happy fourth of july!

(Oh lovely, Blogger's not letting anyone post images today.)

Celebrate well and remember to look out for your furry friends and family when the booms start coming!  Meanwhile, in appreciation for our armed forces who served, including the four footed, I bring you this link from the U.S. Coast Guard of the brave mascots that followed their crews to war.
You'll meet:
 - Pete the Pooch, Able Seaman (Seadog?)
 - Tarawa and Kodiak, the cat and dog at loggerheads: who will win ascendancy of the LST?
 - Bozo, who landed in the brig for conduct unbecoming a mascot (= he chewed the captain's shoes; no fear, he got bailed out).
 - and many more!

a horse enlists, 1918

thanks thegraphicsfairy.com

From the WWI era (note reference to the Hun - it's a derogatory term for Germans):  a horse does his bit in this heartfelt poem..

ENLISTED
Rebecca N. Porter

I hadn't been troubled about the war,
For under the kind blue skies
I was happy, and free to roam the fields
As the vagrant butterflies.
But all in a day, the clouds grew gray
And darkened my Paradise,
For “The One Whom I Loved The Best” embarked
On the voyage of sacrifice.

And no one explained, and no one came
Through the darkness to comfort me,
And my life grew chill, and my heart grew hot
With a speechless misery.
I cannot tell how my shackles fell,
But God must have heard my prayer,
And I too traveled the watery trail
To join the boys over there.

They say that some men dread to come,
Though all that they hold most dear
Is at stake on the altar of No-Man's-Land,
'Twixt the Hun and free-born here.
'Tis enough for me, that the One I Would See
Is “somewhere among this force,”
And together we fight with a God who heard
The prayer of a little brown horse.

from Animals. [Boston: Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals]. Vol 51 No. 1 (June 1918), p. 12.

"jack overseas, dog of the bass drum"

"You may have heard of Jack, the little dog of the United States Artillery that chased General Pershing’s horse and made our great American commander take a short, unintentional ride one review day in France."

No, actually I hadn't - and if any friend of the Museum knows a little more about him, I'm all ears!  I have not been able to track anything about this little WWI hero who was secreted in a ship's bass drum all the way to Liverpool.  His story began in Mexico in 1916, where he was adopted as a puppy by US soldiers looking for Pancho Villa.  The regiment took their new friend to Fort Myer in Virginia that year (which is how I deduce this must have been the 12th Field Artillery Regiment), and then smuggled him aboard their ship transport to France:
* * *
How to get one little dog across the sea was an absorbing question with Jack’s friends, until some one suggested putting him into a bass drum. So into the bass drum went the little dog, with orders to keep still.
On the day of embarkation many a young soldier kept his spirits up by the thought of Jack hiding in the bass drum, when he might have been sadly depressed, thinking of loved ones he was leaving behind and might never see again.
Like a good soldier, Jack obeyed orders without asking questions. He may have heard the captain in charge of his battery solemnly tell the ship’s officers that no animals had come on board with the men of his command. . . At last the ship’s officers found out that there was a dog on board their ship. They searched for the little fellow and, before the voyage was ended, Jack had tried all the hiding places known to stowaways of his family. Ship’s officers and sailors were continually saying, “Where is that dog?” But they never found him. When eleven or twelve hundred American soldiers are united in their determination to hide the regimental dog, that pet is not likely to be caught.

* * *
By the time he chased Black Jack Pershing's horse, Jack the dog's position was unassailable, luckily for him.
 -  The whole story can be found in Fox, F. Margaret. (1927). Uncle Sam's animals: by Frances Margaret Fox. New York: The Century Co 141-7.

