Animals in the Armed Forces is a community curated exhibition produced by the volunteers of The Fusilier Museum London

1. Animals in the Armed Forces
With thanks to...
Stephen Bennett
Anna Bromwich
John Doncaster
Bill Fahey
Stewart Hardman
Alastair Lamb-Crawley
Adam McGee-Abe
Jim Morrison
Yulia Naumova
If you would like to be involved in the
next community curated exhibition
organised by The Fusilier Museum
London please contact:
Stephanie Killingbeck, Museum Officer
stephanie@fusiliermuseumlondon.org
0203 166 6912
Associated Event
Talk – Animals and the Modern Army
Date Monday 3rd
June 2013
Arrival 6.30-7.00pm, talk starts at
7.00pm
At The Fusilier Museum London, Tower
of London, EC3N 4AB.
Major Steve Leavis from the Defence
Animal Training Centre will be
discussing the role, training and
importance of military animals in the
modern armed forces.
FREE but booking essential
Book on 02031666912 or
stephanie@fusiliermuseumlondon.org
Find out more about the
Fusiliers on our website.
Or use your smart phone
to scan here.
A community exhibition by volunteers from
The Fusilier Museum London.
www.fusiliermuseumlondon.org
Organised by:
Funded by:
With thanks to our hosts:
Please have a look around, we hope you
enjoy the exhibition
Throughout history the Armed Forces
have had a unique relationship with
animals.
The Fusilier Museum London has been
looking at what animals mean to the
army and uncovering some fascinating
Fusiliers stories.

2. c1150 BC The first time a carrier
pigeon was used to carry military
messages (Baghdad)
c1150BC
1658
c1000BC
853BC
c600BC
525BC
c500BC
c340BC
225BC
c400AD
Warriors first used horse drawn
chariots to successful invade
Egypt.
The first use of camel
cavalries was in the Battle
of Qarqar, in Syria.
The earliest use of wardogs was
in Anatolia in modern-day
Turkey.
The first war
elephants were
used in India &
China.
Heavily armoured
Persian Cavalrymen
carried by the first
equine tanks
Britain’s first cavalry. The 1st
Troop of Horse Guards was
formed in exile in Holland from
followers of Charles II.
What do a dog, a
cat and a sheep
have in common?
They were all used to defeat the
Egyptian army in 525BC.
Worshipped by the Egyptians, these
animals were used as a shield to protect
the Persian troops as they advanced on
Egypt.
Under attack from the Egyptian defenders,
the quick thinking Persian king arranged
the animals before the front line.
In fear of hurting their sacred animals the
Egyptians surrendered.
Egypt was lost, all for the love of animals.
Bucephalus – The Greatest
War Horse Ever?
A city - Bucephala - was
named after him
Have you ever heard of a city being built in honour of a
horse?
That is what happened when Bucephalus, the horse of
Alexander
the Great, died in battle.
When Alexander was 12 years old, Bucephalus was wild,
nobody
could tame him and he was going to be killed.
Alexander asked to ride him. He had noticed that Bucephalus
was
scared of his own shadow and turned the horse into the sun.
With his shadow behind him Bucephalus calmed down and
let
Alexander ride him. He was the only person ever to do so.
Riding Bucephalus Alexander defeated many armies - until
they
faced the Rajah of Pakistan.
Alexander defeated the Rajah but Bucephalus was badly
wounded.
The horse carried Alexander away from the fighting, before
he
Hannibal crosses the
Alps with elephants
Human beings have had a complex relationship with animals. We have cherished them as
pets. We have used them as food, clothing and transport. We have placed them in great
danger – and sometimes cruelly so. Yet they remain constantly faithful to us and are
sometimes our greatest friends. This is part of their fascinating story…the story of their
military involvement with human beings.

