A few weeks ago , I wrote about thebrave attack aircraft carrier pigeonsthat saved many lives during World Wars I and II . I note that in 1943 , a British organisation establish the Dickin Medal to honor the lives of brute that attend to during wartime . The laurel wreath was present 54 times between 1943 and 1949 to 32 letter carrier pigeons , 18 pawl , three gymnastic horse and one cat . One of our readers , Abigail from Chatham , N.Y. , gloss saying , “ So inspiring . I question what the cat did ? ” Uzzi and I settle to obtain out !
The Dickin Medal is awarded by thePeople ’s Dispensary for Sick Animals , better known in Britain as the PDSA . The organization was created to handle for sick and injured animals of people in need . The PDSA was the brain child of Maria Dickin , a society lady who found fulfillment working among the piteous of London , peculiarly with the animals she notice there . In her record , The Cry of the Animal , she write , “ The excruciation and misery of these poor , uncared - for creatures in our overcrowded areas was a Book of Revelation to me . I had no idea it existed , and it made me indescribably miserable . ” So she commit her life sentence to improving the welfare of animals everywhere . As part of her work , in 1943 , she commissioned the Dickin Medal to honor animals that served in the Armed Forces , Civil Defense or another military rig worldwide that designate outstanding bravery . The only guy to ever earn the medal was Simon .
In March of 1948 , a 17 - year - honest-to-goodness British gob found a untested , skinny , pitch-dark - and - white virile cat wandering the dockyards of Hong Kong . He smuggled the cat aboard the HMS Amethyst , where the cat proved skilful at take in and killing the many rats that set up house on the lower decks . The qat quick became the ship ’s mascot and was much love by the crew , who identify him Simon .
However , when the Amethyst chugged up the Yangtze River to replace the duty ship there , communist force opened flaming on the Amethyst . One of the first round ripped through the captain ’s cabin , killing the captain and seriously offend Simon .
Somehow Simon managed to crawl on deck and was rushed to the ship ’s medical staff . They regale his burn mark and remove four pieces of shrapnel . Although he was n’t expected to last the night , Simon recovered and resumed his duties as rat catcher .
When news of Simon ’s bravery reached Britain , he became an instant fame . In improver to the Dickin Medal , Simon was awarded the Blue Cross medal , the Amethyst campaign laurel wreath and the membership of Able Seacat . His fans sent him so much ring mail that a human friend , Lieutenant Stuart Hett , was appointed “ cat officer ” to handle his correspondence . Simon was presented with laurels wherever the Amethyst stopped in porthole .
The ship finally returned to its home embrasure in Plymouth , Devonshire , and Simon record quarantine , where he became ill with a computer virus and died on Nov. 28 , 1949 . one C of mourners , include the entire crew of the Amethyst , advert his funeral at the PDSA ’s Ilford Animal Cemetery in East London .
Next week we ’ll talk about more ship ’s cats , including another wartime hero nominate Unsinkable Sam .
