Pte. James “Jim” Lauder
Drawing Pte. Lauder completed while imprisoned in Stalag IX C (Prisoner of war camp) after the Dippe Raid in 19 August 1942.
James “Jim” Lauder enlisted with the Essex Scottish Regiment in 1939 when the Second World War (1939-1945) broke out. Pte. Lauder served as a medic with the Essex Scottish Regiment during Operation JUBILEE - the Raid on Dieppe, France on 19 August 1942.
Jim Lauder was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1917 and moved to Windsor, Ontario in 1926. In his private life, Jim was a prolific artist and cartoonist. He attended Windsor Vocational School, where he specialized in art. Later, Lauder was employed at G. and M. Automatic Company, where he would design pictures for glassware. Lauder also worked as a graphic artist for an advertising company in Windsor, Ontario. Jimmie Arthur Lauder, James’ son, recalled that “in his spare time, he produced some fine art and many cartoons for the local newspaper, and other publications.”
Pte. Lauder was a medic with The Essex Scottish Regiment involved in Operation JUBILEE, when the 2nd Canadian Division and Allied Forces raided the beaches of Dieppe, France in 1942. As a medic, Lauder fearlessly accompanied and treated injured men on the beach amidst enemy fire. At one point Lauder took shelter behind a tank when a mortar bomb exploded. Shrapnel from the mortar lodged into Lauder’s jaw, instantly knocking him unconsciousness. Lauder laid on the beach of Dieppe until he was captured by the Germans and made a prisoner of war (POW). It was not until Lauder received medical attention in Stalag IX C POW camp, located in Obermassfeld, Germany, where he reported his cracked upper jaw and having been hit by “a piece of shrapnel that was the size of a dime.”
Pte. Lauder was not liberated from the Stalag IX C camp until 1945. During his imprisonment, Lauder passed his time by creating cartoons that caricaturized the inmates and guards at Stalag IX C POW camp. Lauder was imprisoned for almost three years. Thus, the cartoons were humorous adaptations of the dire circumstances he and the other prisoners endured.
After the liberation of POWs from German camps, Lauder continued to illustrate his cartoon characters in a section of the Windsor newspaper entitled “Star Beam.” Often, he had his art published in the local paper as a reminder for Essex Scottish Regiment Association reunion meetings. Under the alias “Hoosegow Jim,” he published writings, designs and photography in newspapers and commercial advertisements.
Pte. Lauder passed away from lung cancer in 1979 at the age of 61 years old. It was not until years later that Lauder’s son, Jimmie Lauder, published a typewritten manuscript recounting Pte. Lauder’s experience of war. The manuscript was a work-in-progress for years by Pte Lauder; however, he did not manage to publish it before his death. His son stated that “I felt it was my duty to honour his memory by publishing his book - the story of his experience of the Dieppe Raid and his imprisonment for three years in Germany.” The book is titled Hard Tears and Soft Laughter. It was released in 2018.
Story by Taylor Blackmere, Canada Summer Jobs 2022 Participant
with The Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment Association.
Sources
- Duty Nobly Done, The History of The Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment by Sandy Antal and Kevin R. Shackleton, 2006
- Hard Tears and Soft Laughter by James William Lauder, Chapter 1: Beach Assault a Disaster.
- Jim Lauder: W.W. II Drawings in Digital Collection. Trent University.
- A Canadian War Story by Harry Lauder in Wartime Heritage.
Drawing Pte. Lauder completed while imprisoned in Stalag IX C (Prisoner of war camp) after the Dippe Raid in 19 August 1942.
Newspaper clipping taken from the Dippe Bell Phonebook of Pte. Lauder declared missing following the Dieppe raid.