A to Z Challenge 2024

 

A to Z Challenge 2024

This year my blog posts for the April 2024 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.

I

Irma

                                Irma, wearing her Dickin Medal

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Irma was a German Shepherd, born in the Crumstone kennels at Goring-on-Thames, in Oxfordshire. She was bred by Margaret Griffin, but I can find no record of her birth and death.

In the first instance, Crumstone Irma was trained to deliver messages when telephone lines were down. Margaret Griffin trained Irma and her kennel mate, Crumstone Psyche, as messenger dogs, but later they both underwent training to become Search and Rescue dogs. They worked with Mrs Griffin in London’s Civil Defence Services during the Blitz, searching collapsed buildings for victims buried underneath the debris. Irma and Psyche together found 233 people, 21 of whom were still alive.

Known as ‘the Blitz Dog’, Irma was particularly skilled in her work, her body language indicating the condition of casualties before they were uncovered. If she laid her ears back and whined, it was almost certain that the victim was dead. Otherwise, she would become very excited, trying to dig through the rubble.

She also had different barks, depending on whether the casualties were dead or alive. On one occasion, she barked her ‘alive’ signal. When the injured person was dug out, he appeared to be dead, but came to a short while later.

Irma was determined, refusing to abandon the site of a fallen building for two days. Eventually, two girls were brought out alive. She was credited with definitely saving 17 lives.

In 1945, Irma received the Dickin Medal for gallantry, ‘For being responsible for the rescue of persons trapped under blitzed buildings while serving with the Civil Defences of London.’ She took part in the Victory Celebration in Pall Mall, London, in June 1946, one of only two dogs on parade, the other being, Jet, of whom more anon.

After the war she worked in Gloucester as a demonstration dog in the War Dog School, later the RAF Police Dog Training School. Margaret Griffin was awarded the BEM (British Empire Medal) for her war work in training Search and Rescue dogs and handling them on rescue missions.

        Margaret Griffin, Irma and Psyche in 1950, with two of the                                     children they rescued.

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The following are extracts from Margaret Griffin’s diary.

11 and 12.11.1944. Rocket at Shooter’s Hill. 20.05 hrs. Public House, Ambulance Depot and 2 offices. Put Irma on right away. Frightful mess. Most of the casualties known to be in bar and billiard room of Pub but a few “unknowns” had to be located. Irma gave strong indication to right of debris… Digging proceeded here and after 2 hours the bodies of 2 women were recovered in the exact position, under approximately 7 feet of debris below the dog’s indication.

21.11.1944 – Rocket on Walthamstowe (sic), 12.30 hrs. Arrived on site 13.30 hrs. Four houses completely demolished, about twelve badly knocked about. Things were made no easier by water pipes burst in all directions and a bad gas leak under the debris. A smashed meter was pouring gas into the rubble. Worked Irma. In spite of the stench of gas, she indicated at a point at the back of the debris. From the front of the building, she and I went right under the floors crawling on our stomachs in water. She lay down here when we reached a point approximately dead below the spot where she had indicated. Below this the bodies of a woman and two children were buried 4ft under fine rubble and dust.

20.1.1945 – Call to Osborne Road, Tottenham at 21:00 hrs. In house No.1 Irma found two live casualties. In No.2 Irma again gave good indication just to one side of a fairly large and fierce fire burning through collapsed house debris. Thick smoke rising here. Family of five found. In No.3 a strong indication from Irma over the debris. Rescue found a live cat.

  Irma was buried at the PDSA cemetery in Ilford, Essex.