Theo
Image source
This year my blog posts for the April
2024 A to Z Challenge will be about the recipients of
the Dickin Medal, which you can read about here. They are in alphabetical, not chronological order, within
the different letters.
T
Theo 2009-2011
Theo was a black and white Springer
Spaniel given to the Royal Army Veterinary Corps and trained as an explosives
detection dog. He was assigned to his handler, Lance Corporal Liam Tasker, in
2010. Liam Tasker had originally enlisted in the Royal Electrical and
Mechanical Engineers (REME) in 2001, but had transferred to the RAVC in 2007.
In Afghanistan, Theo and L/Cpl Tasker
worked with several companies of the 2nd Battalion, Parachute
Regiment, impressing everyone with their effectiveness as they advanced ahead
of daily patrols, seeking out weapons and IEDs. In five months, the partnership
detected fourteen roadside bombs and caches of weapons, saving many lives
through their actions. In addition, they
uncovered stores of chemicals and individual components for bomb making.
2 Para gave Theo their greatest recognition, his own ‘Para
wings’, which Liam Tasker sewed onto his harness. The troops said, ‘He’s one of
us.’
Theo with L/Cpl Liam TaskerImage source
The partnership was so successful that
their period of deployment was extended. On 1st March, 2011,
Theo and Liam Tasker were on patrol when a Taliban sniper’s bullet killed the
young man. Hours later, Theo died during a seizure. The autopsy did not reveal
any obvious cause of death and the assumption was made that he had died of a
broken heart after the shock of seeing his master killed.
Liam Tasker was mentioned in Despatches
and his faithful dog was awarded the DM posthumously in October, 2012, ‘For outstanding gallantry and
devotion to duty while deployed with 104 Military Working Dog (MWD) Squadron
during conflict in Afghanistan September 2010 to March 2011’.
Liam Tasker was 26 when he died and
Theo was 22 months old. Their ashes were repatriated to the UK and the pair
were buried together.
Thorn
Thorn, wearing his Dickin Medal in March, 1945Image source
In March, 1945, Thorn received his
Dickin Medal, ‘For locating air-raid
casualties in spite of thick smoke in a burning building.’
Thorn was a German Shepherd, distantly related to
another DM holder, Irma. He trained with the Ministry of Aircraft Production
School (Is this MAP, which I could not identify earlier?)
His handler was Mr Russell and Thorn was such an
excellent pupil that he was used to teach other dogs how to conduct a mountain
rescue, detect mines and lead people to safety from burning buildings. He then
worked with the PDSA Rescue Squads. He worked with Jet (DM) on one occasion,
the pair detecting 25 people buried in South London.
When he was called to a burning building, the
aftermath of a bomb explosion in 1944, Thorn and Mr Russell willingly went in
to the heat and smoke to search and found several people. For this action, Mr
Russell received the BEM and Thorn the Dickin Medal in April, 1945.
After the war, Thorn had a brief film career,
earning him £75 per film (£4,056:69).
Tich 1940(?)-1959
Tich with (?) Rifleman Thomas WalkerImage source
In 1941, during the Western Desert Campaign,
soldiers of 1st Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps found a small,
black mongrel bitch and adopted her. They called her ‘The Desert Rat’ and named
her Tich and she became their mascot. In 1943, her care passed to Rifleman
Thomas Walker, a battlefield medic. She was always to be seen with him, riding
on the bonnet of a jeep or a Bren gun carrier.
When the battalion was sent to Italy by sea, she was
smuggled aboard the ship, where she gave birth to puppies. While in Italy,
Rifleman Walker earned the Military Medal for valour when rescuing or treating
injured soldiers while under fire. At all times, Tich remained by his side,
despite being wounded several times.
The Commanding Officer of 1 KRRC, Lieutenant-Colonel
E.A.W. Williams recommended Tich for the Dickin Medal, saying, ‘Her courage and devotion to duty were of very real and
considerable value and her courageous example materially helped many men to
keep their heads and sense of proportion in times of extreme danger. The sight
of her put heart in the men as she habitually rode on the bonnet of her master’s
jeep and refused to leave her post even when bringing in wounded under heavy
fire.’
When the war ended, Tich accompanied her master to
his home in Newcastle, where they took part in events to raise money for the
PDSA. She died in 1959 and lies buried in the PDSA Animal Cemetery in Ilford.
Her Dickin Medal citation reads, ‘For loyalty,
courage and devotion to duty under hazardous conditions of war, 1941 to 1945,
while serving with the 1st King’s Rifle Corps in North Africa and
Italy.’
Tich's grave in IlfordImage courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Tommy
Tommy, wearing his DM, 1946
Image source
Tommy was bred by William Brockbank of Dalton in
Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. He was taking part in a race from Christchurch, Dorset,
when he was blown off course in a storm, landing in occupied Holland. He was
rescued by a Dutchman, sympathetic to the Allies, who gave him to a Dutch
resistance worker, Dick Drijver. Mr Drijver nursed the bird back to health and
named him Tommy. He knew from his leg ring that the bird had come from England
and he sent him back with a message attached with details of armaments being
manufactured at a factory in Amsterdam.
Tommy’s wing was hit by gunfire but he managed to
fly on, reaching his home loft on 19th August, 1942. Mr Brockbank
gave the message to the police, and the Antwerp factory was subsequently
destroyed. The Air Ministry told him that Tommy was to receive the Dickin Medal
and in 1946, the Brockbank family and Mr Drijver attended the presentation.
Tommy’s DM citation was worded, ‘For delivering a
valuable message from Holland to Lancashire under difficult conditions, while
serving with the NPS in July 1942.’
All the racing pigeons in the Netherlands had been
destroyed by the Germans to prevent intelligence reaching UK. Mr Drijver was
presented with a pair of pedigree pigeons, just two of the 2,000 birds given to
the Dutch nation after the war, to help them regenerate their stock of racing
pigeons.
For his part, Mr Brockbank prepared an exhibition
about Tommy and the money raised purchased a field which was used to build a
children’s playground.
Treo c.2001-2015
Treo at workImage source
Treo was a cross-bred black Labrador/English
Springer Spaniel. His owners found him difficult to handle, with his
inclination to growl and snap at people, so they gave him to the Army. He was trained
at the Defence Animal Centre before being sent to Northern Ireland for three
years. When his first handler retired from the Army, Treo was assigned to
Sergeant Dave Heyhoe.
Sgt Heyhoe and Treo were posted to Helmand Province,
Afghanistan in 2008. On 1st August of that year, Treo uncovered a
daisy chain at the side of a road. A daisy chain is a series of explosive
devices wired together. A month later, Treo detected another daisy chain. His
clever nose saved the lives of many troops and civilians and his success was
noted by the enemy. Intercepted messages referred to ‘the black dog.’
In 2009, Treo retired from active service and went
home to live with Dave Heyhoe. His DM ceremony took place in February 2010. I
can find no record of the citation.
Treo died in October 2015 and was buried with a
Union Jack and his DM. A statue commemorating him was unveiled in Congleton in
October 2017.
Treo with his DMImage source
Tyke
Image source
Tyke, who was also known as George, was the
offspring of British and South African birds, and was hatched in Cairo. In June
1943, he was aboard an American bomber which was shot down. He was launched
with a message conveying the position of the downed aircraft and flew more than
100 miles in poor visibility to deliver it.
Tyke was awarded the Dickin Medal in December, 1943,
‘For delivering a message under exceptionally
difficult conditions and so contributing to the rescue of an Air Crew, while
serving with the RAF in the Mediterranean in June, 1943.’ He was one of
the first pigeons to receive the award.
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