We will remember them

"They went with songs to the battle, they were young.

Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them."

- ode taken from Laurence Binyon's poem "For the Fallen"

Of the nearly 5,000 strong Canadian contingent deployed that early August morning, 907 were killed, 2,460 wounded and 1874 taken as prisoners of war. Of the 2,210 who returned to Britain, only 236 were unhurt - and 200 of these were men who had not been landed. The

British Commandos had lost 247 men. The Royal Navy lost one destroyer (HMS Berkeley) and 33 landing craft, suffering 550 dead and wounded. The RAF lost 106 aircraft  - including 13 from the Royal Canadian Air Force - the biggest allied air loss in a single day in the entire war. More than 150 aircrew were also killed or captured. Sixty per cent of the ground force became casualties, including almost 100 per cent of those tank crews who landed. The raid's planners had factored in 10 per cent casualties.