private jim kensill, 1865

On Memorial Day, as we appreciate the bravery and sacrifice of our armed forces, here at The Pet Museum we think with love of those other soldiers who served.  Here's a selection from the (happy!) story of Civil War serviceman Jim Kensill who "by occupation" was a rat terrier.
* * *
Our own regiment possessed a pet of great value and high esteem in Little Jim, of whom some incidental mention has already been made. As Little Jim enlisted with the regiment, and was honorably mustered out of the service with it at the close of the war, after three years of as faithful service as so little a creature as he could render the flag of his country, some brief account of him here may not be out of place.
Little Jim, then, was a small rat terrier, of fine blooded stock, his immediate maternal ancestor having won a silver collar in a celebrated rat pit in Philadelphia. Late in 1859, while yet a pup, he was given by a sailor friend to John C. Kensill, with whom he was mustered into the United States service “for three years, or during the war,” on Market Street, Philadelphia, Pa., late in August, 1862. Around his neck was a silver collar with the inscription, “ Jim Kensill, Co. F, 150th P. V.”

* * *

We learn of Little Jim's bravery in the face of hardship and camp life, and then this good soldier gets his reward:
* * *
His master having been honorably discharged before the close of the war because of wounds, Jim was left with the regiment in care of Wiggins, the wagoner. When the regiment was mustered out of service at the end of the war, Little Jim was mustered out too. He stood up in rank with the boys and wagged his tail for joy that peace had come and that we were all going home. I understand that his discharge papers were regularly made out, the same as those of the men, and that they read somewhat as follows: —

To ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN; Know ye that Jim Kensill, Private, Company F, 150th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, who was enrolled on the twentysecond day of August, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Sixty-two, to serve three years, or during the war, is hereby DISCHARGED from the service of the United States, this twenty-third day of June, 1865, at Elmira, New York, by direction of the Secretary of War.
(No objection to his being reenlisted is known to exist.)
Said Jim Kensill was born in Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, is six years of age, six inches high, dark complexion, black eyes, black and tan hair, and by occupation, when enrolled, a Rat Terrier. Given at Elmira New York, this twenty~third day of June, 1865. JAMES R. REID, Capt. Tenth U. S. Infantry, A. C. M.

Before parting with him, the boys bought him a silver collar, which they had suitably inscribed with his name, regiment, and the principal engagements in which he had participated. This collar, which he had honorably earned in the service of his country in war, he proudly wore in peace to the day of his death.

 - Harry M. Kieffer, in The Children's Hour: The Out-of-Door Book, Eva March Tappan, ed. (Houghton,Mifflin & Co., 1907), 25-30.

memorial day: those who also served

Bain collection, Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ggbain-19163

I'll go back to our Australian pioneer friend tomorrow, but today I want to thank all those who served.  That includes those who walked into war zones on four legs instead of two, such as this canine medic providing supplies in WWI.  The caption at right, "Bandages from kit of British Dog."

animals of wwi: jackie the baboon

Friend of the Museum Laura Del Col Brown has published the latest in her series of "Animals of World War I."  This time we'll hear the story of Jackie the baboon, who became part of the Third South African Infantry Transvaal Regiment.  I have to warn you that it's sad, but a worthy look at what happens when we expect the wrong thing from animals.  Here's the story.

animals of wwi part 8 - get ready to be surprised!

This morning I'm just going to send you over to the latest in my friend Laura Del Col Brown's "Animals of WWI" series.  If I say too much, I might give away which critter you'll meet this time - and it's so random I refuse to spoil it. Go and read!

more cats of wwi

thanks wikimedia commons (PD: US)

I'm cheating with the image - that's Pooli up there, a war veteran of WWII, celebrating her 15th birthday on 1959.  She served on an attack transport and earned four battle stars.
Now for WWI:  Jane G C, the human belonging to late and much-loved blog friend Whicky Whuudler, sent along a link full of excellent photos.  Some you'll have seen before, but I'll bet you haven't seen Ching of the HMAS Swan shaking hands with a sailor, or Pincher of the HMS Vindex parked on a very early seaplane.
Those and many more are here.  Enjoy!

the animals of wwi - #4 in the series

Somewhere in the mix and slaughter of Gallipoli, there was a soldier named Simpson and his donkey. Together they helped transport wounded soldiers to safety.  That much is true, and became the genesis of a much bigger story in which Simpson and his friend became folk heroes of a sort.  Here's the rest of the story, from the next in the series by Museum friend Laura Brown.

