Animal Monuments

Whether they are just our daily companions, or military personnel who deliver important codes, messages, look for survivors or search for bombs and clear minefields, animals are in or hearts and in our memories. For this reason, monuments have been erected all over the world in their honor. They serve as a reminder of our common history and close relationship.

  1. Dogs

    • Bamse (1937 to 1944 ) was a legendary Norwegian St. Bernard, who became famous during World War II as the mascot of the Norwegian Navy. During the war, he saved at least two of his crewmen on board the minesweeper, Thorod, and tried to rescue others. Bamse was awarded with the animal equivalent of the Cross of the Order of King George for his brave deeds. The Scottish town of Angus erected a statue in his honor and buried him nearby in the town of Montrose. His funeral was attended by crews of six naval vessels and hundreds of local schoolchildren. Sergeant Stubby (1916 to 1926) was the most decorated dog of World War I and the only one in the rank of sergeant. Stubby was a bull terrier mixed breed (probably from boxer or Boston terrier stock) and was smuggled into France on board the USS Minnesota.

    Horses

    • Seabiscuit (1933 to1947) was a thoroughbred American racehorse who made headlines during the 1930s. He remains one the most famous racehorses in history and many books and movies have been devoted to him, including the motion picture"Seabiscuit" (2003) starring Jeff Bridges and Tobey Maguire. A Seabiscuit statue is located at Ridgecrest Ranch in Willits, California. Another memorialized horse, Blackie, was a swaybacked horse from Tiburon, California, who almost always stood in the same spot for years, always facing the same direction. His statue stands in front of Blackie's Pasture in Tiburon.

    Cats

    • Trim was a cat who accompanied Matthew Flinders on his travels around the world from 1801 to 1803, while he was making a map of the coast of Australia. Trim was born in 1797 on board the HMS Reliance. Legend has it that he fell into the sea when he was a kitten, but managed to climb back aboard the boat by a rope. He was beside Matthew Flinders even while imprisoned by the French in Mauritius. A statue of Trim stands in Sydney, Australia. At the end of the 14th Century, Dick Whittington was a rich merchant and Lord Mayor of London for three terms. He was an inspiration for many tales about the town, but the real star was his cat, whose monument sits by Highgate Hill.

    Birds

    • War pigeons were the most widely used animals in World War II. Only England had around 250,000 homing pigeons. The highest animal's decoration for valor, the Dickens Medal, was awarded to 32 pigeons. One of them was the United States Army Pigeon, G.I. Joe, who saved the villagers of Calvi Vecchia in Italy when he delivered the message and stopped the scheduled artillery attack by the Allies. That is why numerous war pigeons memorials exist around the globe, such as the one in the center of Beach House Park in Worthing, England or in France, where pigeon soldiers have their monuments. One is erected near the entrance to the fortified citadel of Lille and one at the entrance to the Champ de Mars.