Chapter 2 and Dieppe

[rthstewart]

About Diepee

On 19th August 1942 a small mixed force of 5,000 Canadian and 1,000 British troops landed at Dieppe, France. They immediately came under attack from German troops. Within a few hours 4,000 of the men were either killed, wounded or captured.  The raid was an utter strategic failure and the reasons for that failure continue to be debated today.

 

Why I wanted to use Dieppe

I’ve wanted to reference Dieppe for some time in this story for several reasons.  First, it occurs on August 19, 1942, just as the Pevensies’ summer is ending.  Surely, something so tragic would be on the minds of everyone.  Further, I assume that by virtue of their experience in Narnia, all the Pevensies have a profound appreciation for the perils of battle, are intimately familiar with the risks of death, and as Monarchs, have done their share of consoling the bereaved.  I did wish to show how this Narnian experience is relevant to and would be appreciated by those who have lost loved ones in battle and Dieppe was a good vehicle for showing this. 

 

 Further, a thematic element in The Stone Gryphon is how the Pevensies might view and observe the collapse of the British Empire and the more multi-cultural social structure that begins to arise.  Dieppe is widely viewed as evidence that the British commanders were more than willing to sacrifice Commonwealth soldiers to preserve the British Army.  This vestige of colonial abuse is something that would be relevant to all the denizens of Russell Hall, and by virtue of his involvement with them, Peter, and likely the others as well.  They would all be very sensitive to the implicit charges of racism and making cannon fodder of Canadian soldiers. 

 

Using Dieppe at the end of Part 1, Digory, Peter, Asim and the Dawn Treader

In the last chapters of Part 1, Asim and Peter are discussing North African tactics.  Given that Dieppe was in the European theater, not North Africa, and that apparently an appalling small number of persons were consulted before it was launched, it’s not unreasonable that Asim would know nothing of it.  So, I did write a scene where Asim and Peter discuss Dieppe.  They would have discussed it for all the foregoing reasons.  Also, Digory buys an evening paper at the end of Part 1; that paper was going to be about Dieppe. 

 

Yet, I did not use these elements and perhaps you see why.  A real tragedy of the magnitude of Dieppe could not be dealt with properly when I’m also revealing what you, the reader, expect – Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace’s, long awaited return from the Dawn Treader.   I couldn’t do justice to both, and so left Dieppe out, even if I feel like Holmes observing about the dog that didn’t bark from Silver Blaze. 

 

And frankly, it was time for Peter to catch the train and get out of there.

 

So Dieppe is now in Part 2

So, I waited, and thought to include it here in Part 2.  And so I do, sort of, and without the colonial gloss.  I had thought that this would be a good opportunity for Narnia flashback – specifically, I have sketched out shorts where Lucy, Edmund, and Peter all recall personal encounters with the death of beloved subjects, friends, and soldiers.  Again, I’ve hesitated.  First, I don’t think we really need that.  I have Peter’s recollection and slowly dawning realization that perhaps the citizens of Narnian and those of England have more similarities than he might have thought.  Second, we have Edmund’s reflections on their dead during his time at World’s End.  Last, we have the scene, long part of this story in my head, where we see Edmund, Lucy, and Peter doing their duties as monarchs and moving confidently and compassionately among those who have sacrificed in the cause of war.  So, do we really need anything more?  In a rare moment of self-restraint, I decided no.

 

Dieppe, fan fic, and where we go from here

 

Last, and most important, can I really compare the imaginary losses of fictional characters to the real ones of Dieppe?  No, probably not.

 

I find it of a different magnitude to add Richard Russell to British Museum expeditions to Tendaguru, to have Mary Russell explore the Sahara with Fr. Lapparent, or to add Asim to the Arab Revolts.  When it comes to Dieppe, and the dead of World War II, well, it gives me pause.  As with my depictions of other cultures, I wish no disrespect to these things, yet am trying to make them serve the purposes of what is, let’s be frank, fan fiction.  I’m not doing a PBS or BBC documentary. 

 

So, what you see here is my uneasy compromise.  My concerns that the fic veers too close to real life and my efforts to remain respectful are only going to get much worse in the chapters that follow.  The British really were spying on the Americans and they did some things that most certainly illustrate the principles of whether the ends (obtaining America’s full commitment to the war in Europe) justify the very dodgy means the British used to obtain that commitment.  I’m going to be wrestling with this quite a bit in the chapters ahead as I seek to take certain real events, fictionalize them, and then turn them into a Narnia story. 

 

Hang on.  It’s going to be a bumpy ride and if I have moments of self-doubt, well, bear with me.    I posted this long ramble because I do toil at this alone, and have been blessed with some truly extraordinary, thoughtful, and intelligent readers.  Should you be interested in any of this, I am interested in what you think and the choices I am making.