Famous First World War pigeon deserves medal

Discover Animals’ Geoff Moore reports on the amazing story of Pigeon 2709 from the Royal Signals Museum at Blandford, where a campaign has been launched to posthumously award the heroic bird with the PDSA Dickin Medal for its service during World War One.

Released to fly a message back to England from France during the battle of Passchendaele at 1330 hrs on 3rd October 1917, Pigeon 2709 was despatched to take a signal to brigade HQ back in England from near to the Menin Gate at Ypres. This type of communication at the time was vital to let the Generals at HQ know the situation of the battle.

The flight should only have taken around 25 minutes but, soon after setting off, 2709 was hit by enemy fire. The bullet broke a leg and passed out of his body, leaving the small metal message cylinder embedded in his side. However, 2709 completed his mission; it took him what must have been an agonising 21 hours. The message was delivered at 1030 hrs the next morning, 4th October, and sadly Pigeon 2709 died shortly afterwards.

Adam Forty, Museum Business Development Manager, is very keen to get recognition for the attraction’s special pigeon, which was named by the soldiers that looked after him ‘VC Pigeon’. He feels the role he played in bringing back vital communication from such a high profile battle during the First World War does deserve special acknowledgement. The story even has a connection to two famous children’s book authors – J.R. Tolkien and A A Milne.

The Passchendaele Campaign 1917

This is an account of the British Expeditionary Forces battles in the summer and autumn of 1917. Over 60 new maps chart the day-by-day progress of each battle and action. Together the narrative and maps provide an insight into the British Army’s experience during this important campaign. The men who made a difference are mentioned; those who led the advances, those who stopped the counterattacks and those who were awarded the Victoria Cross. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

£10.99

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