Animal saved thounsand of lives during world war II. The highest medal for animal bravery is the Dickin
Medal. Of the 54 Dickin medal awarded for the war...38 went to pegeon..18 to dogs.. 3 to horses and .. 1 to ... CATS!
~MEMORY OF "SIMON" SERVED INH.M.S. AMETHYST MAY 1948 — SEPTEMBER 1949 AWARDED DICKIN MEDAL AUGUST 1949 DIED 28TH NOVEMBER 1949.THROUGHOUT THE YANGTZE INCIDEN THIS BEHAVIOUR WAS OF THE HIGHEST ORDER ~
(Ships' cats thus goes back a very long time indeed; they have been valued not only for their pest-control attributes and for their remarkable ability to adapt to new surroundings, but for the companionship and sense of home and security they gave to sailors away from home for long periods, particularly in times of war. No doubt there are still plenty of ships' cats elsewhere: but, sadly, since 1975 they (and all other animals) have been banned from Royal Navy vessels on hygiene grounds. I would have thought having a cat on board was a great deal more hygienic than having rats, but it's been decreed otherwise.)
~As mentioned earlier, Simon of the Amethyst remains the only cat to have received the Dickin Medal~
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