The final resting place for animal heroes
Here are the amazing stories of just four of the PDSA Dickin Medal holders buried at the Cemetery.
Peter DM
Search and Rescue dog, Peter, came with a bad reputation for fighting other dogs and destroying his owner’s belongings. However, his service during World War II was outstanding and he became a reformed character. His PDSA Dickin Medal citation reads:
For locating victims trapped under blitzed buildings while serving with MAP (Ministry of Aircraft Production) attached to Civil Defence of London.
The information he gave to his handler resulted in the saving of many lives and he was singled out for special attention at the Civil Defence Stand-Down parade in Hyde Park before the King and Queen and Princess Elizabeth in 1946.
Rip DM
Rip was found homeless and starving after a bombing raid in 1940 when he became the mascot of the Southill Street Air Raid Patrol in Poplar, East London. During heavy gunfire and bombing raids, Rip was always on duty, never getting in the way, but working quickly to sniff out casualties. He had over 5 years active service to his credit, and his PDSA Dickin Medal citation reads:
For locating many air-raid victims during the blitz of 1940.
Simon DM
Able Seacat Simon was posthumously awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal in 1949 for his service on
HMS Amethyst during the Yangtze Incident. Despite being injured by a shell blast that killed 17 men, including the ship's Captain, Simon bravely continued to catch the rats that were stealing the crew’s meagre rations while the ship was held captive on the river. On returning home, Simon's exploits made him a celebrity --- he even received his own fan mail!
Simon was buried in the cemetery with full Naval honours, his coffin draped in a Union flag.
Tich DM
Tich was adopted by Rifleman Thomas Walker of the 1st Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps before El Alamein and serviced in North Africa and Italy until the end of WWII. Tich accompanied Walker on the front line all through the fighting in Italy, riding on the Bren gun carrier or on the bonnet of a stretcher jeep. Tich was severley wounded several times but always refused to leave her post even when under heavy fire.
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