let's celebrate four footed soldiers today too

Air Raid Precautions Dog at work in Poplar, London, England, 1941
Air Raid Precautions dog 'Rip' sits on top of a pile of brick rubble and timber, following an air raid in Poplar, London.
thanks wikimedia commons PD-scan

Chips raided a sniper nest in Sicily and was supposed to get two medals.
Smoky was a Yorkie who dragged a telecommunications cable through a 60-foot tunnel.
Nemo protected his handler with his own wounded body till they were both rescued (and made full recoveries).
Those are just three of the heroes whose photos you'll see in this great article forwarded to me by Museum friend Krista J. Be sure and clink the link at the bottom for another well-illustrated article on dog soldiers.

memorial day post: "hello and goodbye"

thanks wikimedia commons (PD-scan)

The caption for this photo from the British Ministry of Information's Second World War Official Collection:

British Railways at War - Hello and Goodbye - Transport and Travel in Wartime, UK, 1944

In the original extended caption, the woman is noted as a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) and the dog as the unit mascot.  They're waiting for a train - to go out and serve?  To go home?  Let's hope the latter, and let's extend that hope to all our fellows in the service, man, woman and animal.

Does the ATS sound familiar for some reason?  Probably because Princess Elizabeth served in it during WWII.  Here's a clip of her there.

winnipeg the pooh

thanks vintage-printable.com. 

The baby bear above is no relation to today's story, but he's winsome and helpless and helps set the stage.
"Winnipeg" was the original name of the orphaned cub purchased by Canadian soldier Lieutenant Harry Colebourne, a military veterinarian, before embarking for service in England.  Her life turned out to be a pretty happy one all things considered, and her memory lives on to this day for children everywhere. How? You'll want to read the latest article on the "Animals of the Great War" by Museum friend Laura Brown to find out.

the animals of wwi - #3 in the series by laura brown

library of congress pan 6a33974 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pan.6a33974

(Military horses on parade, July 4 1918.  Click here to see the photo at the original Library of Congress page, and much bigger!)
Museum friend Laura Brown has published #3 in her series on the animals of World War I.  This month she examines the huge role horses played in that war.  Do you think you know the whole story?  Bet you don't, and I think you will be surprised.  (Also sorry.  War is hell.)  Please read Laura's excellent article here.

a ship's pig

. . . The ship that can claim an unusual pet is the envy of the Fleet.  Such a pet was Cronje of the cruiser Atlanta when she was stationed on the South Atlantic Station. It was at the time of the Boer War, in which General Cronje was a leading Boer general. So, when a Brazilian wild boar, or peccary, was added to the complement of the Atlanta, he was promptly christened Cronje. Cronje adapted himself to shipboard life as though he had always been a sailor instead of a denizen of a South American jungle.
If by any chance a member of the pig family could be called good-looking, then Cronje was a handsome pig. His nose fairly quivered with the joy of life at sea, his feet were daintily formed, and his coat was sleek from the care it received daily. Cronje loved to poke his nose, which was shaped, of course, somewhat like a pansy, into everything. But most of all he took pleasure in sticking it into a can of the brick-red paste used to clean the brasses on board the cruiser. The crew firmly believed that Cronje had been the beau of his jungle, and thought it was pig rouge. . .

 Orton Porter Jackson and Frank Edgar Evans, The Marvel Book of American Ships (New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1917), pp. 331-2.  I tried my hardest to find a photo of this marvelous pig, but no luck yet!

the animals of wwi - series by l brown

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/matpc.20063 -Beersheba, inspection of Camel Corps by H.E. (i.e., His Excellency) Sir Harold McMichael. Camels on the march

Longtime friend of the Museum Laura Brown (here's her excellent blog, A Number of Things) shared with me the first of a series she's writing for Barnfield House Veterinary Centre.  The series, titled WWI The Great War and Animals, begins by introducing us to The Camel Corps.  Did you know there was a Camel Corps?  Me neither.  Laura is a thoughtful and very readable writer; you'll enjoy this series.