Sergeant Gander (13 page)

Conclusion

Sergeant Gander was one of hundreds, if not thousands, of animals who acted as a mascot for a military unit during wartime. He provided love and companionship to his fellow soldiers and was a link to home — to a kinder and gentler time when a dog might lie at one's feet in front of a fireplace, with a casual lick to the hand to let its owner know that all was well. In his role as a military mascot, Sergeant Gander was not unique. However, during the bloody night of December 18/19, 1941, he became more than a mascot by consciously, or unconsciously, putting his life on the line to protect a small group of wounded Canadians.

How interesting it is that Gander's heroic act mirrors, almost exactly, the heroism demonstrated by Major John Osborn. Both saw a grenade land, both recognized the danger of the hissing and smoking weapon, and both made a decision to act accordingly. Obviously, Gander may not have had the ability to predict the outcome of his actions, but he took action nonetheless, and that makes him no less a hero than his human counterpart. For his role in saving those Canadian soldiers at the Battle of Hong Kong, and as the only Canadian recipient of the prestigious PDSA Dickin Medal, Sergeant Gander deserves recognition by the Canadian public and the Canadian government. Sergeant Gander has earned his place in history alongside all of the other brave combatants in battle, and his story needs to be told again and again, so that future generations of Canadians may speak his name with pride.

Appendix A
List of PDSA Dickin Medal Recipients

Dogs: Roll of Honour

Bob
— Mongrel
6th Royal West Kent Regiment
Date of Award: March 24, 1944

“For constant devotion to duty with special mention of Patrol work at Green Hill, North Africa, while serving with the 6th Battalion Queens Own Royal West Kent Regt.”

Jet
— Alsatian
MAP Serving with Civil Defence
Date of Award: January 12, 1945

“For being responsible for the rescue of persons trapped under blitzed buildings while serving with the Civil Defence Services of London.”

Irma
— Alsatian
MAP Serving with Civil Defence
Date of Award: January 12, 1945

“For being responsible for the rescue of persons trapped under blitzed buildings while serving with the Civil Defences of London.”

Beauty
— Wire-Haired Terrier
PDSA Rescue Squad
Date of Award: January 12, 1945

“For being the pioneer dog in locating buried air-raid victims while serving with a PDSA Rescue Squad.”

Rob
— Collie
War Dog No. 471/332 Special Air Service
Date of Award: January 23, 1945

“Took part in landings during North African Campaign with an Infantry unit and later served with a Special Air Unit in Italy as patrol and guard on small detachments lying-up

Rip, saving a young boy from a bombed-out building in Lon–don, England.

in enemy territory. His presence with these parties saved many of them from discovery and subsequent capture or destruction. Rob made over 20 parachute descents.”

Thorn
— Alsatian
MAP Serving with Civil Defence
Date of Award: March 2, 1945

“For locating air-raid casualties in spite of thick smoke in a burning building.”

Rifleman Khan
— Alsatian
147 6th Battalion Cameronians (SR)
Date of Award: March 27, 1945

“For rescuing L/Cpl. Muldoon from drowning under heavy shell fire at the assault of Walcheren, November 1944, while serving with the 6th Cameronians (SR).”

Rex
— Alsatian
MAP Civil Defence Rescue Dog
Date of Award: April 1945

“For outstanding good work in the location of casualties in burning buildings. Undaunted by smoldering debris, thick smoke, intense heat and jets of water from fire hoses, this dog displayed uncanny intelligence and outstanding determination in his efforts to follow up any scent which led him to a trapped casualty.”

Sheila
— Collie
Date of Award: July 2, 1945

“For assisting in the rescue of four American Airmen lost on the Cheviots in a blizzard after an air crash in December, 1944.”

Rip
— Mongrel
Stray picked up by Civil Defence Squad at Poplar, London E14
Date of Award: 1945

“For locating many air-raid victims during the blitz of 1940.”

Peter
— Collie
Date of Award: November 1945

“For locating victims trapped under blitzed buildings while serving with the MAP attached to Civil Defence of London.”

Judy
— Pedigree Pointer
Date of Award: May 1946

“For magnificent courage and endurance in Japanese prison camps, which helped to maintain morale among her fellow prisoners and also for saving many lives through her intelligence and watchfulness.”

Punch and Judy
— Boxer dog and bitch
Date of Awards: November 1946

“These dogs saved the lives of two British Officers in Israel by attacking an armed terrorist who was stealing upon them unawares and thus warning them of their danger. Punch

Peter with King George and Queen Elizabeth.

sustained 4 bullet wounds and Judy a long graze down her back.”

