Denis Whitaker; Canadian Soldier Was Decorated WWII Hero
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Denis Whitaker, 86, one of Canada’s most decorated World War II heroes, died May 30 in Oakvile, Ontario, near Toronto.
He received two Distinguished Service Orders, second only to the Victoria Cross in military honors. The first was for an ill-fated raid on the beach at Dieppe, France, on Aug. 19, 1942. Then 27, Whitaker was a captain in the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry. He was trapped after fighting into the town plaza, but succeeded in pulling his men back to the beach and holding off an enemy onslaught until landing craft rescued the survivors.
He won the second as a brigadier general for leading his regiment through campaigns in Holland and Germany. In the 1980s, with his wife, Shelagh, Whitaker wrote four histories of Canada’s combat role in the European theater.
Whitaker was chairman of the Canadian Equestrian Team for 22 years and was a champion competitor. He received the Order of Canada in 1990 and was named to the French Legion of Honor in 1995.
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