Corporal Jackie the baboon injured as a soldier in the South African army

Corporal Jackie was a

baboon Baboons are primates comprising the genus ''Papio'', one of the 23 genera of Old World monkeys. There are six species of baboon: the hamadryas baboon, the Guinea baboon, the olive baboon, the yellow baboon, the Kinda baboon and the chacma ba ...

in the

South African army The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was made their

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

when his owner was drafted into war, and would not leave Jackie at home. Jackie received various injuries during the war such as being shot in the shoulder and having his right leg blown off. Jackie was trained to salute when he saw a superior officer. After the war, Jackie was given the rank of

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

, and the Pretoria Citizens Service Medal, then he died a year later in a home fire.

Background

Jackie's human story started in the early half of the 1910s when South African Albert Marr found the baboon around his farm. He captured Jackie and began training him to be "a member of the family."

War

Jackie lived a few years in the Marr Farm before World War I broke out. Marr was drafted in 1915, and refused to leave Jackie at home. Marr's commanding officers, to the soldiers' surprise, acquiesced, so Jackie was made a mascot for the

3rd South African Infantry Regiment The 3rd South African Infantry Regiment (3 SAI) was an infantry regiment of the South African Overseas Expeditionary Force during the First World War. History Formation The infantry regiments were raised with men from the four provinces of ...

(Transvaal) and brought everywhere with them. Jackie was given an official-style uniform with a cap, a ration set, and his own paybook. Jackie would salute to superior officers and light soldiers' cigarettes. He would even stand at ease in the style of a trained soldier. Due to his heightened senses, Jackie was useful to sentries on duty at night. The baboon would be the first to know when an attack was coming or enemy soldiers were moving around nearby. Jackie and Marr survived a battle where the casualty rate was 80 percent, in

Delville Wood The Battle of Delville Wood was a series of engagements in the 1916 Battle of the Somme in the First World War, between the armies of the German Empire and the British Empire. Delville Wood , was a thick tangle of trees, chiefly beech and ...

, early in the Somme Campaign. When Marr was serving in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

he was shot in the shoulder at the

Battle of Agagia The Action of Agagia (also Agagiya, Aqqaqia or Aqaqia) took place east of Sidi Barrani in Egypt on 26 February 1916, during the Senussi Campaign between German and Ottoman-instigated Senussi forces and the British army in Egypt. On 11 December ...

, 26 February 1916, while Jackie was with him, licking the wound as they awaited help. Jackie was given his own rations while with the army and ate them with his own knife and fork, as well as his own washing basin. When the regiment was drilled and marched, Jackie would be with them. Jackie spent time in the trenches in France where he tried to build a wall around himself during extreme enemy fire, but a piece of shrapnel from an explosion flew over the wall hitting Jackie in the leg and arm. When stretcher bearers tried to take Jackie away he refused, desperate to finish his wall and hide. Doctors treated Jackie's wounds, but they decided his leg had to be amputated and were surprised that he even survived. Jackie was awarded a medal of valor for the event of his injuries and promoted from

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

to corporal. After the war was over, Jackie was discharged with papers at the

Maitland Dispersal Camp Maitland is an English and Scottish surname. It arrived in Britain after the Norman conquest of 1066. There are two theories about its source. It is either a nickname reference to "bad temper/disposition" (Old French, ''Maltalent''; Anglo Norm ...

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. Jackie was not the only baboon made part of the South African army, but he was the only baboon to achieve the rank of private or higher.

Return to South Africa

After the war, Marr brought Jackie back to South Africa, but the baboon died in a fire a year later in May 1921. Marr died, aged 84, in 1973.

References

{{reflist, 33em, refs= {{cite web, url=https://allthatsinteresting.com/jackie-the-baboon , author=Katie Serena , title=The Story Of Jackie The Baboon Who Fought In The Trenches Of World War I , publisher=All That Is Interesting , date=14 February 2019 , accessdate=14 February 2019 , archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20190214113606/https://allthatsinteresting.com/jackie-the-baboon , archivedate =14 February 2019 , url-status=live {{cite web, url=https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/books/468358/Radio-4-s-The-Unbelievable-Truth-book-proves-fact-is-stranger-than-fiction , title=Would you believe it? New book proves fact is stranger than fiction , publisher=Express newspapers , date=3 April 2014 , accessdate=14 February 2019 {{cite web, url=https://todayinhistory.blog/2017/07/31/july-31-1920-corporal-jackie/ , author=Cape Cod Curmudgeon , title=July 31, 1920 Corporal Jackie , date=31 July 2017 , publisher=Today in History

External links

15 Of The Bravest Military Animals To Ever Serve Their CountryJackie; The South African Baboon soldier of World War I

In books

Weird War OnePage 32Page 12No page number, fiction, direct reference to Jackie the baboon of South Africa WW1No page number "First baboon soldier" (first promoted to the soldier is the reality)Page 65No page number, quote, "and the baboon. m Jackie, a Chacma baboon, was probably the only monkey in history to become a corporal in the army"Guinness Records 1975 pages 59-60Page 120Page 118Page 338Page 58No page number, title, "JACKIE"No page number, quote," Albert Marr, the owner, his baboon named "Jacko" or "Jackie". According to a correspondent in ''Home Front'', July 1950, page 7"
1910s animal births 1921 animal deaths Animal amputees Army mascots Deaths from fire Individual animals in South Africa Individual baboons South African Army

Background

War

Return to South Africa

See also

References

External links

In books