3. Flowerdew’s Cavalry
Charge
Lieutenant Flowerdew and 70% of his
men lost their lives but won the
battle.
Out numbered and facing machine gun
fire Flowerdew and his men charged
the German army. Despite heavy losses
of their own they managed to beat
back the enemy.
Triumphant they recaptured Moreuil
Wood, France.
The Colonies
Did you know that many of the animals and soldiers that have fought for England were not
from Britain?
At the time of the First World War Britain ruled over many foreign countries, these countries
were known as British Colonies and formed part of the British Empire. When Britain went to
war she called upon people from across the world to fight on
her behalf.
Bess
Bess was the only horse to return to New Zealand.
She became a much celebrated symbol of the link between
man and animal symbolising those who sacrificed so much
during World War One. Bess and Trooper Clutha McKenzie,
blinded during service in Gallipoli, travelled to England to
represent New Zealand in the 1919 victory celebrations.
1917
Elephants from India were used on the
home front, in Great Britain and
Germany
1915
The Bikaner Camel Corps (India) beat Turkish forces
in Egypt in a camel cavalry charge at the Suez Canal
The Australian Light
Horse Brigade
The last successful cavalry charge
in history was performed by The
Australian Light Horse Brigade.
Charging 3km into machine gun
fire equipped only with rifles and
bayonets they overran two Turkish
trenches at the Battle of
Beersheba in 1917.
Australian Camel Corps
125,000 camels served in the First World
War
The Australian, New Zealand and British
Camel Corps joined to form the Imperial
Camel Corps in 1916. Camels were useful in
the deserts of Palestine, as they were suited
to the extreme conditions and heat.
50,000 camels served under the British
fighting the Turks in the Middle East.
by kind permission of Paul Reed
greatwarphotos.com
Alfred Munnings
Charge of Flowerdew’s Squadron
CWM 19710261-0443
Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
© Canadian War Museum

4. Satan the
Messenger Dog
Cher Ami
(‘Dear Friend’)
Communication
Shot through the breast,
blinded in one eye and
having lost a leg Cher Ami
still delivered the message
which saved the lives
of 194 survivors.
In October 1918, 500 US
soldiers were trapped behind
German lines.
American artillery began
falling on their position, the
gun crews did not know their
location and many of their own men were killed.
Two carrier pigeons had already been released, but were shot
down by German troops.
Cher Ami was the last carrier pigeon the troops had left.
Despite being shot at and wounded several times she flew the
25 miles back to the divisional headquarters in 65 minutes.
Army medics managed to save her life, and carved her a small
wooden leg to replace the one she had lost.
Battling poison gas, flying bullets and waist high mud carrier
pigeons and messenger dogs delivered communications
throughout the 20th
century.
Unlike dogs, pigeons did not get bogged down in the mud and were more difficult for the
enemy to shoot. However they had to face artillery fire, poisonous gas clouds and birds of
prey. They were also vulnerable to poor weather conditions.
Pigeons were so important, that all infantry, artillery and tank officers were trained to use
them.
Dogs had other dangers to face. Running across open ground under heavy fire, they could get
stuck in the mud and disorientated. They were even known to run in the wrong direction and
deliver their message to the enemy.
Dogs were also used to warn soldiers of approaching enemies at night and to deliver supplies
and communication cables to the front line.
The day a dog saved the city.
Trapped in the city of Verdun, cut
off from help and from hope
several hundred French soldiers
waited to be saved.
Continuing to fight bravely but with their last homing pigeon
killed and no other way of calling for help, the men were
running out of hope.
Suddenly flying across the ground a small black dot was
spotted. As it got nearer someone recognised the shape. It
was Satan, their messenger dog.
Satan ran on trying to reach the city. Suddenly he was hit by a
bullet. With one leg dangling at his side, he got to his feet and
ran on.
On his collar was a metal tube with the message -
"For God's sake, hold on! Will sent troops to relieve you
tomorrow."
On his back Satan had carried a basket with two carrier
pigeons. The men replied "Silence the battery on our left”.
Photo available at Imperial War
Museum (Q 50649)
Photo available at Imperial War Museum
(H 3054)
1916
Edwin Richardson sets up the first British
Military Dog School in Essex
1914-1918
Killing or injuring a homing pigeon could
result in being sent to prison for 6 months or
a £100 fine
National Library Scotland

