Good Dogs Canada

Archive for the ‘World War 11 Mascots-Veterans' stories’ Category

Thanks to Susan Henderson, Fergus, Ontario

When I read your request for stories in the Canadian Legion magazine I was happy. I have a story about an Irish Wolfhound. This photograph was published by the Star Weekly, Toronto, on October 28,  1939.                                                          

Before the war started, my father raised this and other Wolfhounds to show and breed. My dad was 17 years old in this picture. When my grandfather realized that he and his three sons were going to war, he sold and gave away his horses and his dogs. Read the rest of this entry »

It was in defence of Hong Kong in 1941 that Canadian soldiers were first committed to battle during the Second World War.

Inadequately trained, improperly armed, and numerically overwhelmed, they fought with what they had the most of, courage. Sacrificed through political and military ignorance, they were forced to endure torture, forced labour of the cruelest kind, inadequate food, and shortage of medical supplies for more than three and a half years, leaving many of those that did survive captivity to suffer physical and emotional problems that lasted throughout their lives. Canadian history has perhaps not been kind or reflective of the true events that befell the Hong Kong regiments. It is fitting that their fight and sacrifice should be brought to significant prominence by the regiment’s mascot, Gander, who, sixty years after this dreadful time, was awarded the Dickin Medal, the “animals’ Victoria Cross’.

Gander and some of his soldiers

As tension in the Pacific grew, the vulnerability of the outpost of Hong Kong, then a British colony, became more and more apparent. It was recognized that in the event of a war with Japan, Hong Kong could be taken over and must be held as long as possible. This decision was reversed late in 1941 when it was argued that the situation in Asia had altered, that the defences in Malaya had been improved, and that Japan was showing a certain weakness in her attitude towards the United States and Great Britain. The reinforcement of Hong Kong would, it was believed, serve as a deterrent to hostile action by Japan, and would also have an important moral effect throughout the Far East by reassuring the Chinese of the intention to hold the colony. Accordingly, Canada was asked to provide one or two battalions for the purpose.

The battalions chosen to represent Canada in Hong Kong to deter a Japanese attack were the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers. By mid-December, the garrison of Hong Kong was making a hopeless stand against an overwhelming Japanese invasion from the Chinese mainland. The survivors of the two regiments surrendered on Christmas Day. Read the rest of this entry »

“I can tell you about a dog called Vino, a totally inscrutable creature who drifted into our lines north of Ortona in the winter of 1943″

As Farley describes vividly in his book AND NO BIRDS SANG about his military service in WW11 and especially in the Italian campaign, the Battle of Ortona was fought between December 20-28, 1943. It was a small but extremely fierce battle between German paratroopers and assaulting Canadian forces from the 1st Canadian Infantry Division. Sometimes called ‘Little Stalingrad’ for the in-your-face level of sustained combat, the Battle of Ortona and “Bloody December” is a beacon for bravery in the annals of Canadian military history.

“Vino attached himself to one of the platoons and they fed and looked after him; he responded by being a very good soldier’s dog. Then somebody noticed that he wore a peculiar collar. They took it off and discovered when they split it open that it contaned a very detailed but tiny map of the German artillery postions on the opposite side of the river where we were positioned.

Our own artillery was called in and did a considerable amount of damage to the German guns opposite us. Nobody ever leared how this information came to be in Vino’s collar but it was assumed it was placed there by one of the battalion partisans and that Vino was then sent across the lines to take it to us. Whatever the background of the story, there is no doubt that he served us very well and as a result he was treated as a hero within the Company for the rest of this life. Unfortunately, it was short. The truck he was riding in went over a landmine about a month later and everybody in it, including Vino, was killed. So there’s your story, as far as it goes.”

Mr. Ray Perry of St. Catherines, Ontario, a veteran member of the Algonquin Regiment of Canada, (motto: we lead, others follow) wrote to me about Mike, their regimental mascot.

“During WW11, the Algonquin Regiment was used mainly as shock troops to lead the advance in breaking the force of enemy resistance. Whle the Regiment was training for its overseas mission at Camp Border, Port Aurther, Shilo, and in Newfoundland, the soldiers were accompagnied by their mascot, Mike.

Mike was an enormous St. Bernard. Originally purchased by the men of ‘A’ Company in Huntsville, Ontario, as their mascot, Mike quickly graduated to a senior role and became Sargeant Michael Cassidy. He became a mainstay in the regiment’s parades in Canada.

The Algonquin Regiment, with Sgt. Mike and a complement of 4,500 troops, left Halifax Harbour on the Empress of Scotland in June, 1943. On arriving in Liverpool, the regiment proceeded to Heathfield and was made part of the 10th Infantry Brigade of the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division. Mike was so completely identified with the unity that his loss was very real when he died suddenly after only two weeks out of the British quaranteen kennels in January 1944. The cause of death was diagnosed as pneumonia, likely complicated by the rather damp surroundings.”

The Algonquin Regiment went on to take part in the fighting throughout Belgium, Holland, and Germany and fought bravely in the Normandy Invasion in France in July 1944.

This is the story of Salty, a white Maltese Terrier. His place of birth was Saskatchewan. He became our ship’s mascot in December, 1943. He arrived in the pocket of Lt. MacDonald.

Our ship, H.M.C.S. Blairmore, a Bangor class minesweeper, was being refitted in Cornerbrook, Newfoundland, at the time. To cut a long story short, he was with us when we arrived in England, February, 1944.

We lost Salty when he jumped off the stern. At this time, three battleships had moved into position to shell the coast, and I believe the concussions from the 16 inch guns were too much for Salty.

We could not make any efforts to save him as we had our sweeping gear in play. Also at this time, hundreds of troops were heading for shore in landing crafts. The date was June 6, 1944, and he was our only casualty of D-Day. We all hoped that maybe he was rescued by a landing craft, which we doubted very much, or that he made it ashore and found a nice French Poodle.”