Tales of Animals in War

Remembrance Clubhouse Family TreeCanadians all have different family backgrounds. Here are our brave ancestors.Do you know yours?Duringthe First WorldWar, my relative Bonfirewas the best friend of aCanadian doctor and poet namedJohn McCrae. Bonfire carried thedoctor to the battlefield. Sadly, Dr.McCrae died in 1918. Bonfireproudly took part in hismilitary funeralprocession.Beachcomber being presentedwith his Dickin Medal.My relativeBeachcomber was a carrierpigeon during the Second World War.He delivered important messages forCanadian soldiers. The messageswere rolled up and put in acontainer attached to hisleg. He received the DickinMedal for his courage. Hewas no chicken!Britain’s People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals.Courtesy of Guelph Museums, McCrae HouseJohn McCrae on Bonfire.Harry Colebourn andWinnie in 1914.Myrelative was a bearcub. She was adopted as a mascotby a soldier from Winnipeg duringthe First World War. He named herWinnie! But it was too dangerouson the battlefield for her, so she wentto the London Zoo. While there, sheinspired an author to write astory . . . Winnie the Pooh!Provincial Archives of Manitoba, Colebourn,D. Harry Collection, No. N10467First World War elephant.Myrelative Bandoolaserved during the SecondWorld War in Burma, Asia. He andother elephants moved logs to buildbridges. They also carried peopleacross rivers and towed army trucksstuck in the mud. I will alwaysremember Bandoola!Illustrated War News. February 9, 1916.Duringthe SecondWorld War, my relativeSergeant Gander was amascot in Hong Kong. One night,a grenade was thrown at some Canadiansoldiers. Gander knew it was dangerous. Hetook it and ran away. Sadly, the grenadeexploded and Gander died. Hereceived the DickinMedal.Able Seaman Simon and crewfrom the HMS Amethyst.Britain’s People’s Dispensary for Sick AnimalsMy relativeSimon served ona British warship in 1949.The ship was attacked in Chinaand stranded for three months. Manysailors were hurt. Simon was hurt too butkept catching rats, which saved preciousfood. He also comforted the woundedmen. Simon was presented withthe Dickin Medal for hisbravery. What a coolcat!Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative AssociationGander with the Royal Rifles of Canadadeparting for Hong Kong in 1941.This publication is available upon request in other formats. Toll-free: 1-877-604-8469 © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Veterans Affairs, 2011. Catalogue No.: V32-179/2-2011 Printed in Canada2 veterans.gc.ca

Loveable MascotsDND ARMY 23177 and DVA 519-16Private P.T. Leachman with the donkeymascot of the Saskatoon Light Infantry.My relative Winnie was a loveablemascot for a group of Canadiansoldiers during the First WorldWar. Mascots represent groupsDid you know that many animals,like my ancestor Bandoola, havetransported supplies during wartimein areas where vehicles couldn’ttravel over rough terrain?In the First World War, horses oftentransported soldiers and cannonsinto battle. Donkeys and mulescarried supplies in mountainousItaly and in the jungles of Asiaduring the Second World War.or teams. In the military, animalmascots often serve as pets toprovide fun and friendship.Many animals have served asmascots onboard Canadian ships.Playful dogs like Rags and Jeanniesailed during the Second WorldWar. Cats and even Muncherthe rabbit also had their “seapaws!” They provided comfort tosailors. Other animals, like Mike,the Saint Bernard, preferred dryland. He was the mascot of theAlgonquin Regiment duringthe Second World War.Sometimes, they even gave tiredsoldiers a ride! Reindeer and camelsdid the same in the snowy Arcticand the arid desert.Elephants, strong and smart like me,carried supplies and helped to buildroads and camps in the jungles ofBurma during the Second WorldWar.Brave beasts always pull theirweight!Mascots comein various shapes and sizes. Adonkey served as the mascotof the Saskatoon LightInfantry in Sicily in 1943.Batisse the goat, representingthe Royal 22 e Régiment,patrols the Citadelle, inQuébec City. Today, theCanadian Army’s mascot isJuno, a cuddly life-size teddybear.Mascots, real or stuffed,always rally the troops! Doesyour school have a mascot?Movers and ShakersPack horses transporting ammunition for theCanadian Field Artillery, April 1917.LAC PA-001231Did YouKnow?‘Joe the Crow’ and friend in 1950.Crowsnest magazine photo courtesy of CFB Esquimalt Naval &Military MuseumMore than 26,000Canadians took part in theKorean War between 1950and 1953. These includedmany brave sailors whoserved on destroyers offthe Korean coast. Severalof these ships had animalmascots, including Alice thedog on the HMCS Cayuga.A Canadian sailor hadrescued the stray pup fromdrowning and she quicklybecame a friend for the men.And sailors back then mighteven have come across “Joethe Crow,” the mascot of thenaval training base HMCSCornwallis in Nova Scotia.Colour Me!Diggers and SniffersMine Detection Dogs Fanny and AlexCanadian Landmine FoundationHave you ever heard theexpression, “an animal is a man’sbest friend? ” When war breaksout, it’s not just men and womenwho head off to the battlefields.Animals often go with them.Over the years, animals havehelped Canada’s soldiers in manydifferent ways.Like my relative Gander, otheranimals have saved lives duringwartime. In the First World War,mice and canaries would helpthe soldiers who were diggingtunnels by warning them whenthey smelled dangerous gases.German shepherds, like mycanine friends Fanny and Alex,are very good sniffers. Theyworked with Canada’s army inAfghanistan to find roadsidebombs, explosive landmines andmissing soldiers.An animal’s nose always knows!The Dickin Medal, which wascreated in 1943, is awardedto animals for their braveacts. Only 63 animals haveever received the honour: 32pigeons, 27 dogs, three horses,and one cat.The words on the medal say:“For Gallantry” and “We alsoServe.”The ribbon is striped:– green(for water and the naval forces)– dark brown(for earth and the land forces)– pale blue(for air and the air forces)veterans.gc.ca 3

