Pigeon Power
During WW11,
pigeon extraordinaire number 139 was based at Madang in New Guinea.
Along
with the rest of his attachment, number 139 served with the Australian Corps of
Signals Pigeon Service. Their members were a hush-hush unit with superior
navigation skills. They were able to fly at a moment’s notice and at a high
altitude.
Usually, the birds went about
their business silently and mostly they remained undetected as they breasted
the tough and muddy trails and high mountains of Papua New Guinea. Their main
job was to send and receive messages and maps that reported the position and
movement of enemy troops. Sometimes the Pigeon Postmen were detected and
brought down by enemy fire - sometimes killed. There were those who were
intercepted by the enemy and used for counter espionage by sending false
messages back.
One of the drawbacks of being a
pigeon: Quite a few would have been posted as lost while serving their country
– but alas, some of those would have been dished up as a tasty meal for hungry
allied soldiers and enemy soldiers alike! Not many survived to pass on the tale
of the cooking pot I would imagine.
Several thousand homing pigeons
served with the British in WW1. Far fewer were needed during WW11 due to the
improvements made in radar, radio and telephone communications, approximately a
quarter of the amount.
Still, it was a lot of pigeon
power, and it would be fair to say that, generally, the pigeon postmen were a
brave and fearless unit that made a significant contribution to winning the
war. Reports show that the birds flew with bullets lodged in their bodies and
wings, trying to complete the tasks they were trained to do until they could go
no further and fell out of the sky.
Pigeon 139’s unit was especially
suited for marathon flights since Australia and its war zone had wide open
spaces of sea and land that need to be covered quickly. They are truly
power-packed birds. Pigeons can manage a mile a minute and sustain the pace for
hours on end, apparently without any stress. Previous to his award winning
dash, pigeon139 had clocked up over a thousand miles during 23 operational
flights without fraying a feather.
Pigeon 139 joined
the army in 1943. Bred by pigeon expert, Gordon Whittle, he was one of several
birds recruited by George Adams from the Yarraville pigeon club and donated to
the Australian fighting services, where he shared mobile quarters in an
uncomfortable, but portable bamboo cage when he wasn’t as base or on the wing.
This was probably carried on a man’s back. It was a far cry from the spacious
loft accommodation with views over the rooftops that he’d left behind in
Yarraville.
So how did pigeon
number 139 win his medal? He was in a boat running much needed stores. The
weather in the South Pacific was unpredictable on his tour of duty and there
was a heavy tropical storm brewing. The boat’s crew was dismayed when in heavy
seas the engine failed and their craft was washed ashore on Wadou beach in the
Huon Gulf, leaving them in a vulnerable position.
Pigeon 39 did his utmost to carry
out his duty to the letter. Taking to the air he flew through the storm,
travelling the 50 miles back to base in 40 minutes, the mayday message secured
in the little canister attached to his leg. It advised the recipient that the boat
was carrying ammunition, stores and much needed equipment. The engine had
failed in heavy seas and they desperately needed help. The boat and its crew
survived to deliver their cargo safely, and it was all due to one little
pigeon.
For his valiant rescue effort in
1943, Pigeon 139 was honoured with the
* “Dickin” medal. This medal is the animal
equivalent of the Victoria Cross. It was one of two awarded to Australian
Pigeons.
I can find only
limited information about the second awarded pigeon, Q879. He was bred in
Elwood, Victoria by A.J. Flavell and donated for war duty. It appears he was
attached to the US forces.
Q879’s brave feat
of endurance took place in 1944 and his story was similar to that of 139, I
imagine. The award was made for gallantry after the plucky little Aussie bird
carried a message through heavy gunfire to fetch help for his beleaguered human
compatriots. Surrounded by enemy fire they had no other means of communication
to draw on at the time.
Both medals were
awarded in 1947 and the heroic birds’ bodies returned to Australia, where they
now have a special place of honour in the Australian War Memorial Museum in
Canberra.
*The Dickin Medal is a
British award supported by The People’s Dispensary for sick animals. The
citation advises that it is awarded to “animals that display conspicuous
gallantry and devotion to duty while serving or associated with a branch of the
armed Forces or Civil Defence Units.”
Janet Woods
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