On August 19, 1942 the Allies (Britain, Canada, France, the US, Poland, and Czechoslovakia) launched a raid against the Nazis in northern France. This was to test the German defenses in preparation of an actual invasion (two years later in Normandy). The force of 6000 troops was mostly composed of Canadian infantry. The Allied troops fought bravely, but the raid was an absolute disaster. The Allied troops were cut to pieces, and within 10 hours the Allies were forced to retreat back to their ships.
During the battle, Chaplain John Foote of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, was busy taking care of wounded British and Canadian troops. He was seen calmly going over the beach, finding wounded soldiers and taking them to a “field hospital” on the beach–actually it was little more than a depression in the sand that did not offer much protection from enemy gunfire.
For eight hours, Chaplain Foote was constantly leaving whatever shelter he had, exposing himself to the enemy’s gunsites, and rescuing wounded men. The Canadian chaplain not only helped the medics tend to physical wounds, but he also prayed with the men and assured that they would all make it back home.
Landing craft came to pick up the wounded, and while under fire he helped put the wounded on the boats to return to British warships. Although chaplains are “non-combatants” and are not allowed to carry weapons, at one point in the battle he was seen firing a Bren gun (a machine gun)– providing covering fire so his men could escape.
When the last boat was loaded with the wounded, there was still room for him to get in and sail away. But he knew his men who had been captured would need their chaplain. He waved the boat off, turned around, and walked to the German lines to surrender.
He stayed with his men in German POW camps until liberated on May 5, 1945.
For his utter disregard for his own safety or comfort, and for his conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty, in 1946 the government of Canada awarded him the Victoria Cross…the British Commonwealth’s highest award for valor.