Deserving to be honoured and recognised
Just Another Remembrance Day Or So I Thought
Until I learn about animal war heroes
That warm but strange feeling when you see something whose significance is only recently learned is not easy to describe.
That is how I feel when, walking around the plaza in my old hometown in Yorkshire, the Remembrance Day display in front of the town hall catches my eye.
It is not the poppies — mostly made of paper, others crocheted, a few of fabric — that grab my attention. Instead, the few photos that stand out amongst the rest made me walk at a jog towards the display.
And then, as I get closer, I gasped. In sheer elation. That strange feeling is no more. But I still cannot fully untangle that warmth I feel.
And what am I looking at?
Remembrance Day
Honouring the fallen soldiers of World War I and World War II and other conflicts on Remembrance Day, for me, is a solemn occasion to cherish and appreciate the freedom gained for succeeding generations by our war heroes.
Remembrance Day is observed in the UK on the Sunday closest to 11 November.
It is also observed in 53 other Commonwealth member countries on 11 November including Canada, Belize, Barbados, Australia and New Zealand.
In the US, remembrance day is called Veterans’ Day. In Poland, France and Belgium, Remembrance Day is a national holiday.
Symbol of Remembrance Day
For 100 years, the red poppy has been the most recognizable symbol of Remembrance Day. It represents those who died in active service from the First World War to present day.
The famous poem, In Flanders Field, was written by Canadian doctor Lt Colonel John McCrae after seeing poppies growing where so many battles took place, too much blood was spilled, too many lives lost.
From a “bleak and barren landscape” where supposedly nothing could grow, grew blood-red poppies.
The poppy, needless to say, is a most apt and fitting symbol of the heroism of soldiers that fought in the war.
And this is why the Remembrance Day display in front of the town hall is replete with poppies, along with photos (old ones, all photocopied from war records) of the soldiers who died in the wars.
But, wait!
Photocopies of the hero animals that helped save lives are also included in the memorial. This is why I feel a certain warmth.
To have these hero animals honoured alongside the hero soldiers, for me, is a total recognition of the role they played side by side with the soldiers.
Simon
The only cat to ever receive the Dickin medal was Simon. This hero cat was given this award posthumously. Simon served as rat catcher aboard the HMS Amethyst. A shell blast wounded Simon and left the crew stranded for close to 10 weeks. Despite Simon’s injuries, he protected the crew’s essential supplies from “particularly vicious” rats.
The PDSA Dickin Medal is the highest award given to animals while serving in military conflict.
Horses
In the First World War, eight million horses died. They carried men, arms and supplies into the battle. Four horses were awarded the Dickin Medal.
The first three horses, Olga, Regal, and Upstart, received their Dickin Medal on 11 April 1947 for gallantry shown in WW II.
The fourth horse, Warrior, called as the horse that the Germans could not kill, was awarded the Dickin Medal in 2014, posthumously.
Pigeons
Around 200,000 pigeons served as messengers in the Second World War alone.
Thirty-two pigeons, including White Vision, Winkie, Tyke and Mary of Exeter, were awarded the Dickin Medal. The last three were awarded their medals on 03 December 1943.
Animal lovers, I think, can understand the warm feeling that touched my heart when these hero animals are honoured on Remembrance Day for their heroism during the world wars and military conflicts in the 20th century. They deserve to be always remembered.
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