Animals in war

– but millions of animals have too.

laid telegraph wires, sniffed out mines, dug out bomb victims

and even made parachute jumps! During the Blitz, dogs used to wake up their owners and take them to the shelters when they heard the sirens.

World War alone . They carried men to war, delivered

ammunition and equipment.

and over the most difficult terrain, serving courageously in the

freezing mud on the Western Front and later at Monte Cassino in World War II. Equally they toiled unflinchingly in the oppressive heat of Burma, Eritrea and Tunisia.

and Second World Wars. They delivered important messages and also

worked as “photographers”. Flying at a mile a minute, these brave birds saved countless lives.

in the dark trenches

in London.
The memorial was opened in 2004.It is dedicated

to the brave animal heroes
who have served and died in wars and conflicts

Memorial shows two mules, a horse and a dog, and

remembers other animals – dolphins, pigeons, elephants… and even glow worms

60 animals awarded the Dickin Medal.
A special animal medal.

Between 1943 and 1949,
54 animals received the medal,
including 32 pigeons, 18 dogs and 3 horses.

animals' Victoria Cross - was named after Maria Dickin, the

founder of the PDSA, formerly known as the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA).

a charity providing free veterinary care for animals whose owners

cannot afford private vets' fees.

The Animal Cemetery at Ilford in north-east London.

leading animal charities) was successful in obtaining a lottery grant

of £50,000 (some 100,000 US dollars at the time) to refurbish and upgrade the Animal Cemetery at Ilford in north-east London. The work was carried out during 2007 and on 13 December that year there was an official opening ceremony.

a real hero during the Second World War. Rob served

with the Special Air Service on top-secret missions in Africa and Italy. During his wartime career, he made more than 20 parachute jumps!

Far East . When her ship was torpedoed , she

saved her crew from thirst by finding fresh water . When they were captured , Judy spent two years as a prisoner of war in Sumatra. Judy saved the lives of several men by threatening Japanese guards when they tried to beat prisoners . She survived several attempts by the Japanese to shoot her and was liberated in 1945.

Sheila , was a working dog . In December 1994,

an American plane crashed in a snowstorm . Sheila found the survivors.

Dickin Medal for helping buildings . One dog got the

medal for rescuing other animals .
This was Beauty , a wire-haired terrier belonging to Bill Barnet , who led an animal rescue squad in London . By the war’s end Beauty had found 63 animals ! Without Beauty they would have probably died , tapped in bombed buildings.

Simon , ship’s cat on HMS Amethyst . In April

1949 , the ship was held captive on the Yangtse River. For 100 days Simon the cat comforted the terrified young crew and entertained them with his amazing rat-catching skills .

, but never fully recovered from his wounds and sadly

died a few month later.

during the Blitz , these three police horses did their

duty.

making the most outstanding flight by a USA Army Pigeon

in World War II. Making the 20 mile flight from British 10th Army HQ, in the same number of minutes, it brought a message which arrived just in time to save the lives of at least 100 Allied soldiers from being bombed by their own planes.”

in August 1946.

continue to help us in times of conflict .
On

September 11th 2001 , just before the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre collapsed two guide dogs saved their owners’ lives . Riva and Salty made their way down from the 71st floor . They guided their blind owners through crowded , smoke-filled stairs . After the tragedy more than 300 search and rescue dogs worked on the site.

Buster

The most recent award of the Dickin Medal was made in December 2003 . Buster , a six-year-old springer spaniel , discovered a stash of explosives in Iraq.

had no choice."