Military Service
Gander initially was a family pet and they could not keep him, so they decided to give the large dog to the Royal Rifles,a regiment of the Canadian Army stationed at Gander International Airport, Newfoundland and Labrador.
They renamed him "Gander" and promoted him to sergeant.
When the unit was shipped to Hong Kong in the fall of 1941,
Gander went along.
The Battle of Hong Kong began on December 8,1941
Gander helped in the fight on three occasions.
The last time, Gander picked up a thrown hand grenade and
rushed with it toward the enemy, dying in the ensuing explosian, but saving the lives of several wounded soldiers.
Gander was a Newfoundland dog posthmously awarded the Dickin Medal, the "animals'VC", in 2000 for his deeds in World War II the first such award in over 50 years.
After the efforts by the Canadian War Museum, the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals awarded Gander the Dickin Medal on October 27, 2000, the first such award since 1949.
The citation reads :
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 the 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.
At the insistence of survivors of the battle, his name was listed with those of 1975 men and two women on the Hong Kong Veterans Memorial Wall in Ottawa, Canada.
Info & pictures: Wikipedia
Gander initially was a family pet and they could not keep him, so they decided to give the large dog to the Royal Rifles,a regiment of the Canadian Army stationed at Gander International Airport, Newfoundland and Labrador.
They renamed him "Gander" and promoted him to sergeant.
When the unit was shipped to Hong Kong in the fall of 1941,
Gander went along.
The Battle of Hong Kong began on December 8,1941
Gander helped in the fight on three occasions.
The last time, Gander picked up a thrown hand grenade and
rushed with it toward the enemy, dying in the ensuing explosian, but saving the lives of several wounded soldiers.
Gander was a Newfoundland dog posthmously awarded the Dickin Medal, the "animals'VC", in 2000 for his deeds in World War II the first such award in over 50 years.
After the efforts by the Canadian War Museum, the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals awarded Gander the Dickin Medal on October 27, 2000, the first such award since 1949.
The citation reads :
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 the 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.
At the insistence of survivors of the battle, his name was listed with those of 1975 men and two women on the Hong Kong Veterans Memorial Wall in Ottawa, Canada.
Info & pictures: Wikipedia
Military Service
Gander initially was a family pet and they could not keep him, so they decided to give the large dog to the Royal Rifles,a regiment of the Canadian Army stationed at Gander International Airport, Newfoundland and Labrador.
They renamed him "Gander" and promoted him to sergeant.
When the unit was shipped to Hong Kong in the fall of 1941,
Gander went along.
The Battle of Hong Kong began on December 8,1941
Gander helped in the fight on three occasions.
The last time, Gander picked up a thrown hand grenade and
rushed with it toward the enemy, dying in the ensuing explosian, but saving the lives of several wounded soldiers.
Gander was a Newfoundland dog posthmously awarded the Dickin Medal, the "animals'VC", in 2000 for his deeds in World War II the first such award in over 50 years.
After the efforts by the Canadian War Museum, the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals awarded Gander the Dickin Medal on October 27, 2000, the first such award since 1949.
The citation reads :
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 the 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.
At the insistence of survivors of the battle, his name was listed with those of 1975 men and two women on the Hong Kong Veterans Memorial Wall in Ottawa, Canada.
Info & pictures: Wikipedia
Gander initially was a family pet and they could not keep him, so they decided to give the large dog to the Royal Rifles,a regiment of the Canadian Army stationed at Gander International Airport, Newfoundland and Labrador.
They renamed him "Gander" and promoted him to sergeant.
When the unit was shipped to Hong Kong in the fall of 1941,
Gander went along.
The Battle of Hong Kong began on December 8,1941
Gander helped in the fight on three occasions.
The last time, Gander picked up a thrown hand grenade and
rushed with it toward the enemy, dying in the ensuing explosian, but saving the lives of several wounded soldiers.
Gander was a Newfoundland dog posthmously awarded the Dickin Medal, the "animals'VC", in 2000 for his deeds in World War II the first such award in over 50 years.
After the efforts by the Canadian War Museum, the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals awarded Gander the Dickin Medal on October 27, 2000, the first such award since 1949.
The citation reads :
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 the 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.
At the insistence of survivors of the battle, his name was listed with those of 1975 men and two women on the Hong Kong Veterans Memorial Wall in Ottawa, Canada.
Info & pictures: Wikipedia
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