Dickin_Medal

Dickin Medal

Dickin Medal

Award for animals in wartime

The PDSA Dickin Medal was instituted in 1943 in the United Kingdom by Maria Dickin to honour the work of animals in World War II. It is a bronze medallion, bearing the words "For Gallantry" and "We Also Serve" within a laurel wreath, carried on a ribbon of striped green, dark brown, and pale blue.[1] It is awarded to animals that have displayed "conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty while serving or associated with any branch of the Armed Forces or Civil Defence Units".[1] The award is commonly referred to as "the animals' Victoria Cross".[1][2][3]

Quick Facts PDSA Dickin Medal, Awarded for ...

Maria Dickin was the founder of the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), a British veterinary charity. She established the award for any animal displaying conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty whilst serving with British Empire armed forces or civil emergency services. The medal was awarded 54 times between 1943 and 1949 – to 32 pigeons, 18 dogs, 3 horses, and a ship's cat – to acknowledge actions of gallantry or devotion during the Second World War and subsequent conflicts.

The awarding of the medal was revived in 2000. In December 2007, 12 former recipients buried at the PDSA Animal Cemetery in Ilford, Essex, Greater London, were afforded full military honours at the conclusion of a National Lottery-aided project to restore the cemetery.[4][5]

Recipients

The first recipients of the award, in December 1943, were three pigeons serving with the Royal Air Force who contributed to the recovery of aircrews from ditched aircraft.[1] The most recent recipient is Bass, a Belgian Malinois who served with the US Marine Special Operation Command in Afghanistan.[6]

As of January 2023, the Dickin Medal has been awarded 75 times, plus one honorary award made in 2014 to all the animals who served in the First World War.[6]

A dog receiving a medal while surrounded by a number of men in military uniform
Rob the Collie, receiving his medal
Certificate and medal for Pigeon Royal Blue
Dickin Medal and Certificate for the pigeon Royal Blue
A dog standing in the remains of a destroyed building
Rip helped locate a number of victims of The Blitz.
A dog sitting on the deck of a ship, being spoken to by a man in a military uniform
Judy was a ship's dog on both HMS Gnat and HMS Grasshopper.
A pigeon, at rest, facing to the right. It has dark feathers on its head and neck, with two dark stripes two-thirds of the way down its pale wings.
William of Orange was awarded the medal in 1945 for delivering a message from Operation Market Garden.
Bing the ParaDog displayed with his Dickin Medal at the Imperial War Museum Duxford
Kuno showing his prosthetic hind leg
More information Recipient(s), Animal ...
  • A ^ Rob was awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 for taking part in more than 20 parachute drops and for his involvement in operations behind enemy lines in Italy and North Africa during the Second World War. There is evidence that his record is a hoax concocted by the training officer at 2nd SAS at the time so that the dog would remain with the regiment.[46][47][48]
  • B ^ The German Shepherd Dog breed was renamed in the UK by The Kennel Club in 1919 to Alsatian Wolf Dog. During the 1920s, the Wolf Dog part of the name fell out of use and dogs of this breed were simply known as Alsatians.[49] The name had been reverted in most countries by 1977 to German Shepherd Dog.[50]

See also

Animals
Honouring animals
Animals in war
Animals assisting veterans
  • Bravehound – Scottish charity that supports former servicemen, women and their families, providing training and dogs to support veterans
  • Hounds for Heroes – British charity helping train and provide service dogs to wounded British Armed Forces and Emergency Services men and women

References

General
  • "Dickin medal pigeons". People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA). Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  • "Dickin medal dogs". PDSA. Archived from the original on 12 February 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  • "Dickin medal cats". PDSA. Archived from the original on 14 February 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  • "Dickin medal horses". PDSA. Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
Specific
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    "PDSA Dickin Medal". PDSA. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
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    "Military search dog to receive animals' Victoria Cross". Ministry of Defence. 8 February 2010. Archived from the original on 15 March 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
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    "The Animals' VC". BBC Radio 4. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
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    Clout, Laura (14 December 2007). "A better resting place for the animal VCs". The Daily Telegraph. p. 12.
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    "Celebrity to open animal Garden of Remembrance". PDSA. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
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    "PDSA Dickin Medal". PDSA. 23 February 2022. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
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    Velinger, Jan (18 March 2009). "The story of a Czech WW II airman and his remarkable dog". Radio Prague. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
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    Tibbetts, Graham (20 December 2002). "Army dog Sam wins a posthumous 'VC'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
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    Gabbatt, Adam (24 February 2010). "Heroic labrador awarded animals' Victoria Cross". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
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    "In pictures: Sadie the hero dog gets a medal". BBC. 6 February 2007. Archived from the original on 1 February 2008. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
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    Heyhoe, Dave (2012). It's All About Treo: Life and War with the World's Bravest Dog. London: Quercus. ISBN 978-1-780-87396-1.
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    "Army dog killed in Afghanistan given posthumous medal". BBC News. 29 April 2014. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
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    "Tragic French Police Dog Diesel to receive supreme honour for gallantry". PDSA. 27 December 2015. Archived from the original on 28 December 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
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    "PDSA Dickin Medal for Lucca". PDSA. 5 April 2016. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
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    Bailey, Nancy (28 July 2016). "U.S. Marine Horse 'Sgt Reckless' Awarded Posthumous Medal Of Valor". The Inquisitr News. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
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    "Medal for hero dog Kuno which saved soldiers' lives in Afghanistan". BBC. 29 August 2020. Archived from the original on 29 August 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
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    Carey, Paul (23 April 2021). "Top UK gallantry award for French dog that ran through flames in Mali to attack terrorists". thenationalnews.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
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    Jamie Grierson (22 February 2022). "Dog awarded animals' Victoria Cross for RAF service in Afghanistan". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
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    Malvern, Jack (24 February 2010). "Dickin Medal awarded to Treo the bomb-sniffing military labrador". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
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    Alleyne, Richard (21 July 2006). "SAS reports of canine heroics 'just a shaggy dog story'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
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    Stevens, Katrina (June 2002). The German Shepherd Dog: A Comprehensive Guide to Buying, Owning, and Training. Breed Basics. Willow Creek Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-57223-512-0. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
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    Mantellato, Lisa (2008). Getting to Know German Shepherds. Animal Info. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-921537-09-7. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
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