As we commemorate brave soldiers who fought for freedom on Remembrance day, it is easy to forget the enormous role that animals have played in wars throughout history including both world wars.
Horses, camels, donkeys , mules and even elephants played a large part as mounts for cavalry, as transport and even drawing ambulance carts in rough terrain.
Cats and dogs played an important part in especially WW1 in keeping trench free of rodents that could spread disease. Dogs and pigeons were also used to carry messages and some dogs carried supplies such as radio equipment and medical kits directly to the line of fire.
Dogs were also useful as bomb sniffers, for search and rescue and as guard dogs and for detecting enemies in scouting missions.
There were also animals that acted as mascots and assisted the war effort in unique ways. Here are three famous South African examples:
Corporal Jackie
During the outbreak of WW1, a volunteer soldier, Albert Marr joined the 3rd (Transvaal) Regiment of the 1st South African Infantry Brigade to serve in France. However, Albert had raised a Baboon named Jackie as a pet and the animal was distraught at him leaving.
Albert took a chance and asked his superiors if his pet baboon could perhaps join him as the Regiment's mascot. The well-behaved Jackie soon became a troop favourite and he was officially enlisted as a private, received a specially fitted uniform, a pay book and his own rations. He soon learned to drill and march with the rest of the soldiers and would salute senior officers with style.
He played a pivotal part in keeping up the morale of the regiment and his sharp senses lead to him providing key warnings during guard duty as he would warn soldiers of enemy movement by barking and tugging.
He also showed great care and compassion when his owner was hurt during the battle of Agagia and tried to lick the wounds while waiting for the medical personnel to arrive.
He was however seriously wounded in a bombing near the end of the war, when a jagged piece of shrapnel wounded him in the arm and another nearly severed his leg. War doctors did emergency surgery on site to amputate the injured leg and to dress the wounded arm.
It was a stressful situation for all, as the attending doctor was not sure whether the anaesthetic would be safe. However Jackie quickly recovered and even saluted upon waking up.
After the war was over, Jackie participated in the Lord Mayor’s Day Procession and was used in efforts to collect funds for the Red Cross treating sick and wounded soldiers and for the Widows and Orphans Fund by allowing the public to pay half a crown to shake Jackie by the hand and five shillings to kiss the baboon.
At the end of his military career, Jackie was promoted from private to corporal, wore one gold ‘wound’ stripe and three blue service chevrons, indicating three years of frontline service and was awarded a Pretoria Citizen’s Service Medal.
Nancy the Springbok
Nancy is the only animal in South African military history to be accorded full funeral honours and to be buried in an Allied war cemetery.
Sadly, Nancy caught pneumonia during the severe winter of 1918 and died. Her death was announced in General Orders – probably the only occasion in military history that this was done. All parades were cancelled.
Nancy, a family pet, was volunteered as a mascot by her owner , Mrs McLaren Kennedy of the farm Vierfontein in the Orange Free State to keep the memory of South Africa alive for soldiers that were stationed overseas. She was assigned to the 4th South African Infantry Regiment and put in the charge of Private Petersen who served as a bugler. She was trained to respond to all the regimental calls, as well as conduct herself with dignity on the parade ground and on ceremonial occasions.
She accompanied the regiment first to England for basic training, then deployment in Egypt.
At Mex camp in Alexandria, she failed to turn up to parade one morning and was posted up in regimental orders as AWOL. Due to her popularity as a mascot, all camps joined in the search for her and her carer was given special permission to enter the city of Alexandria to look for her.
All military parades were cancelled and a three day search was launched. Finally, patrols of bagpipers were dispatched through the desert to play in the hope that she will hear the marching music and respond. It worked and she was at parade the next morning, as if nothing had happened.
She accompanied the regiment throughout different missions in France and was often under heavy fire, but her only injury was during the battle of the Somme when she was startled by the sound of a shell and bolted into a wall. This injury lead to her horn growing into a unique downward angle.
The highlight of Nancy’s distinguished military career and war record happened on 17 February 1918 when she attended her last ceremonial parade. She proudly led four battalions of the South African Brigade to the first Delville Wood service, prancing on her thin little legs.
Sadly, Nancy caught pneumonia during the severe winter of 1918 and died. Her death was announced in General Orders – probably the only occasion in military history that this was done. All parades were cancelled.The remaining active members of the regiment shot the volley at the funeral and her carer played Last Post on the bugle.
