Jet of Iada a.k.a. Jet (21 July 1942 – 18 October 1949) was a German Shepherd Dog, who assisted in the rescue of 150 people trapped under blitzed buildings. He was a pedigree dog born in Liverpool, and served with the Civil Defence Services of London. He was awarded both the Dickin Medal and the RSPCA's Medallion of Valor for his rescue efforts.

Early life

Jet was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

in the Iada kennel of Mrs Babcock Cleaver in July 1942. He was a black German Shepherd Dog, and in the kennel was initially called Jett, with his full pedigree name being Jet of Iada. He was loaned to be trained at the War Dogs School in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

from the age of nine months, where he was trained in anti-sabotage work. Following eighteen months work on airfields performing anti-sabotage duties he was returned to the school for further training in search and rescue duties where he was partnered with Corporal Wardle. They were relocated to London. Corporal Wardle and Jet were the first handler and dog to be used in an official capacity in Civil Defence rescue duties.

Awards

He was awarded the Dickin Medal on 12 January 1945 for saving the lives of over fifty people trapped in bombed buildings. The dedication read "For being responsible for the rescue of persons trapped under blitzed buildings while serving with the Civil Defence Services of London." Following the war, he was returned to his owner in Liverpool. The Dickin Medal is often referred to as the animal metaphorical equivalent of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

. On 15 August 1947, an explosion occurred in the William Pit near

Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and port on the English north west coast and near to the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies by road south-west of Carlisle and to the north of Barrow-in-Furness. It i ...

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...

. Dogs trained in body recovery work were unavailable, so two dogs were sent from the RAF Police Dog School at Staverton, and Jet was collected from his owner on the journey north. After his efforts helped save the rescuers he was awarded the RSPCA's Medallion of Valor. There is a memorial to Jet in the English flower garden of

Calderstones Park Calderstones Park is a public park in Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom. The park is mainly a family park. Within it there are a variety of different attractions including a playground, a botanical garden and places of historical interest. T ...

, Liverpool near where he is buried. This memorial was cleaned in July 2016 by pupils of Childwall Church of England Primary School and The Reader in celebration of Jet's Birthday. Also in attendance was 93 year old Lilias Ward (née Cleaver) Jet's former owner....

Pedigree

Jet's Family Tree

References

External links

PDSA Dickin Medal, including "Roll of Honor" PDF
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jet Of Iada Individual dogs German shepherds Recipients of the Dickin Medal 1942 animal births 1949 animal deaths Detection dogs

Early life

Awards

Pedigree

See also

References

External links