5. Treacherous
Terrain
The Chindits were a special commando force trained to
operate behind deep enemy lines. Alone in the jungle with no contact
from the outside world and only the supplies that could be airlifted in the
Chindits could not have survived without the mules who helped them
navigate the difficult landscape.
Travelling 9 to 35 miles a day up steep mountain paths of up to 5,000 feet
mules carried mortars, extra ammunition, wireless sets and battery
chargers.
However the mules were afraid of gunfire and sometimes gave away
Chindit positions by whining too loudly.
Animals had to be air lifted in. Sudden movements could make the mules
anxious and co-pilots had to know how to soothe an unruly mule. If they
were unable to calm the mule they would sometimes have to be shot.
Transport & Logistics "It was...possible to outwit a camel...
if you blindfolded him, turned him
round until he was dizzy, backed him
up to the ramp, then pulled like mad in
the other direction...he would immediately
back up into the truck and be furious after
the blindfold was removed that he'd been
fooled”
Photo available at Imperial War Museum (A 24292A)
Photo available at Imperial War Museum (EA 20831)
Through mud, through heat and over rocky terrain animals
were often the only means of getting supplies to the front
line. More reliable than vehicles, with great stamina and
huge strength, without animals the war would have been
almost impossible.
Brute Strength
Of the 20,000 domestic and 6,000 wild
elephants in Burma in 1942, only 2,500 were
left alive by the end of the war.
During WWII in India and Burma, elephants
proved invaluable in moving heavy loads over
mountainous jungle terrain where motorised
vehicles were unable to go.
On the Somme
Can you imagine mud so deep that if you fell into it
you would drown?
That is what it was like for the mules and horses
pulling heavy wagons across the rain soaked
battlefields of the Somme and Ypres in the First
World War.
Sometimes the mud was so deep that when a horse
or mule fell into it and soldiers were unable to pull
them out, there was no choice but to shoot them
before they sank and drowned.
1916
Lizzie the Elephant leaves the circus to help
transport goods around Sheffield - she
replaced three horses.
1944
The Polish Army, fighting alongside the British in
Italy, have help from Wojtek the bear.
Searing Heat
In the Middle East the
camel was king.
They were ideal for
crossing hot desert terrrain, needing little food and water
and unlike horses their hooves did not split in the heat
and were broad enough to stop them sinking into the
sand.
Indian camels were used as pack and draught
animals to pull carts carrying food, water and
ammunition. Double the load of a horse or mule.
The lighter Egyptian camel was used for transporting
troops to the Front Line and evacuating the wounded
back to safety.

6. Medicine on the battlefield
Ambulance Dogs
‘Mercy dogs’ were trained to search
for and rescue wounded soldiers.
They carried medical supplies and
small canteens of water or spirit for
wounded soldiers.
If the soldier could not move the dog
was trained to fetch help. If the man
was behind his own battle line, the
dog would call for his handler.
If they had to work in no man's land,
the dogs were trained to return to
their handler carrying the helmet or a
piece of his uniform in order to inform
the medical unit that someone was in
need of urgent help and needed to be
rescued.
Canaries
Did you know that canaries are 50 times more
sensitive to gas than humans?
Canaries were widely used to indicate the presence
of toxic gas in enclosed spaces.
Men were taught the signs of poisoning - the bird
would rub its beak on the cage wire or perch
followed by a vigorous shake of the head and a
bringing up of seed. The bird would then begin
panting, its body crouching before the final stage
when, after swaying backwards and forwards in an
effort to keep its balance, the bird would collapse to
the bottom of the cage. By this time the men should
be already evacuated from the tunnel.
“...after being in or about the line
for several months, one was
content to sit in the sunshine and
do nothing at all, beyond admire
the flowers and listen to the song
of the birds and enjoy the quiet. It
was medicine for the mind and
solace for the soul”
“...after being in or about the line
for several months, one was
content to sit in the sunshine and
do nothing at all, beyond admire
the flowers and listen to the song
of the birds and enjoy the quiet. It
was medicine for the mind and
solace for the soul”
Did you know more animals died of neglect than on the
battlefield before World War One?
In response to public anger at the number of horses dying of
neglect the British Army Veterinary Corps was formed in 1796.
By World War I things had changed dramatically, of the 725,216
horses admitted to veterinary corps hospitals 529,064 were
returned to active service.
For the first time there was hospital accommodation set up at the
front for the control and prevention of diseases and for the
evacuation of sick and wounded animals.
Veterinary officers carried panniers with field-dressings, bandages,
splints, antiseptic and other necessities for providing first aid.
However the loss of horses due to cold, hunger and disease was
still four times more than the 58,000 lost through enemy action.
Photo available at Imperial War Museum (Q 1619)
National Library Scotland
National Library Scotland
by kind permission of
Paul Reed
greatwarphotos.com
1912
Our Dumb Friends League started its Blue
Cross Fund to assist animals affected by
war.
1918
King George V awards the Royal prefix to the
Army Veterinary Corps in recognition of their
work.
Library of
Congress,
Prints &
Photographs
Division