She was taxidermied and displayed at the Transvaal Scottish Regimental Headquarters and finally moved to the War Museum in Johannesburg.
Just nuisance, Able seaman
Just Nuisance, was a Great Dane belonging to Benjamin Chaney who ran the United Services Institute (USI) in Simon's town.
The USI was frequented mainly by Royal Navy sailors, who served at the naval base at the time. He was a very friendly dog and the sailors liked to give him treats and play with him.
Eventually, he realised all sailors, recognizable by their uniforms were friendly and started following them around on the naval base, dockyards and ships.
He especially liked the HMS Neptune and his favourite spot was to lie on the deck on the brow at the top of the gangplank, exactly in everyone's way.
The sailors would say - "You're just a nuisance, why do you have to lay here of all places?!" - and that's how he got his name.
He even started following sailors when they went to Cape Town for leave and he soon became well known on the trains and would jump on and off at different stations.
Apparently, the sailors would try to hide him from the Ticket collector, but as he was such a big dog this was not always possible and he would be put off at the next station, but being a very clever dog, he would walk back to the previous station or just wait at the station in question and board the next train to continue his journey.
A few times, when approached by an angry conductor, he showed how serious he was about rail travel by standing on his hind legs, putting his huge paws on the conductor's shoulders and growling in the poor man's face.
Railway officials sent a stream of demands to Mr. Chaney his owner to confine the dog, pay his fares, or get rid of him. The railways finally warned that they would have to put him down if he persisted in boarding trains.
This resulted in a massive outcry from his sailor friends and finally the Commander-in-Chief of the navenlisted him into the Royal Navy!
It was a wonderfully simple solution to his love for train-hopping - a "volunteer" enlisted during the War was entitled to a free pass on the train!
On Friday, 25th August 1939, Just Nuisance was enlisted into the Royal Navy. Like all new sailors, he underwent a medical examination which he duly passed and was declared fit for active duty.
The proper enlistment forms were filled in and he signed them with a paw mark. he started sleeping in the bunks and a seaman was allocated to ensure that Just Nuisance was regularly washed and he often appeared at parades wearing his seaman's hat.
He was known for breaking up fights between sailors by standing up on his hind legs and pushing his huge paws against their chests. After a short while he was promoted from ‘Ordinary Seaman’ to ‘Able Seaman’, which entitled him to naval rations.
Just Nuisance's train journeys also did not stop with his enlistment. Oftentimes he would find a drunken sailor on the train and escort the man back to his bunk in Simon's Town. Some sailors "helped back home" were not even stationed in Simon's Town.
Just Nuisance being famous for his antics assisted the War Effort by attending functions and through fundraising by auctioning his puppies and through the sale of a book about him (" Just Nuisance - Able Seaman Who Leads A Dog's Life" by Leslie Stein), as well as postcards of him with his pups, were also raising large sums of money.
Just Nuisance was however still a bit of a troublemaker and his Navy conduct sheets lists several misdeeds such as travelling on the train without his free pass, sleeping on a bed in the Petty Officer's dormitory, going AWOL, losing his collar and resisting eviction from pubs at closing time.
His most serious offence was fighting with the mascots of other Royal Navy vessels. He caused the death of the mascots on both the HMS Shropshire and the HMS Redoubt.
Just Nuisance was discharged from the Royal Navy at HMS Afrikander where he had been "stationed" since 1940, on Monday, 1st January 1944.
Due to health reasons he was later euthanized and Saturday, 2nd April 1944 at 11:30am, his body was wrapped in a canvas bag, covered with a white Royal Naval Ensign and he was finally laid to rest with full military honours at Klaver Camp on top of Red Hill (the current site of the South African Navy Signal School) - a solemn ceremony that included a firing party of Royal Marines and a lone Bugler.
A simple granite gravestone marked his grave.
Today he has become a legendary figure in Simon's Town - a statue on Jubilee Square reminds us of him and his grave on Red Hill are popular tourist attractions.
The Simon's Town Museum has in its collection all Just Nuisance's official papers, his collar and many photographs.
A special display has been mounted in the Museum and a slide show giving the story of this famous dog is shown daily to children and tourists from all over the world.
The town has also hosted parades and other events in his honour.
Compiled by Carmen Neethling
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