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Witness History

When Animals Go To War

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.41.6K Ratings

🗓️ 28 December 2018

⏱️ 10 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In December 1943, a British charity created the Dickin Medal to honour the bravery of animals serving in war. The first medals went mainly to pigeons used in World War Two, although dogs and one cat were also among the winners. Simon Watts tells the story of the Dickin Medal using recordings from the BBC archive.

PHOTO: Winkie the Pigeon receives a Dickin Medal in 1943 (Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0

Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know.

0:04.7

My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds.

0:08.5

As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices.

0:18.0

What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars,

0:24.6

poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples.

0:29.7

If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC

0:35.4

Sounds.

0:36.4

Hello and thank you for downloading the podcast of our history program Witness with me Simon Watts.

0:42.4

Today I'm bringing you the story of the

0:44.4

Dickin Medal which was created during World War II in Pet Mad Britain to

0:50.0

honor the role of animals in war.

0:54.0

Human beings are not the only ones to get war medals.

0:57.0

The club enrolls all serving animals and birds,

1:00.0

whether they're engaged on keeping up their unit's morale,

1:02.0

or whether they are hardworking features engaged on keeping up their unit's morale, or whether they're hard-working features engaged on active operations like these pigeons.

1:07.2

In December 1943, a charity in Britain

1:11.0

launched a new medal for animals serving on the front line.

1:15.0

It's called the Dickin Medal and it bears the simple inscription for gallantry we also serve.

1:22.0

This bitch on is Bummerang Bertie, who doesn't only carry one-way messages, but comes back with a reply.

1:27.0

And this is Scruffy.

1:28.0

Yes, she certainly looks it, but so would you if you've been slung out of an aircraft several times.

1:32.0

The first winners of an aircraft several times.

...

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