Punch, a boxer dog.

Ricky
— Welsh Collie
Date of Award: March 29, 1947

“This dog was engaged in cleaning the verges of the canal bank at Nederweent, Holland. He found all the mines but during the operation one of them exploded. Ricky was wounded in the head but remained calm and kept at work. Had he become excited he would have been a danger to the rest of the section working nearby.”

Brian
— Alsatian
Date of Award: March 29, 1947

“This patrol dog was attached to a Parachute Battalion of the 13th Battalion Airborne Division. He landed in Normandy with them and, having done the requisite number of jumps, became a fully-qualified Paratrooper.”

Antis
— Alsatian
Date of Award: January 28, 1949

“Owned by a Czech airman, this dog served with him in the French Air Force and RAF from 1940 to 1945, both in N. Africa and England. Returning to Czechoslovakia after the war, he substantially helped his master's escape across the frontier when after the death of Jan Masaryk, he had to fly from the Communists.”

Ricky's grave.
Ricky was a little Welsh col–lie used in a mine-sweeping operation on a canal bank in Nederweent, Holland. He found all the mines, but was injured when one exploded.
Ricky kept work–ing despite his wounds.

Tich
— Egyptian Mongrel
1st Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps
Date of Award: July 1, 1949

“For loyalty, courage and devotion to duty under hazardous conditions of war 1941 to 1945, while serving with the 1st King's Rifle Corps in North Africa and Italy.”

Gander
— Newfoundland
Date of Award: Awarded posthumously on October 27, 2000

“For saving the lives of Canadian infantrymen during the Battle of Lye Mun on Hong Kong Island in December 1941. On three documented occasions Gander, the Newfoundland mascot of the Royal Rifles of Canada engaged the enemy as his regiment joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers, members of Battalion Headquarters ‘C' Force and other Commonwealth troops in their courageous defence of the Island. Twice Gander's attacks halted the enemy's advance and protected groups of wounded soldiers. In a final act of bravery the war dog was killed in action gathering a grenade. Without Gander's intervention many more lives would have been lost in the assault.”

Appollo
— German Shepherd
Date of Award: March 5, 2002

NYPD dog Appollo received the PDSA Dickin Medal on behalf of all the Search and Rescue dogs at Ground Zero and the Pentagon, following the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. “For tireless courage in the service of humanity during the search and rescue operations in New York and Washington on and after 11 September 2001. Faithful to words of command and undaunted by the task, the dog's work and unstinting devotion to duty stand as a testament to those lost or injured.”

Salty and Roselle
— Labrador guide dogs
Date of Award: March 5, 2002

“For remaining loyally at the side of their blind owners, courageously leading them down more than 70 floors of the World Trade Center and to a place of safety following the terrorist attack on New York on 11 September 2001.”

Sam
— German Shepherd
Royal Army Veterinary Corps
Date of Award: January 14, 2003

“For outstanding gallantry in April 1998 while assigned to the Royal Canadian Regiment in Drvar during the conflict in Bosnia-Hertzegovina. On two documented occasions Sam displayed great courage and devotion to duty. On 18 April Sam successfully brought down an armed man threatening the lives of civilians and Service personnel. On 24 April, while guarding a compound harbouring Serbian refugees, Sam's determined approach held off rioters until reinforcements arrived. This dog's true valour saved the lives of many servicemen and civilians during this time of human conflict.”

Buster
— Springer Spaniel
Royal Army Veterinary Corps
Date of Award: December 9, 2003

“For outstanding gallantry in March 2003 while assigned to the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in Safwan, Southern Iraq. Arms and explosives search dog Buster located an arsenal of weapons and explosives hidden behind a false wall in a property linked with an extremist group. Buster is considered responsible for saving the lives of service personnel and civilians. Following the find, all attacks ceased and shortly afterwards and troops replaced their steel helmets with berets.”

Lucky
— German Shepherd
RAF number 3610 AD: RAF Police anti-terrorist tracker dog — from 1949 to 1952 during the

Malaya Campaign.

Date of Award: February 6, 2007

“For the outstanding gallantry and devotion to duty of the RAF Police anti-terrorist tracker dog team, comprising Bobbie, Jasper, Lassie and Lucky, while attached to the Civil Police and several British Army regiments including the Coldstream Guards, 2nd Battalion Royal Scots Guards and the Ghurkhas during the Malaya Campaign.