One of Hamilton's most well known veterans from the ill-fated raid of Dieppe in the Second World War has died.

Jack McFarland, 95, of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, passed away Monday morning at St. Joseph's Hospital where he was undergoing treatment after a heart attack and pneumonia.

McFarland was one of the last survivors of the August, 1942 battle at the Nazi-held, French coastal city that cost the lives of 197 RHLI soldiers. At last year's commemoration at the Dieppe Veterans Memorial Park on the Beach Strip he was one of only three RHLI Dieppe veterans able to attend.

And in an additional sadness, Norma Curry — the wife of RHLI vet Ken Curry who was one of the three at the ceremony, and at the event herself — died Sunday afternoon. The Currys were married for 73 years and lifelong friends with McFarland.

From British Columbia, where he now lives, Ken Curry called McFarland Monday to convey the news about his wife dying of congestive heart failure, only to learn that McFarland had just died himself.

"She died in my arms. I was kissing her and telling her that I loved her as she was dying," he said. "We were all very good friends. Jack and Norma are probably chatting together, the two of them."

Norma served with the Royal Air Force in England, marrying Ken in 1942 just before he went off to Dieppe, and spent the rest of the war as prisoner of war.

"All my friends were dying and screaming around me," Curry said of the raid.

Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger issued a statement saying the Canadian flag at the Dieppe memorial park has been lowered to half-mast in McFarland's honour.

"Mr. McFarland's selfless service to the Military and with the Hamilton Police Service is an example of Hamiltonians giving of themselves to help others ... We are grateful for his dedication, for being the voice of RHLI veterans, and all Hamilton veterans," Eisenberger said.

In the Second World War, McFarland was wounded and was a prisoner of war for more than two years after the battle.

McFarland and Curry ended up at the same prisoner of war camps in what is now Poland.

After returning to Hamilton, McFarland took a prominent place at veterans' ceremonies and frequently spoke at schools. As president of the Hamilton United Council of Veterans, he argued strongly to build a Dieppe Veterans Memorial Park on the Beach Strip.

The story goes that 15 years ago McFarland was becoming impatient by a lack of progress and lamented to then Mayor Bob Wade, "I'll be dead before it's done."

But McFarland's fears were abated when the memorial suddenly went into fast track and it was officially opened in August, 2003, 61 years after the raid. More than 1,000 members of the public and 250 invited guests and VIPs including the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario and 18 surviving members of the RHLI who fought at Dieppe came out for the unveiling.

McFarland — who went on after the war to join the Hamilton police rising to the rank of staff sergeant — became the face of the Dieppe battle in recent years as the number of survivors dwindled.

He sometimes spoke harshly of the planning of the Dieppe raid but he felt the important thing was to honour the sacrifice.

"We lost a lot of good men and the more people who remember it, the better," he once told The Spectator.

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Curry said, "Jack was a credit to the regiment. He was the one that got the Dieppe monument going. He was a fantastic guy. Everybody liked him. He had many friends and I was one of his best friends."

His son, Jack Jr., remembered a visit to Dieppe, in 2007 on the 65th anniversary, "Him and I walked the beach and he talked for hours till he couldn't walk anymore. I think that was the best day of my life.

"Dad is what they used to call a man's man. He was tough but he was fair. I was on the police department myself. Years after he retired, guys still would walk up to me and say your dad was the best guy I ever worked for."

His health was failing in recent months, but he still managed to attend Remembrance Day ceremonies at Gore Park in November, his induction into Hamilton's Gallery of Distinction in December, and a special 95th birthday ceremony at the RHLI Association on Barton Street East in January.

At the Remembrance Day service there was a poignant moment after the speeches when he was deluged by a bunch of schoolchildren who wanted to give him hand-drawn wreaths they had coloured on paper. He was one of three Dieppe vets from the RHLL to attend the Remembrance Day ceremony.

He smiled in absolute delight.

Jack Jr. said, "Dad, they're all giving you notes of thanks."

"Yeah, isn't it beautiful," said Jack the elder.

A total of 582 Rileys (as soldiers with the RHLI are known) stormed the beach of Dieppe on Aug. 19, 1942 as part of larger force of Canadian troops and military personnel from other Allied countries. More than 900 Canadians died, including the soldiers from Hamilton.

Of the RHLI combatants — other than Curry — only Fred Engelbrecht, 95, of Hamilton is known to be alive today.

In addition to Jack Jr., McFarland is survived by a second son, Steve, and daughters Lynn, Marylou and Dale. He was predeceased by his wife Marie in 2013. Funeral arrangements are still being completed for an event that will reflect both his military service and police career.