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.
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.
, the Dickin Medal has been awarded 74 times, plus one honorary award made in 2014 to all the animals who served in the First World War.
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.<br/>
|-
! scope="row" | Winkie
| Pigeon
|
| Delivered a message that contributed to the rescue of a ditched aircrew in February 1942.
| style="text-align:center;"|<br/><br/>
|-
! scope="row" | Bob
|
|
| A mongrel, worked on patrol at Green Hill, North Africa; served with the 6th Battalion Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Gustav
| Pigeon
|
| Brought the first message from the Normandy beaches on 6 June 1944.
| style="text-align:center;"|<br/>
|-
! scope="row" | Rip
|
|
| A mongrel, located many victims of the air raids of The Blitz.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Navy Blue
| Pigeon
|
| Although injured, delivered a message from a raiding party in France, June 1944.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Rifleman Khan
|
|
| An Alsatian,<sup>[B]</sup> rescued a soldier from drowning while under heavy shell fire during the assault of Walcheren in November 1944; served with the 6th Battalion Cameronians.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Scotch Lass
| Pigeon
|
| Brought 38 microphotographs across the North Sea from the Netherlands, despite injury, in September 1944.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | NURP.38.BPC.6
| Pigeon
|
| Made three flights in 1941; served with the National Pigeon Service (Special Section).
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Cologne
| Pigeon
|
| Homed from a crashed aircraft over Cologne despite injury in 1943.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Olga
| Horse
|
| Controlled traffic and assisted rescue operations following a flying bomb explosion in Tooting; served with the police.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Tich
|
|
| A mongrel, awarded for courage and devotion between 1941 and 1945; served with the 1st Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Gander
|
|
| A Newfoundland, saved Canadian infantrymen on at least three separate occasions during the Battle of Lye Mun on Hong Kong Island in December 1941; killed in action gathering a grenade.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Apollo
|
|
| A German Shepherd, received the award on behalf of all search-and-rescue dogs who assisted in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2001.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Sam
|
|
| A German Shepherd, brought down an armed man and held back rioters while serving in Bosnia and Herzegovina in April 1998; served with The Royal Canadian Regiment on assignment from the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Buster
|
|
| A Springer Spaniel, located a weapons arsenal in Safwan, Southern Iraq in March 2003; served with the Duke of Wellington's Regiment.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Sadie
|
|
| A Labrador, detected explosive devices, which were subsequently disarmed, while serving in Kabul, Afghanistan, in November 2005; served with the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Treo
|
|
| A Labrador-Spaniel crossbreed, located improvised explosive devices while serving in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in August and September 2008; served with Royal Army Veterinary Corps.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Theo
|
|
| A Springer Spaniel, who located improvised explosive devices while serving in Afghanistan; holds the record for most operational finds by an arms and explosives search dog with 14. Died from an apparent seizure after his handler was killed by enemy fire earlier that day.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Sasha
|
|
| A Labrador who located 15 improvised explosive devices, mortars, mines, and weapons while serving in Afghanistan, with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. In July 2008 Sasha and her handler were killed in a Taliban ambush by a rocket-propelled grenade.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Warrior
| Horse
|
| Honorary award to a First World War warhorse to commemorate the contributions of all animals during the conflict.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Diesel
|
|
| A Belgian Malinois RAID assault dog employed by the French police who was killed by suspected terrorists in the 2015 Saint-Denis raid on 18 November 2015 in Paris.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Lucca
|
|
| A German Shepherd who worked with the United States Marine Corps for six years before losing a leg in an IED explosion.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Sergeant Reckless
| Horse
|
| A Mongolian mare who held rank in the United States Marine Corps in the Korean War. On one day she made 51 solo trips to resupply multiple front line units.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" |Mali
|
|
| A Belgian Malinois who worked with the Special Boat Service in Afghanistan in 2012. During an 8-hour assault against a Taliban position, the dog indicated the locations of enemy combatants, despite being injured three times by grenade explosions.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Chips
|
|
|A Husky crossbreed, for bravery and devotion to duty during the U.S. Army's invasion of Sicily on 10 July 1943.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Kuga
|
|
|A Belgian Malinois, for actions during an Australian Special Operations Task Group patrol in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan. Kuga, who was shot five times during the action, served with the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) from 2008 until his death from wounds in 2012.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Kuno
|
|
|A Belgian Malinois, for courage under fire during a Special Boat Service raid against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. When forces were pinned down by grenade and machine-gun fire, Kuno was sent in wearing night-vision goggles to attack the gunman, and wrestled him to the ground despite being shot in both hind legs. The injuries he sustained required part of one of his hind paws to be amputated, and he received a prosthesis to replace it after his return to Britain.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Leuk
|
|
|A Belgian Malinois of the French Special Forces, for courage and playing a key role during anti-terrorist operations, and for saving the lives of his handler and colleagues.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Hertz
|
|
|A German Shorthaired Pointer of the Royal Air Force Police for detecting electronic equipment during the war in Afghanistan.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Bass
|
|
|A Belgian Malinois of the US Marine Special Operation Command for his life-saving actions during a deployment in Afghanistan in 2019.
| style="text-align:center;"|
|}
- 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.
- 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. The name had been reverted in most countries by 1977 to German Shepherd Dog.
See also
;Animals
- Swansea Jack (1930–1937) – twice decorated by the National Canine Defence League before the introduction of the Dickin Medal
- List of individual dogs
;Honouring animals
- Animals in War Memorial – commemorating the countless animals that have served and died under British military command throughout history
- PDSA Gold Medal – an equivalent of the Dickin Medal for civilian animals
- Purple poppy – a symbol of remembrance in the United Kingdom for animals that served during wartime
- Animals in War & Peace Medal of Bravery – an American award patterned after the Dickin Medal, first awarded in 2019
;Animals in war
- Dogs in warfare – the history and work done by duty dogs
- Horses in warfare – the history and work done by duty horses
;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
;Specific
Further reading
External links
- A documentary about pigeons involved in the Second World War, many of whom won the Dickin Medal
- Images of Beauty, Rip, Jet, Rex and Irma