Dollard Ménard
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Brigadier General Dollard Ménard (March 7, 1913 – January 14, 1997) was a Canadian general who, as a Lieutenant Colonel, was wounded five times during the Dieppe Raid in 1942 while leading Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal. His story inspired a famous Canadian WWII poster “Ce qu’il faut pour vaincre” (What is needed to win). He was later awarded a Distinguished Service Order. Since all of the other commanding officers were either killed or captured, he was the only Commanding Officer who had landed at Dieppe to return to Britain after the Raid.
Upon graduation from the Royal Military College of Canada, student # 2290 in 1932, he received his lieutenant's commission in 1936 in the Royal 22e Régiment (“The Vandoos”). He served in India in the infantry, the cavalry and the tanks from 1938- 1940 and took part in the campaign of Wosiristan. In March, 1940, he was promoted to captain and joined the Staff of the Inspector General for the East of Canada. He was Commanding officer of the East Sector of Quebec, which included amongst others Camp Valcartier from 58 to 62. He insisted that all units in which the majority of military members' maternal language was French, under his command used French for drill and parade orders. He was posted to Army Headquarters, Ottawa, in 1962, to work with Major-General Arthur Wrinch, who was Major-General Survival.
In 1993, he was made a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec. His citation at the Order of the Army reads: " While he commanded his battalion during the operation of Dieppe, on August 19th, 1942, this officer gave evidence of the highest qualities of courage and of initiative. He was wounded at the beginning of the raid, as he landed with the first groups of assault, but he continued to steer the operations of his unity by wireless telegraphy, under a fire fed by machine guns, by mortars and by artillery. Later, with the aim of reaching a more favorable position, he dragged himself up to a high point of the ground, but he was again wounded. Even after having been transported aboard a landing barge, and although wounded for the fifth time, he continued to insist on organizing the defence against planes, and taking care of his men. He put an example which is in the best tradition of the Army and was an inspiration for all the officers and the privates of his battalion ".
[edit] Medals for sale
In 2005, a member of his family put his medals up for auction. This raised considerable media attention due to the risk of the medals being purchased by non-Canadians. Quebec philanthropist Ivonis Mazzarolo, paid $40,000 to keep the medals in Canada. [1]
