Sergeant Stubby.

In memory of the fallen.

Sergeant Stubby 1916 or 1917 - March 16th 1926.

Nobody knows exactly when Sergeant Stubby was born as he was found as a stray wandering across Yale field Connecticut during an army training session making friends with all the soldiers, One soldier especially liked him. His name was Corporal Robert Conroy. Conroy named him Stubby probably because of his short stubby tail. Corporal Conroy was so smitten with Stubby that when it came time to ship out to the Western Front, he smuggled the dog onto the vessel bound for France. Even when he was discovered, he was allowed to remain with Conroy and so found himself on the Western Front in the thick of combat.

Sergeant Stubby soon became the mascot of the 102nd Infantry, 26th Yankee Division. He learned the bugle calls, the drills, and even a modified dog salute as he put his right paw on his right eyebrow when a salute was executed by his fellow soldiers. Stubby had a positive effect on morale, and was allowed to remain in the camp, even though animals were forbidden. When the division shipped out for France aboard the SS Minnesota, Private Conroy smuggled Stubby aboard. Hidden in the coal bin until the ship was far at sea, Stubby was brought out on deck where the sailors were soon won over by the canine soldier. Stubby was once again smuggled off the ship and was soon discovered by Pvt. Conroy's commanding officer. The CO allowed Stubby to remain after Stubby gave him a salute. When the Yankee Division headed for the front lines in France, Stubby was given special orders allowing him to accompany the Division to the front lines as their official mascot.

Stubby was injured once due to shrapnel from a grenade, and at least once from gas exposure.  After each injury, Stubby was treated at nearby hospitals just like the two-legged soldiers, and like the two-legged soldiers, when he was well enough to be moved, he was taken to a Red Cross Recovery Hospital.   When Stubby became well enough to move around at the hospital, he began to spend his time visiting the wounded soldiers and socializing with the nurses.   Stubby's actions at the hospital proved a great asset in improving the morale of the injured soldiers.   Soon, Stubby's recovery was complete and he was returned to his Division.   

Stubby's experience with the gas made him sensitive to even the smallest amount.   Due to his sensitivity to gas, Stubby was responsible for saving his entire company.   When an early morning gas attack was launched by the Germans, the men in Stubby's portion of the trenches were sleeping, unaware that a gas attack had been launched.   As soon as he picked up the smell of the gas, Stubby ran through the trench barking and biting at the soldiers shirts and boots waking them.  Soon, as a result of Stubby's actions, the gas alarm was sounded and many men were saved from injury.  With his job done, Stubby left the trench to avoid the gas and didn't return until he felt it was safe.

Stubby also became an expert in locating wounded men in the "no man's land" between the trenches of the opposing armies.   Stubby would listen for injured and lost men shouting in English.  He would then go out to them and bark for paramedics or lead the uninjured ones back to the safety of the trenches.  

His acute doggy hearing, allowed him the advantage of hearing even the quietest sounds from advancing enemy and so Stubby proved excellent at silently alerting his comrades when he could hear the enemy was near. His major triumph was hearing a German spy who had tried to sneak into Conroy's camp during the dead of night. The loyal and diligent Stubby managed to grab the intruder's leg and immobilize him until Conroy and other troops came to investigate and imprison the German. He also asserted himself as a 'mercy' dog, scanning the battle fields for injured soldiers and comforting them whilst they lay dying or alerting paramedics to the wounded. 

Sergeant Stubby passed away in his sleep in 1926 at the (approximate) age of ten. Nowadays his taxidermized corpse is featured with its own exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Sergeant Stubby the most decorated dog in history kindle edition. 

Renembrance Sunday.

There's no Grumpy cat today, we're remaining silent out of respect for our Armed Forces who gave there lives to give us the freedom we take for granted today. And God bless our serving troops especially those serving in Afghanistan may you all return home safely. 

Remembrance Sunday.

Each year in November, the United Kingdom remembers the men and women who gave their lives in the two World Wars and subsequent conflicts.

11 November is known as Armistice Day, Remembrance Day or Poppy Day. And in Australia and New Zealand as ANZAC Day which stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. It is commemorated in both countries. It is there day for remembering all those people who fought and died in many wars for freedom of all people and to stop injustice.

In New Zealand it is celebrated with dawn services at the cenotaphs and at NZ embassies around the world. The poppy is used as a symbol of remembrance.

During the First World War, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare. In many parts of the world, people observe a two-minute of silence at 11am on 11 November.

Remembrance Sunday is the second Sunday in November, the Sunday nearest to 11 November. Remembrance Sunday sees special events and services relating to remembrance. Remembrance Sunday is on 11 November 2012.

War Memorial London.

Cenotaph, London.

Two Minute Silence.

At 11am on each remembrance day Sunday a two minute silence is observed at war memorials and other public spaces across the the UK.

The first two minute silence in London ( 11th November 1919 ) as reported in the Manchester Guardian, 12th November 1919.

The first stroke of eleven produced a magical effect.

The tram cars glided into stillness , motors ceased to cough and fume., and stopped dead, and the mighty - limbed dray horses hunched back upon their loads and stopped also, seeming to do it of their own volition.

Someone took off his hat, and with a nervous hesitancy the rest of the men bowed their heads also. Here and there an old soldier could be detected slipping unconsciously into the posture of attention . An elderly women not far away, wiped her eyes and the men dehind her looked white  and stern. Everyone stood very still  ... The hush deepened. It had spread over the whole city and become so pronounced as to impress one with a sense of audibility. It was a silence which was almost pain ... And the spirit of memory brooded over it all.

The Last Post.

The "Last Post" is traditionally played to introduce the two minute silence in Remembrence Day ceremonies. It is usually played on a bugle. In Military life the Last Post marks the end of the day and the final farewell.

And lets not forget about the animals who suffered during the wars. While the Red Cross were helping the troops on the battlefield the Blue Cross Fund was set up to help the animals.

The fund had been set up by Our Dumb Friends League, which was the original name for Blue Cross, in the 1912 Balkan War.

It was quickly reopened again when the First World War broke out and it allowed us to send veterinary supplies to the front line.

When we discovered that the French army was not as well equipped to help horses as the British army, we offered to help and opened our first of several animal hospitals in France.

Money and goods for the fund came from hundreds of different sources, including the sale of postcards.

By the end of the war in 1918, nearly £170,000 had been raised through the fund to care for animals of war, equivalent to nearly £6.5 million today.

More than 50,000 horses were treated in Blue Cross hospitals in France alone and veterinary supplies were received by more than 3,500 units of the British army.

The importance of the work of the Blue Cross Fund during both World Wars was recognised when we changed our name to The Blue Cross in the 1950s.

We’ve been caring for animals for 115 years and today we’re still as devoted to helping sick, injured and abandoned pets as we have ever been.

With no government funding, we rely on public donations to continue our vital work.

For more information about the War Horses click here.