7. Behind the Line
World War I wasn’t all about trench warfare, battles and
casualties. All fighting units had transport support stationed
behind the line to bring up rations, ammunition and
equipment. Royal Fusilier Sergeant Sidney Gill spent most of
the war coordinating supplies and transport. He wrote a daily
diary and he was an accomplished artist. His sketches show
the life and work of the horses behind the lines.
The Transport Officer
Royal Fusilier Lieutenant C.F. Doncaster of the 17th
Battalion was appointed Transport Officer at the
end of World War One.
He was in charge of 50 men, 13 riding horses, 43
draught horses, mules and pack animals and all the
carts, limbers, feed and equipment which went
with them.
These animals hauled ammunition and ration
carts, field ambulances and heavy guns.
Mules usually carried shells and rifle ammunition
to the front line. Like the fighting men they
suffered many casualties.
After the war these requirements were greatly
eased. Men and animals were no longer in the
trenches but in lodgings. Their jobs were now to
help with rebuilding everything which had been
damaged.
Quiet times
Away from the front line there was plenty of time to indulge in the
lighter side of life.
Shoeing competitions were held for the farriers and horse shows for
the artillery with the guns and harnesses gleaming.
Even in the desert in Palestine in March 1917, they had a race
meeting at Rafa. Events included the Promised Land Stakes, the
Anzac Steeplechase, and even a Jerusalem Scurry for mules only.
“We had a little steeplechase
course put up, and jumping
competitions… the summer was
really lovely”.
“We won the Brigade competition hands down, and our men,
limbers, cookers, horses and mules were perfect – 238? Marks out
of a possible 250. We hope to win the divisional competition
tomorrow, and after that the Corps and finally the Army! We were
ambitious you see. The pains the men take are incredible; they
even sent home for ribbons for the horses’ tails, and the cooker
was hidden in a shed so that competitors should not see our
preparations”
Christopher Stone, 22nd
battalion Royal Fusiliers
1918
17th
Battalion Royal Fusiliers - Brigade Horse
show. Private Hix’s team of blacks won as
usual.
1917
Named after the battle, ‘Oppy’ was found
abandoned by the 22nd
Royal Fusiliers ‘Thin to
the point of emaciation…the section kicked in…to
buy oats and fodder’.
Oppy Wood, 1917.
Evening by John Nash
National Library Scotland

8. War Horse
Warrior
The horse the Germans could not kill.
Bullets, bombs and shellfire could not stop
Warrior the war horse.
He cheated death many times during the battles of the Somme,
Ypres, Passchendale and Cambrai. A born survivor, he was an
inspiration to the soldiers of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade.
Warrior went to war in 1915 with General Jack Seely. He never
flinched under fire, only occasionally turning his head to look at
the smoke from a shell burst.
His finest hour came when he led the charge of 1,000 Canadian
Cavalry horses across open ground towards Moreuil Wood.
A quarter of the men and half the horses were killed during the
battle but they managed to stop the German advance. Warrior
survived without a scratch.
In 1918 he returned to England and took part in the victory
parade. The story of his courage has inspired many books, films
and plays.
Warrior returned home to the Isle of Wight where he died in
1941.
A Soldiers Kiss
Only a dying Horse! Pull off the gear,
And slip the needless bit from frothing jaws,
Drag it aside there, leaving the roadway clear,
The Battery thunders on with scarce a pause.
Prone by the shell-swept highway there it lies,
With quivering limbs, as fast the life-tide fails,
Dark films are closing o’er the faithful eyes,
That mutely plead for aid where none avails.
Onward the Battery rolls, but one there speeds,
Needlessly of comrades voice or bursting shell,
Back to the wounded friend who lonely bleeds
Beside the lonely highway where he fell.
Only a dying Horse! He swiftly kneels,
Lifts the limp head and hears the shivering sigh,
Kisses his friend, while down his cheek there steals,
Sweet pity’s tear; “ Goodbye Old Man, Goodbye “.
No honours wait him, Medal, Badge or Star,
Though scarce could war a kindlier died unfold;
He bears within his breast, more precious far,
Beyond the gift of King, a heart of Gold.
By Henry Chappell
Did you know the most widely used animals in war have been
horses?
Early wars were fought on horseback but as tanks and planes
were built horses were ridden into battle less and less. World
War One saw the last major use of horses on the battlefield.
At the start of the First World War the British army had
23,000 horses. Within a fortnight seven times that number
had been bought from farmers, businesses and private owners.
Horses of all shapes, sizes and breeds.
Over a million horses and mules were bought from all over the world.
By the end of the war, approximately 500,000 horses had died. The lucky ones were able to
return home to Britain. Those in poorer health were often sold to local people or sent to the
slaughterhouse.
1830
The Duke of Wellington’s horse, Copenhagen
was buried with Full Military honours
in 1830 at the age of 22.
1934
Dorothy Brooke founds the ‘Old War Horse
Memorial Hospital’ to provide a free
veterinary clinic for ex-war horses in Cairo
© Estate of Fortunio
Matania by kind
permission of the
Blue Cross
© The Brooke

