In a year when we have been commemorating the centenary of the First World War and remembering the sacrifice made by many humans, there has been an increase in acknowledgement of the contribution that animals have made in wars.
In 1943 Maria Dickin, founder of the PDSA, instituted the Dickin Medal. Aware of the bravery of animals serving alongside Allied Forces during the Second World War, she created the medal to recognise life-saving acts of heroism on the scale of the ‘human’ Victoria Cross.
In 2014, the PDSA awarded ‘Warrior’ (the real ‘War Horse’) an honorary Dickin Medal in recognition of the millions of animals that died throughout the First World War. Over 16 million animals served in the Great War – horses, donkey, mules and camels carried food, water, ammunition and medical supplies to men at the front, cats and dogs were trained to hunt rats in the trenches, dogs and pigeons carried messages and canaries were used to detect poisonous gas.
Scarlet corn poppies grow naturally in conditions of disturbed earth throughout Western Europe. In 1914, while the fields of Northern France and Belgium were ripped apart by the conflict, poppies blossomed in their thousands. It has been said that they resembled fields of blood and the poppy came to represent the sacrifice made by so many who died in that war and in later conflicts.
In 2005, our colleagues at Animal Aid issued a purple poppy to commemorate the animal victims of human conflicts, which can be worn alongside the traditional red one. They also supply wreaths for people to lay in memory of animals. This year, due to the upsurge in interest in animals in war, Animal Aid has completely sold out of poppies and wreaths.
While the upsurge in interest should be celebrated, we must remember that animals used in human conflicts are not only heroes, they are also victims. The Animals in War Memorial at Hyde Park in London bears two inscriptions: “This monument is dedicated to all the animals that served and died alongside British and Allied forces in wars and campaigns throughout time.”
A second, smaller inscription reads: “They had no choice.”
This Remembrance Day, please remember all humans and all creatures great and small and wear your poppies with pride, for them all.