The Heroism of Homing Pigeons
“Winkie was a wartime hero. In 1943, she was the first-ever
recipient of the Dickin Medal for ‘outstanding acts of gallantry & devotion
to duty,’ specifically for ‘delivering a message under exceptional
difficulties.’ What made this medal presentation unique was that Winkie was a
pigeon! The Dickin Medal is named after Maria Dickin, founder of the British
animal welfare organization called The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals…
What did Winkie do to
deserve this honor? She saved the lives of the crew of a Royal Air Force (RAF)
bomber that had been hit by enemy fire on a mission over Norway & crashed
into the sea while attempting a return to England…The planes carried homing
pigeons to be released with a message that they would then carry back to their
home nests. Not exactly a novel idea. Both the ancient Romans & Greeks made use of carrier pigeons, with the Romans
sending messages about chariot races & the Greeks reporting the result of
the Olympics. These are remarkable birds that can fly hundreds of miles back to
the lofts where they were raised…
When the British plane
went down, the pilot sent a radio message about ditching into the North Sea but
could not give the location. The crew did manage to release Winkie before
hitting the ice-cold water, although they were unable to attach a message. The
pigeon flew home & the RAF, knowing the time the plane went down & the
speed of the pigeon’s flight, managed to calculate the position of the downed
aircraft & rescued the crew.
Winkie was not the only
wartime pigeon hero. GI Joe was an American bird that saved more than 1,000
lives in 1943 when it delivered a message that a village about to be bombed had
been recaptured by the British. Joe also received the Dickin Medal. Then there
was Pigeon Paddy, an Irish carrier pigeon awarded the medal for bravery after
being the fastest pigeon to arrive back in England with news of the success of
the D-day invasion.
During the Second World
War, there were more than 56,000 carrier pigeons trained for military missions.
Some of these birds were attached to paratroopers, literally. Once they landed behind
enemy lines they would release the birds with important messages inserted in
little capsules attached to their legs. Carrying the carrier pigeons during a
jump required some ingenuity, & for help, the military turned to
Maidenform, the brassiere company. The result was the ‘pigeon vest’ made of
breathable fabric & shaped across the paratrooper’s chest. Maidenform ended
up making some 28,000 such pigeon vests, ensuring the safety of the birds
during a jump…”
Joe Schwarz
The Gazette, Montreal
March 9/2019
Cute Critter Pic:
Weekly Chuckle:
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