9. Military Mascots
A mascot doesn't sniff out bombs, or stand guard or send messages.
So why are they such an important part of army life?
Mascots have traditionally been thought to bring luck and are the
symbol of a group but more than that they provide love and companionship.
Mascots official and unofficial have supported men of all ranks
through times of great hardship. Times spent far away from home
and family when death seemed certain and hope a long way away.
The story of the mascot is one of devotion and morale.
1775
The first recorded mascot – the
Royal Welsh Fusiliers goat.
1884
Queen Victoria presented the Welsh Fusiliers with a
Kashmir goat, called Billy or William Windsor. All of
the mascots of The Welsh Fusiliers take this name.
Bobby – Indian Black Buck
(Official Fusilier Mascot)
Originally the mascot of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, the
mascot was adopted by The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers when
the four Fusilier regiments merged in 1968.
There have been a long line of Bobby's...or Charlie's and Billy's.
They have many stories to tell….
The last Bobby died in
2005, little did anyone
realise that he may be
the last in a long line of
mascots.
In 2001 Bobby spent
time at the Tower of
London, the Regimental
Headquarters. He had
only come for a short
stay whilst his Battalion
were on tour but whilst
he was at the Tower Foot
and Mouth disease broke out and
Bobby was was forced to stay for
fifteen months.
On another occasion a
Drum Major made the
mistake of walking too
close to Bobby -
it was a painful
mistake, ending in a
pair of torn trousers
and a sore behind.
Both belonging to the
Drum Major.
We fed him... “every 2 hours
for 8 weeks, then every 3 hours
for about a month...until he
was weaned off and onto a
solid diet of feed pellets and
hay”
Donald Duck
(Unofficial Fusilier Mascot)
"No duck, probably, in history has had a more
distinguished career"
Picked up by the 9th battalion in Iraq Donald had
originally been intended for dinner but his winning personality saw
him survive Christmas, becoming a well loved figure in the battalion
and travelling everywhere they went.
He even gets a mention in battalion orders:
Donald gave the battalion a scare being reported missing after the
battle of Mulazzano. Once again he appears in the battalion orders:
Sadly Donald died in 1945, never returning to his native Iraq. For his
services to the battalion he was awarded the Africa Star.
Donald's body was stuffed and brought back to England and
presented to the Colonel of the Regiment General Sir Reginald May,
at the Army and Navy Club. His mounted head is now on display at
The Fusilier Museum, at the Tower of London.
Leave - No.1. Fusilier Duck, D. (Q.M.'s. Stores) is granted
fourteen days' leave with higher rate of ration allowance whilst
attached to the Garrison Adjudant's duckpond as from 2nd June
1944 for the purposes of recreational training
Punishment, etc.: 0000001 Fus. Duck, D (Q.M. Stores). When on
active service, absent from 1500 hours 17th
September 1944
until apprehended by a sister battalion at 1800 hours 18th
September 1944. Awarded 7 days confined to hutch and forfeits
one days food. Four days' punishment remitted on laying an egg
© Crown Copyright 2012
by kind permission of
The Royal Welsh
Fusiliers
by kind permission of The
Staffordshire Regiment
Museum
by kind permission of
The Royal Welsh Fusiliers

