Winkie, the First Pigeon to Win the Animal VC
The Dickin Medal
It would probably be fair to say that few people would give pigeons a second thought unless they were visiting Trafalgar Square or having to re-wash a line of clean clothes. Yet pigeons proved to be a valuable asset during the 1st and 2nd World War, and have subsequently become the most decorated species in receipt of the Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent to the Victoria Cross.
The Origins of the Carrier Pigeon
The humble pigeon has been used as a message carrier for thousands of years, dating back to the Egyptians. The Ancient Greeks used the birds to relay the results of the Olympic Games and the Emperor Nero is known to have used the same mode of transport to communicate important sporting results to his family and friends throughout the Roman Empire.
The Use of Carrier Pigeon in War
The use of pigeons has never been as glamorous as the gadgets developed by ‘Q’ for Ian Fleming’s character James Bond, but they have been used in espionage during the past… Prior to the commencement of the First World War, Germany established a number of pigeon lofts across Britain. Their existence was only discovered when a passenger was observed releasing a bird from a train window and subsequently followed.
Messages strapped to the legs of pigeons forewarned the Allies of the first Zeppelin attack, and the birds were invaluable when usual methods of communication broke down during the battles of Verdun and the Somme in 1916.
Although the British had used ‘Pigeon Post’ during the Boer War (1899-1902) and the 1st World War (1914-1918), they were better prepared with respect to the importance of this mode of communication by the outbreak of 2nd World War. During hostilities, in the region of 200,000 birds were supplied to the war effort by private breeders. Used by the three services of the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force, birds were also used by MI6, MI9 and the Special Operations Executive to carry information relating to highly classified missions.
During the last 3 ½ years of the War the Army Pigeon Service parachuted 16,554 pigeons onto the continent but only 1842 returned home. The fate of the others was never determined, certainly some would have become disorientated and lost, others would have been shot down and some, no doubt, eaten by men as well as animals.
The Animal V.C.
The 1st pigeon to be awarded the Dickin Medal was a hen bird later christened 'Winkie'. She was supplied to the war effort by a Sunderland breeder. This is her story…
Following a mission to Norway in February 1942, a Bristol Beaufort aircraft was returning to her base, RAF Leuchars, Scotland. She had been badly damaged by enemy fire and there was no alternative but to ditch into the sea, some 120 miles off the Scottish coast.
Struggling in the freezing waters, the crew remembered one piece of vital equipment, a blue chequered hen number NEHU 40 NSL. It was a long shot, but she was their only chance as the crew did not have time to radio an accurate position before ditching. Struggling to release the bird from its container, her feathers were contaminated with the oily sea water, a potential disaster, but the plucky bird fought to take off, encircled the stricken plane and disappeared from view.
As soon as RAF Leuchars lost contact with the plane a rescue mission was scrambled, but few hours of daylight remained. Without an accurate position for the stricken aircraft, it would be an almost impossible task to locate the stricken aircraft.
A very bedraggled, exhausted bird flew into her loft shortly after dawn the following day. Sergeant Davidson of the RAF Pigeon Service established that she was from the downed plane. Using the time difference from the plane ditching, to the arrival of the pigeon in the loft, and taking into account the wind direction and the inhibition to her flight speed caused by oil spoilage to her feathers, Sergeant Davidson was able to approximate where the plane ditched. Another search was instigated and within 15 minutes the crew’s position had been located and a rescue vessel dispatched.
On 2 December 1943, Winkie, as blue chequered hen NEHU 40 NSL had been christened, was awarded the Dickin Medal. The citation read ‘for delivering a message under exceptional difficulties and so contributing to the rescue of an Air Crew while serving with the RAF in February 1942.’ Winkie ‘received’ her medal from Maria Dickin in March 1943; she was the first of thirty-two pigeons to receive the award.
The Founder of the P.D.S.A
Maria Elizabeth Dickin was born in 1870. The oldest of 8 children, Maria was appalled by the plight of animals in Edwardian England. She made up her mind to help those who could not afford to pay for veterinary treatment.
Her dream came to fruition on November 17th 1917 when in the cellar of a building in Whitechapel the first clinic opened for treatment. The Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals was born. Outside she hung a notice which read 'Bring your animals. Do not let them suffer. All animals treated. All treatment free'.
In 1943 Maria Dickin instituted the PDSA Dickin Medal. Instantly capturing the imagination of the public, the award became known as the animals VC. It is cast on bronze bearing the initials PDSA and the legends 'For Gallantry' and 'We Also Serve' within a laurel wreath. The ribbon is tripped green, brown and blue to represent water, earth and air which in turn symbolises the Navel, Military, Air and Civil defences.
Between the years1943-49 the Dickin Medal was awarded on 54 occasions, to 32 pigeons, 18 dogs, 3 horses and 1 cat.
Sources:
Silent Heroes, the Bravery and Devotion of Animals in War: An Animals ROle of Honour by Evelyn de Chene
PDSA
Pigeons
|
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles