The Dog that Saved My Life. Isabel George

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СКАЧАТЬ war ended in the early hours of 19 December, within a few hours of the death of another war hero, Sergeant-Major John Osborn. Osborn, an English-born veteran of the First World War, was the first Canadian to receive the Victoria Cross in the Second World War, and it was the only VC awarded for action during the battle for Hong Kong. On the night that Gander saved the lives of seven of his friends in the Royal Rifles of Canada, Sergeant-Major Osborn of the Winnipeg Grenadiers was leading an attack on Mount Butler just a few miles away. Having taken the hill and held it for three hours with only bayonets for weapons, his company was finally forced out by enemy gunfire. Separated from the main battalion, Osborn ignored the rattle of enemy machine guns to gather his men together and lead them to a safer position. When the Japanese began throwing grenades, Osborn began throwing them back. For a while he kept pace with the constant stream of missiles but suddenly one landed too far from his reach. Instinctively, Osborn shouted to warn his men away as he selflessly dived onto the grenade. He was killed instantly but his bravery saved the lives of many others.

      Fifty-four years after the fall of Hong Kong a group of veterans were relating the story of Sergeant-Major Osborn to Jeremy Swanson, commemorations officer of the Canadian War Museum. Their memories were to be included in a special exhibition to honour the heroes of the battle in which over 300 Canadians lost their lives and 500 were wounded. The veterans, many of them injured during the fighting for Hong Kong and then held for three years as Japanese prisoners of war, were describing Osborn’s selfless act of bravery when one of the men said, ‘Yes…just like that goddam dog!’ It was the start of the conversation that the men had been waiting to have for over half a century. They wanted to relate, not how they had suffered but how a huge, brave Newfoundland dog had saved their lives. They told of the dog’s courage and companionship and how they had always wanted a medal for Gander. They wanted the world to know about their gallant mascot.

      In Ottawa, Canada, on 27 October 2000, Gander’s handler, Fred Kelly, accepted the PDSA Dickin Medal -the medal recognized internationally as the animals’ Victoria Cross – on behalf of Gander. The medal is the highest honour any animal can receive for bravery in conflict and it was the day the veteran soldiers and their families had longed for. For Fred Kelly it was, he said, ‘the best day of my life!’ Gander’s Dickin Medal went on to form a proud part of the Canadians’ Defence of Hong Kong exhibition at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. To the veterans who meet each year to remember friends fallen and heroes lost, Gander is a hero still.

      The Hong Kong Veterans Association of Canada (HKVAOC) is still a very active group of veterans and their families, who continue to fight for the recognition of that period of sacrifice. In August 2009 they succeeded in seeing the unveiling of a memorial wall depicting the battle and the names of the people lost in the conflict. The unveiling was a proud and long-awaited moment for the surviving veterans of the Battle of Lye Mun. It was also the foundation stone for the memorial that will go on to feature a bronze of Canada’s canine hero – Gander.

      During the battle for Hong Kong Gander proved that he was a ‘soldier dog’. He was no longer a child’s pet, he was a war dog who slept, ate and drank only when he was not facing the enemy. Gander was not trained to be a messenger or a guard dog, like so many other pet dogs were during the Second World War. He just found himself on active service and did what he had done from the start – he gave his friends comfort, companionship and a cosy reminder of home so very far away. But in the throes of battle, Gander was the soldier dog that the hostilities made him.

      Gander is now recognized as a Canadian hero of the Second World War. But to his soldier friends he will always be their best pal.

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