~received w i P critical acclaim from wellâ€" known Canadian writers Hugh Garner, Pierre Berâ€" ton and Gordon Sinclair. Sales of the book have also been good. British, Ameriâ€" can and New Zealand rights for the book have been sold and he is currently neâ€" But Mr. Mellor is more excited by the prospect that public acceptance of the book will help the Dieppe survivors. He has donated a portion of the book‘s royalties to the Dieppe Prisâ€" oners of War Association. Although he is now alâ€" most completely blind, Mr. Mellor is working on anâ€" other book which is hisâ€" torical in content. He tried to tell the true story behind the massive Canadian _ slaughter _ at Dieppe in Forgotten Heroes but admits that his book does not reveal all the reaâ€" sons why Canadian and British soldiers were sent to Dieppe without adequate air and ground support. The officrial reasons are locked in a secret war file at the British war office in London, England. Alâ€" though he was allowed to see the file and learn the true facts of the incident, Mr. Mellor was forced to swear an oath under the official secrets act that he would not reveal the inforâ€" mation for 100 years. He bitterly points out "by then I will be dead and so will all the survivors of Dieppe." _ If official Fecrecy is enâ€" forced until then, the surâ€" vivors of Dieppe may nevâ€" er know why the dreadful battle happened .