Want to know why a pigeonlike me was up there at the verytop of the carving in the PeaceTower? In times before cellphones, texting and Facebook,carrier pigeons deliveredimportant information becausethey were so good at findingtheir way from one place toanother. Soldiers would attachnotes to the pigeons and thenDelivering the Newsrelease them to fly back to theircoops.My ancestor Beachcomber wasthe bird that delivered newsabout the raid in Dieppe, France,during the Second World War.More than 900 Canadians werekilled in the difficult attackon the seaside town. A lot ofcarrier pigeons were also usedduring the First World War. Ifthe enemy soldiers saw a pigeonflying by, they would shoot at itbecause they knew it could becarrying an important message.But we pigeons are super speedy.We can fly up to 100 kilometresper hour and that’s why the newsusually got through! Some birdseven delivered their messagesafter being wounded.Royal Air Force carrier pigeon, 1942.Imperial War Museum.The Animals War Exhibition.Dogs and cats were messengerstoo, carrying information incontainers around their necksin dangerous war zones. Weanimals always deliver!Breakthe CodeMessages carried by pigeons were usually written incode in case they fell into enemy hands. Put on yourthinking hats and decipher the code to read thissecret message.__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __20 8 5 8 21 13 2 12 5__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __2 5 1 19 20 19 20 8 1 20__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __19 5 18 22 5 4 1 14 4__ __ __ __4 9 5 4Hint: These words can be found carved inside the Peace Tower.Code breaking key: A=1, B=2, C=3, etc.Cavalr y Charge!Whoa, partner! I am going totell you about something coolthat animals like me did in warslong ago. Horses were used incavalry units, where soldiersfought on horseback. War horseshave been used for thousands ofyears, like when knights used toride us in the Middle Ages!My ancestor Bonfire knew acouple of cavalry horses duringthe First World War. They toldhim that fighting on horsebackon the Western Front was verydifficult because the enemy haddeep trenches, machine guns,tangles of barbed wire andpoison gas. Dr. McCrae used totell Bonfire what it was like inthe South African War back in1900. Canadian cavalry forceshad been important in thewide-open spaces over there.Imagine how courageous ahorse would have to be tocharge through the gunfire and2 nd Canadian Mounted Rifles onpatrol in South Africa in 1902.explosions of a battle, with asoldier on his back shooting orswinging a sword!LAC PA-173029Furry FriendsConnect the Dots!Purr! Cats like me and myancestor Simon are good atoffering furry comfort and af riendly ear to help people feelbetter. Many other kinds ofanimals have been special petsduring times of war, keepingpeople company when theywere far away from home.Lots of dogs have been officialor unofficial pets, and otheranimals like ferrets, squirrels,mice and birds have also beenspecial friends to lonely soldiersover the years. But I haveto say the Canadian Forcesmembers serving in Kandahar,Afghanistan, have a prettyunique pet, a monkey namedLucy!We Remembrance Clubhouseanimals are very proud of ourLucy the monkey.Canadian Press / Bill Gravelandbrave relatives. Many Canadianshave served in the military anda lot of people have their owncourageous family members. Youknow what? I think you shouldask your parents or grandparentsif they know of any relatives,friends or neighbours who haveserved in the cause of peace andfreedom. Then you can learnabout these real-life heroes foryourself!Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae and Bonfire4 veterans.gc.ca