Cat Bravery
Animal (and for me cat) bravery is very touching. In the UK there is a medal called the Dickin Medal which is awarded to animals for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty while serving for the armed forces. It is the animals' Vitoria Cross.
The Victoria Cross is the highest award for gallantry in the UK. The award is very rarely made. There are some incredible stories of gallantry so you can image that the animals awarded the Dickin Medal have been outstanding in carrying out their duties in war.
60 Dickin Medals have been awarded since its inception in 1943 by Maria Dickin CBE who founded the PDSA a large animal charity employing about 1500 people.
Of these 60 there is only one cat, Simon who has been awarded the medal. Simon served on HMS Amethyst a ship of the size of a frigate as a rat catcher. He found his way on board when a member of the crew spotted him in Hong Kong. At the time he was smuggled on board he was sickly. He endeared himself to the crew and kept the rats down.
He was caught up in the Yangtze incident. This incident occurred on April 29th 1949 on the Yangtze river in China. The ship was bombarded by field guns on the shore that hit the ship 50 times and caused severe damage. The shelling killed 22 and and wounded 31.
The award was made posthumously (after his death) after the incident. Simon was wounded by one of the 50 shells that hit the ship. Four pieces of shrapnel were removed from him. he survived to continue his duties which included boosting the morale of the crew.
His "behaviour throughout was of the highest order.." The blast that injured him made a hole a foot diameter in steel plate.
Simon was an exceptional cat because he was able to function normally under such horrendous conditions for both human and cat. He died shortly after returning to England as a result of an infection while in quarantine. The entire crew of HMS Amethyst turned out for the funeral and hundreds of others.
Simon was smallish black and white moggie with a gentle face. There are pictures on the 'net of him but I do not have permission to use the photos at the time of writing this.
The Victoria Cross is the highest award for gallantry in the UK. The award is very rarely made. There are some incredible stories of gallantry so you can image that the animals awarded the Dickin Medal have been outstanding in carrying out their duties in war.
60 Dickin Medals have been awarded since its inception in 1943 by Maria Dickin CBE who founded the PDSA a large animal charity employing about 1500 people.
Of these 60 there is only one cat, Simon who has been awarded the medal. Simon served on HMS Amethyst a ship of the size of a frigate as a rat catcher. He found his way on board when a member of the crew spotted him in Hong Kong. At the time he was smuggled on board he was sickly. He endeared himself to the crew and kept the rats down.
He was caught up in the Yangtze incident. This incident occurred on April 29th 1949 on the Yangtze river in China. The ship was bombarded by field guns on the shore that hit the ship 50 times and caused severe damage. The shelling killed 22 and and wounded 31.
The award was made posthumously (after his death) after the incident. Simon was wounded by one of the 50 shells that hit the ship. Four pieces of shrapnel were removed from him. he survived to continue his duties which included boosting the morale of the crew.
His "behaviour throughout was of the highest order.." The blast that injured him made a hole a foot diameter in steel plate.
Simon was an exceptional cat because he was able to function normally under such horrendous conditions for both human and cat. He died shortly after returning to England as a result of an infection while in quarantine. The entire crew of HMS Amethyst turned out for the funeral and hundreds of others.
Simon was smallish black and white moggie with a gentle face. There are pictures on the 'net of him but I do not have permission to use the photos at the time of writing this.
Comments
There is a time for everything,
a season for every activity
under heaven. A time to be
born and a time to die. A
time to plant and a time to
harvest. A time to kill and
a time to heal. A time to
tear down and a time to
rebuild. A time to cry and
a time to laugh. A time to
grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones
and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a
time to turn away. A time to
search and a time to lose.
A time to keep and a time to
throw away. A time to tear
and a time to mend. A time
to be quiet and a time to
speak up. A time to love
and a time to hate. A time
for war and a time for peace.
Best wishes for continued ascendancy,
Dr. Howdy
P.S. Here's some blogs & videos
that I found of interest as
I negotiated my way through
cyberspace:
Every Student
My Blog Video
Religion Comparison
Avoid This Place
Danish Cartoons
Arabic Cartoons
Muhammad or Jesus???
Answering Islam
Is Jesus God?
A Short Look At Six World Religions
God's Word in different languages...
How to become a Christian
Who Is Jesus?
See The Word
Watch The Jesus Movie
Spanish Cartoons
German Cartoons
Chinese Cartoons
Italian Cartoons
Greek Cartoons
Japanese Cartoons
Portuguese Cartoons
Around the Well
French Cartoons
Hindi Cartoons
Russian Cartoons
Little Girl
Get Saved?
You & Sin City
Mysterious Disappearance
Evolution Video
The Departure
You Need To See This
'Thought & Humor'
Tell me sometime what your
thoughts are about all this:O)