Peter (1941–1952) was a

collie Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Man ...

dog who in 1945 was awarded the

Dickin Medal The PDSA Dickin Medal was instituted in 1943 in the United Kingdom by Maria Dickin to honour the work of animals in World War II. It is a bronze medallion, bearing the words "For Gallantry" and "We Also Serve" within a laurel wreath, carried on ...

, considered to be 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 previousl ...

for animals. During the later stages of the Second World War he served as a search and rescue dog in London. He attended the 1946 Civil Defence Stand–Down parade, where he was presented to the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

and

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

, and Princess Elizabeth. His medal was auctioned in 2000 for £4,600 (US$6,964).

Rescue career

Peter was born in 1941, and was purchased by Mrs Audrey Stables, of Gregory Avenue,

Weoley Castle Weoley Castle is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The area is part of the Weoley local authority electoral ward, and also comes under the Northfield local council constituency. The suburb of Weoley Castle is ...

, for 25

shilling The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence ...

s. He was noted by his owner as having dual talents; for destruction of his owner's home and for ignoring every command given. He was transferred into war service, serving with Air Ministry dog-handler Archie Knight at the Civil Defence depot in Chelsea. He was known as Rescue Dog No. 2664/9288 Peter. Active from early 1945 until the end of the Second World War, Peter acted as a search and rescue dog in London. Knight wrote of the dog in a report, "I think one of his finest jobs was on Monday. We were called 20 hours after the incident and after several hours of heavy rain. Three bodies were missing and he very quickly indicated in a most unlikely spot, but he was right, and they uncovered a man and a woman. The next day we were called to another job. There were so many calls for Peter that I worked him 10 hours and he never once refused to give all he had. All his marks revealed casualties. I hated to work him like this – but I also hated to refuse the rescue parties who were asking for him." Peter's rescue efforts were not limited to saving people; on one occasion he indicated a trapped victim which turned out to be a grey parrot. On another occasion he saved six people in a single attack. In 1946, Peter and his handler were present at the Civil Defence Stand–Down parade in

Hyde Park, London Hyde Park is a Grade I-listed major park in Westminster, Greater London, the largest of the four Royal Parks that form a chain from the entrance to Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Gre ...

. It was there that he was presented to

and

, and received a kiss on the nose from Princess Elizabeth, the future Elizabeth II. He was later used to demonstrate mountain rescue techniques to other rescue dogs and handlers. He returned home to Mrs Stables, and moved to a PDSA animal sanctuary before he died. Peter was buried at the PDSA's Ilford Animal Cemetery on 20 November 1952, one of twelve recipients of the Dickin Medal to be buried there.

Awards

Peter was awarded the

, considered to be the

for animals, in November 1945. His citation read, "For locating victims trapped under blitzed buildings while serving with the MAP attached to Civil Defence of London." The ceremony was conducted at the

Grosvenor House Hotel ] JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, originally named the Grosvenor House Hotel, is a luxury hotel that opened in 1929 in the Mayfair area of London, England. The hotel is managed by JW Marriott Hotels, which is a brand of Marriott Internat ...

, where he was awarded the medal by Sir James Ross of the Air Ministry. The Dickin Medal is often referred to as the animal metaphorical equivalent of the

. His Dickin Medal was auctioned by Spinks on 27 July 2000 for £4,600 (US$6,964). Peter's owner had died, and the medal was being sold by a private collector. At the same auction, the Dickin Medal awarded to the pigeon Tyke (pigeon), Tyke was also sold.

References

External links

PDSA Dickin Medal, including "Roll of Honor" PDF
{{Dickin Medal Individual dogs awarded the Dickin Medal 1941 animal births 1952 animal deaths The Blitz

Rescue career

Awards

See also

References

External links