In Canada, November is a time to remember the brave soldiers who gave their lives in the First World War. Their stories teach us about sacrifice and duty and speak to the bravery of humans in wartimes. Additionally, there are many other stories that can speak to the heroic acts and bravery of animals in wartimes. Thousands of animals have served in militaries all over the world, while their stories are not always well-known, they are remembered. Here are three furry friends and the stories of their times on the frontlines.
Sergeant Billy
At the start of the First World War, the Canadian soldiers of the 5th Infantry Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force were traveling through Broadview, Saskatchewan, where they encountered a young girl with her goat, Billy. Believing him to be a good luck charm, the young girl, Daisy Curwain, gave the soldiers her permission to take Billy with them to Valcartier Camp, in Quebec. It was during this summer that Billy not only became a cherished mascot for the battalion, but also a recognized soldier (complete with the title of Private Bill!). He trained with the soldiers, pushing them forward and boosting morale until it came time for the troops to make their journey overseas. Unfortunately, mascots were not permitted to go to the front lines, meaning Billy would have to remain in Canada. The soldiers, however, had a different plan. They smuggled their beloved mascot onto their ship and then again to the front lines in a wooden crate. While the troops’ colonel was none too happy to have the farm animal onsite, Billy proved his worth multiple times throughout his service. In one act of heroism, Billy head-butted three Canadian soldiers out of the way before a shell exploded right where they had been standing. In another, he cornered three enemy guardsmen at Ypres. These actions resulted in his promotion to Sergeant Bill. Billy’s value was not only in his heroic actions, though. His moral boosting abilities were needed more than ever by the homesick soldiers who took comfort in his presence. That is not to say that Billy wasn’t above discipline. The goat was imprisoned at one point for treason after eating very important and secret documents. Fortunately, all was forgiven once the colonel realized how important Billy was to the soldier’s mental well-being.
Billy returned to Canada in 1919, a decorated war hero with three medals, where he lived out the rest of his days with Daisy on the Saskatchewan plains.
Simon
During wartime, cats were highly valued on warships for their rat-catching abilities and many felines were brought aboard ships to fight against rodents who would spread diseases and infest the crew’s rations. In 1948, a black and white cat named Simon was brought aboard HMS Amethyst by George Hickinbottom. By October of that same year, he had become the adoring mascot of the ship and its crew. The affection towards the feline is represented by Lieutenant-Commander Bernard Skinner, who upon taking command of the HMS Amethyst, also took a great liking to Simon. Commander Skinner granted Simon many additional privileges, including unrestricted access to most areas of the ship and the permission to sleep in the commander's cap.
Also at this time, China was in the midst of a civil war between the communist insurgents of Mao Tse Tung’s People’s Liberation Army and the ruling nationalist (or Kuomintang) Party of Chiang Kai-shek. The HMS Amethyst was sent to protect the British people on the Yangzte River. While sailing to its destination in April 1947, however, the ship fell under enemy fire and was stranded. During the attack, Simon, unfortunately, was wounded by a Chinese shell blasting a hole in a nearby bulkhead. Four shrapnel hit his back legs, his face was burned and whiskers and eyebrows singed. The doctor on board was able to remove the shrapnel, but Simon was still very weak. While recovering, Simon was instrumental in the recovery of his fellow seamen in the sickbay. He would sit on the crew’s bunks and knead his paws and purr while tending to his own wounds, which helped the sailors relate to him and boosted their morale. The HMS Amethyst was stranded for over three months, during which time rats began to breed rapidly and infest the ship. Despite his injuries, though, Simon still rose to the challenge of hunting the vermin and managed to significantly diminish the issue within two months.
After 101 days, the crew managed to escape and return safely to Hong Kong where Simon was met with fame for his actions. Simon’s bravery and strength was rewarded with multiple medals, including the Amethyst Campaign Medal, A Blue Cross Medal for animal bravery and Heroism, the Naval General Service Medal, and the extremely prestigious Dickin Medal, the highest award any animal can receive whilst serving in military conflict (It is recognized worldwide as the animal’s Victoria Cross).
Unfortunately, Simon's heart was too weak after his ordeal and he passed away in November 1949. He was buried by the Amethyst crew with full Naval honours, in a pet cemetery near London, England.
Unsinkable Sam
In 1939, a black and white cat was brought aboard Bismarck, a battleship built for Nazi Germany’s Kriegsmarine. It was here that the furry feline started the first third of his naval career (yes...catching rats). Bismarck launched in February 1939 and two years later met the HMS Prince of Wales, a British battleship, in battle where it was badly damaged and eventually sank. The cat was later found by the homeward-bound British destroyed, the HMS Cossack, floating on a board in the water. He was picked up and given the name ‘Oscar’, after the International Code of Signals flag called Oscar which denotes “man overboard”.
Cat: 1, Battleships: 0.
The second third of Oscar’s naval career was spent aboard HMS Cossack (yes...again with the rats). This ship was responsible for carrying out convoy escort duties in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic until October 1941 when it was sunk to the west of Gibraltar. Once again, Oscar was found clinging to a floating board, where he was rescued and brought to land. It was at this time that his name was changed to ‘Unsinkable Sam’.
Cat: 2, Battleships: 0.
A little while later, HMS Ark Royal was sent out. This ship was ironically instrumental in sinking the Bismarck and had gained the reputation of a ‘lucky ship’ after surviving several near misses at sea...Enter Oscar. The fortunate feline (sort of), was now starting the final third of his naval career aboard the ship. Unfortunately, his time aboard was short-lived as the ship was torpedoed and sunk by a U-boat in November 1941. For a third time, Oscar was found floating an a plank in the water, his rescuers describing him as “angry, but quite unharmed.”
Cat: 3, Battleships: 0.
It was at this point that Oscar was finally relieved of his naval duties and transferred to the mainland where he spent the next years of his life hunting mice in the building of the Governor General of Gibraltar. His final days were spent in a home for sailors in Belfast UK.
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Animals have always held a special spot in our hearts, whether they are our own pets or animals from the stories we hear. They have proven time and time again their worth in the most difficult of times and have shown us their value as morale boosters, brave fighters, and kind friends. While their stories are not always the most well-known, they are still worth remembering.
