April 2024 A to Z Challenge

 

            General Jack Seely mounted on his charger, Warrior, with the                     Canadian Cavalry Brigade, painted by Alfred Munnings (1878-1959). This was painted within sight of the enemy, the horse standing on duckboards so that he would not sink in the mud!

 When the General had to attend to other duties, his batman stood in for him, wearing his uniform and happily accepting salutes from soldiers. Soldiers salute the commission, not the man.

                                Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

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.

W

Warrior

Warrior was the war horse of General Jack Seely during the First World War. He had been bred by Jack Seely on the Isle of Wight in 1908. In 1914, he went to war. One hundred years later, in September 1914, he received an honorary posthumous award, as a representative of all the horses that served in the First World War. He was known as the horse the Germans couldn’t kill and certainly had many narrow escapes.  On at least two occasions he was standing next to a horse that was killed under its rider.

Jack Seely said of him, ‘His escapes were quite wonderful. Again and again he survived when death seemed certain and indeed, befell all his neighbours. It was not all hazard; sometimes it was due to his intelligence. I have seen him, even when a shell has burst within a few feet, stand still without a tremor – just turn his head and, unconcerned, look at the smoke of the burst.’

                                    Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

After the war, he returned to the place of his birth and lived with his owner until his death in 1941, when he was 33 years old. There is a statue of Warrior and General Jack Seely at Carisbrooke Castle, on the Isle of Wight.

 

White Vision

                                    Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

White Vision was a female pigeon bred by the Fleming Brothers, in Motherwell, Scotland. She was lent to 190 Squadron RAF, at Sullom Voe in the Shetlands, while serving with the National Pigeon Service.  

In October, 1943, she was aboard a flying boat which ditched in the North Sea close to the Hebrides. The ‘plane’s radio was malfunctioning and appalling weather conditions made it very difficult for other aircraft to search for the seaplane. White Vision flew 60 miles back to her loft in strong headwinds with information about the ‘plane’s location. Thanks to her successful 9-hour flight, searchers knew the area to search and the crew of the seaplane were rescued about 18 hours after they had ditched.

In December, 1943, White Vision became one of the first pigeons to be awarded the Dickin Medal, her citation stating, ‘For delivering a message under exceptionally difficult conditions and so contributing to the rescue of an aircrew while serving with the RAF in October 1943.’

William of Orange

                                        Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

William of Orange was bred in Knutsford, Cheshire, by Sir William Proctor Smith and trained by the Army Pigeon Service of the Royal Corps of Signals. He flew 250 miles from the Arnhem Airborne Operation in September 1944, where battle conditions were extremely difficult. The troops were surrounded by enemy forces and their radio sets were inoperative. Many pigeons were released and William of Orange was one of the few, and the fastest, to make it safely back to UK. He completed his flight in almost 4½ hours at an average speed of 62 mph.

His actions saved more than 2000 soldiers.

His citation in May, 1945, read, ‘For delivering a message from the Arnhem Airborne Operation in record time for any single pigeon, while serving with the APS in September 1944.’

Sir William Proctor Smith paid £185 for his pigeon’s military discharge, the current day equivalent of £10,006. According to his breeder/owner, in the ensuing years, William of Orange became ‘the grandfather of many outstanding racing pigeons.’

 

Winkie  ?-1953

Winkie with the crew she rescued.
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Winkie was a blue chequered hen hatched in Whitburn, West Lothian, Scotland. She was bred by A R Colley and owned by George Ross. 

She was aboard a four-crew bomber in February, 1942, when it was badly damaged by enemy fire on its way back from Norway and crashed into the freezing waters of the North Sea. There was no time to radio details of the location, so Winkie was released and flew 120 miles home to her loft, in abysmal weather. She arrived exhausted, her feathers coated in oil from the crashed bomber, which impeded her speed. The RAF quickly estimated where the stricken ‘plane had come down and a rescue was successfully completed.

The grateful crew later held a dinner in Winkie’s honour, toasting her for her very significant part in their rescue.

Winkie’s DM was presented in December, 1943, with the citation,‘For delivering a message under exceptionally difficult conditions and so contributing to the rescue of an aircrew while serving with the RAF in February 1942.’

Winkie died in 1953 and is on display with her DM in The McManus, Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum. A statue of her was unveiled in Dundee in 2023.