Dickin Medal Recipient. An Alsatian-Collie cross, he was born the runt of the litter in 1942, by 1944 his owner loaned him to the Army War Dog Training School when he threatened to eat her entire meat ration every week. He was trained for patrol duty and posted to the 13th Lancashire Parachute Battalion. One of only a few dogs selected for training for Operation Overlord, he was given a two week intensive course with drop planes, making his first successful jump on a training flight over Wiltshire. He was one of only three dogs to successfully complete training. During the D Day operations, he was dropped over France on June 7, landing in a tree outside the town of Ranville where he drew enemy fire until his handler cut him down. In his unit's push across France he was wounded in the course of duty as a sniffer and guard dog. He took part in Operation Varsity in March 1945, one of 16,000 paratroops in the biggest one day airdrop in history. He remained on active duty in occupied Germany serving as guard dog until April 1946, when he was returned to England and his pre-war owner. Brian was awarded the Dickin Medal on March 29, 1947, lauded for his bravery and devotion to duty along with fellow Dickin Medal winner, Ricky. The presentation took place at the opening of an exhibition of animal war hero portraits in London, Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Bowhill presiding. After attaching the medals to the dogs' collars, he stood to attention and saluted each animal in turn. Brian's role in the war is commemorated in a display at the Imperial War Museum at Dexford. In 2006, his Dickin Medal inscribed, "Brian 13th Btn. Airborne Division, Normandy, June 1944, A.F.M.C. No. 1211, D.M. No. 48" was sold at auction for £13,000. He is also known as Bing, his military call name. A children's book chronicling his wartime experiences; "The Amazing Adventures of Bing the Parachuting Dog" by Gil Boyd, was published in 2012.