Marc the vet
The Paul O’Grady Show’s Marc Abraham remembers the alternative heroes of war
I always find this time of year very emotional. Remembrance Sunday never fails to help all of us reflect on how lucky we really are as a nation and how it’s all due to those brave heroes that fought for us, in every bloody battle, conflict and terrible war.
But who ever considers those poor animals that helped to bring us peace? Specifically employed by mankind for use in warfare. They didn’t volunteer – they had no choice.
Horses formed the cavalry and drawing artillery, and were a useful all-purpose method of transport. In fact, eight million of them lost their lives during the Great War. Most died from disease, starvation, or exposure. One of man’s most loyal servants, reduced to shivering bags of skin and bones, even chewing on their own rugs for fodder.
“Man’s most loyal servants, reduced to shivering bags of skin and bones”
In the deserts, mountains and tropics, with tougher terrain, camels and elephants were more suited. Let’s not forget the oxen, the mules or the donkeys either, carrying supplies, arms and the wounded. The mules serving in the Burmese jungle even had their vocal cords severed, to ensure that their braying would not betray allied positions to the enemy.
Dogs also suffered high casualty rates. Their sensitivity to smell meant that they were used to search for mines and trip-wires, resulting in injury or death from explosions, or they might have ripped their paws to shreds scrabbling through the rubble of bombed-out buildings, looking for survivors or bodies. Para-dogs were also dropped behind enemy lines and assisted with covert operations. In the Soviet Army, dogs even had explosives strapped to their backs and were used as antitank weapons.
War isn’t just about man against man, supported by animals though. Sometimes, animals were pitted against other animals. Carrier pigeons delivered crucial messages in both the First and Second World Wars. In an attempt to prevent British pigeons reaching their destinations, German hawks were kept at the Pas de Calais, waiting to attack unwitting winged messengers. Between the hawks, the bullets, and Mother Nature, some 100,000 pigeons were killed from 1914 to 1918. Of those who survived, some limped home with shot-away wings and ripped-open necks. And the difference made by the successful ones was crucial.
Then there were the cats used to control mice and rat populations on war ships, the dolphins and sea lions deployed to detect mines and the canaries who would alert sappers to gas.
So we must never forget – not them, nor anyone or anything else that made unimaginable sacrifices for every one of us.