10. Dogs
Do you know that dogs have their
own regiment?
The 1st
Military Dog Working
Regiment trains military working dogs
and their handlers.
Detection dogs – used to sniff out
bombs and explosives.
Attack dogs – used to protect people
and property.
Companion Dogs – used to aid the
recovery of wounded soldiers.
Veterinary Corps
The primary aim of the
Royal Army Veterinary
Corps is to ensure that service
animals are properly cared for in
order that their fitness for duty is
maximised.
Today the corps main duties involve
the care of ceremonial animals and
the finding, training and maintenance
of military dogs.
Ceremonial Occasions
Horses have a long and distinguished
history in the British army. Until World
War I horses provided transport for
supplies and chargers for the cavalry. The
army horses of today make up the
ceremonial units of the Household Cavalry
and the Royal Horse Artillery.
Household Cavalry – a mounted
regimental unit who guard the Queen on
ceremonial occasions.
Royal Horse Artillery – fire the royal
salutes in Hyde Park for Royal
Anniversaries and State Occasions.
Bats, Cats, and
Caterpillars…
Some great ideas which didn’t work
Do you know the jobs that the animals in the army do today?
As bigger and better machinery has been built the army have needed fewer and fewer
animals. However there are still some jobs that animals do best.
Only dogs and horses are regularly used by the army and there is a special Army Veterinary
Corps to look after them.
Animals in the Armed Forces Today
Terrorist-fighting gerbils
Gerbils were trained to detect
adrenalin in scared suspects.
The trouble was they couldn’t
tell the difference between terrorist's and
everybody else.
Spy cats
Equip cats with recording devices and set
them loose in enemy territory? Fine, until
the cat sent to a foreign embassy gets run
over by a taxi.
Bat bombers
How about strapping a tiny incendiary
bomb to a bat? Great idea, until a bat set
fire to its own base.
Eavesdropping
caterpillars
Insert tiny electronic recorders into
caterpillars and drop them in enemy areas
to pick up information. Someone forgot
that caterpillars turn into butterflies.
Royal Fusilier Officers at the Opening of
Parliament 2010
© Crown Copyright 2011
© Crown Copyright 2011
2006
The PDSA Animal Cemetery (Essex) re-opens.
12 winners of the PDSA Dickin Medal are buried
here.
2010
1st Military Working Dog Regiment,
Royal Army Veterinary Corps, formed.

11. In Memoriam
There are many ways we remember and honour those who have fallen in times of war.
Memorials range from literature and poetry, to artworks, statues and medals.
The Animals War Memorial Dispensary
RSPCA, Kilburn (1932)
The building serves to remember all animals who have been killed in war. The RSPCA
Dispensary was opened on 10th
November 1932. In its first year it treated 6,000
animals and its work continues today.
Memorials
There are over 100,000 war memorials in
the U.K. alone. Only a small minority are
built for and dedicated to animals.
British Berlin Airlift
(National Memorial Arboretum 2001)
In memory of those killed
delivering food and supplies to
Berlin, June 1948 - May 1949.
The eagle represents the British
& Commonwealth contribution.
TOGETHER
Splashing along the boggy woods all day,
And over brambled hedge and holding clay,
I shall not think of him:
But when the watery fields grow brown and dim,
And hounds have lost their fox, and horses tire,
I know that he'll be with me on my way
Home through the darkness to the evening fire.
He's jumped each stile along the glistening lanes;
His hand will be upon the mud-soaked reins;
Hearing the saddle creak,
He'll wonder if the frost will come next week.
I shall forget him in the morning light;
And while we gallop on he will not speak:
But at the stable-door he'll say good-night
(Sassoon, Counter-Attack and Other Poems. 1918)
The Dickin Award
By kind permission
of the Arizona Daily
Star
1945
Mary of Exeter was awarded the Dickin Medal
for endurance in service. She survived a hawk
attack, shot, shrapnel and the bombing of her
pigeon loft.
2004
Animals in War Memorial unveiled
in Park Lane, London.
The RSPCA Animals War
Memorial Clinic in Kilburn,
London © RSPCA
Polar Bear
(National Memorial Arboretum 1998)
Dedicated to the 49th Light
Infantry West Riding Division
who were stationed in
Iceland in WWII.
Cavalry
Hyde Park, London (1906)
Dedicated to the cavalry
of the British Empire
who lost their lives in
all wars.
Bronze cast from captured
enemy guns.
Winged Victory is flanked by camels, mules,
elephants, dogs and pigeons, all animals used in war.
Sculpted by Frederick Brook-Hitch.
©
www.LondonRemembers.com
Since 1943 animals at the
front and behind the lines
have been recognised for
their gallant services.
Created by the British
veterinary charity PDSA, the
medal has been awarded 64
times – to 28 dogs, 32
pigeons, 3 horses and 1 cat.
G.I. Joe
In October 1943 flew 20
miles in 20 minutes to
prevent at least 100
British casualties.
He was presented with
his medal at the Tower of
London in 1946
Au Pigeon Soldat
Brussels, Belgium (1931)
Remembering all pigeon fanciers and
pigeons who served throughout WWI.
Imperial Camel Corps
Embankment, London (22 July
1921)
Dedicated to all who
served with the Imperial
Camel Corps - British,
Australian, New Zealand,
and Indian in Egypt, Sinai
and Palestine, 1916-1918.