top of page

Animals Of World War One

General Information

There were diffrent types of animals in World War one like Horses, Dogs, Cats, Camels, Elephants, Pigeons. There were 213, 300 mules. About 95% of messages sent by pigeons got to where they needed to go. 500,000 cats were in the army.

You may have thought that worms would not have been used in the army but you would be wrong because glowworms were used in the army to look at messages and trench maps in the dark trenches. After the soldiers got one thousand glow worms in a jar.They would use them for what ever they needed them for. As all the animals that got honored the glow worms got honored for helping in the war.

Elephants were used in the war as well, they carred heavy objects and were used in a way a solder would use a tank. 

Horses, Mules, and Camels

Dogs 

As known as our loyal campanions dogs were used in the war,  different types of dogs were used in the war. there were five types of service dogs in the war which were Sentry dogs, Scout dogs, Casualty dogs, Messenger dogs and Mascot dogs. 

 

Sentry dog were dogs who patrolled on short leashes and ferm hands. They gave a growl to indicate there was an intruder. Scout dogs were dogs who had a quiet and deplaned altitude. They helped soldiers get through enemy territory. Casualty dogs were also known as Mercy dogs

Casualty dogs would come to a soldier when the soldier whistled and the soldier would whistle when he was dying and the Casualty dog would be with the soldier until he died. Messenger dogs were dogs who could get from the war field to headquarters or Vise versa in less than sixty minutes on difficult terrain with important messages. Mascot dogs were dogs who could help a soldier in terror and make the soldier feel the home comfort. It is said that Adolf Hitler kept a Mascot dog for him in the German trenches 

 

In WW1 there where different types of animals, one of the animals were horses. In WW1 horses were used as a way of transporttation. The horses were used in a cavalry although there was a lot of wait on a cavalry horses that usually the solder riding the cavelry horse had to get off the horse and walk it and had to unsaddle it whenever they could. Horses were also fast at training, that is another reason why they were used.The age that a horse started training at was about three to twelve years old. Horses were also caught trying to eat wagon wheels because they were hungry.

Another animal used in war other that a horse was a mule because mules had amazing stamina and more endurance for the front line than horses had. The British had a large number of mules in the army at least 213,000  mules were in the army. Although horses and mules were great for transportation they were very hard to feed and when grain was scarce the soldiers would feed the horses and mules saw dust cake. As solders died in war, horses and mules did as well, tons of horses and mules at least half that were baught to surve in the army died in WW1. As strange as it may seem camels were used in war as well they weren't used for fighting but for carring hevy objects.

Pigeons

As well as dogs were sent to send messages so were pigeons the were very relaible sorces to send a messages, about 95% of messages sent by pigeon got to where it needed to go. In the WW1 the French were able to drive the Germens back because of the messager pigeons.

 Although after the pigeon left to send a message it didn’t know where its loft was but incredibly the pigeon found its loft even though flying blind.

In WW1 the army were donated pigeons by bird breeders. In WW1 when Major Whittlesey's troup of 500 soldiers were caught in a trap and many were killed or wounded but by day 2 there were just over 200 alive and unwounded solders. After the attack Major Whittlesey sent out a number of pigeons to inform his other commanders about the trap and how deadly it was.

Cats

Our cat friends as some people may think are always lazy but you are wrong they were used in WW1 as mousers, gas detectors and campanions. Cats were used in the trenches to chatch mice and rats that were in  the trenches. They were also brought on to the sea as gas dectors on ships as so they had the run of the ships they could go anywhere they wanted to go on the ship. 

Special animals in the war

Sargent Stubby

Cher Ami

Cher Ami started out as a regular carrer pigeon. he delivered 12 important messages in a short time. During one of the messages he was delerving he got shot in the breast and one his legs was just hanging on he died from his wounds.

Sargent Stubby started off as a stray dog but saved more lives than any dog in history. Stubby was taken care of by a solder named John Robert Conroy. Everyone fell in love with Stubby and after a while he started training with everyone. he was aloud to drink out of any toilet dish anywhere in the training building. When the soldiers were going to leave to go to war John Robert Conroy snuck Stubby on board. After he let Stubby roam around on the deck. The commanding officer found out about John Robert Conroy taking Stubby on board but Stubby suprized the comanding officer and saluted the commanding officer. After that Stubby was officially aloud to go into war and be in the front line. Stubby was able to fight in the war he fought 17 battles. He was always under artrilery but one atack nearly killed him when the Germans launched a musted poison gas bomb.After Stubby used his heightened sense of smell to smell out the poision gas. Whenever he smelled the poision gas coming he would warn the soldiers by running up and down the trenches and bite them untill they put their gas masks on and then he would hide untill the poision gas went away. He also was able to sense when aritlery  fire would come and he would warn the other soldiers about it. He could also sense when German ground attacks were coming and warned the other soldiers. Stubby was also able to find wonded soldiers and help them. In April 1918 Stubby was hit by a German hand held grenade but he survived the grenade and the surgeries. Afew months later he was back in action  on the field and help take a city. The army was so happy with him that they made him a jacket that looked like an army uniform and the soldiers put metals and his name, and rank on the unform. Stubby found a spy in the trenchs and made the spy run for it, then stoped the spy. The solders were so stunned they gave him the rank Sargent. when Sargent Stubby came back to the States he was an instant celeberty when ever he went to a hotel the hotel relaxed the no dogs alowed rule and let Sargent Stubby in to the hotel. He went to the white house two times and met the presdaent. When John Robert Conroy went to law school Sargent Stubby became the mascot for the Football team. Sargent Stubby died in 1926, at the age of ten. He was a hero to many men in the army. 

Pitoutchi

When Pitoutchi was a kit his mother died before he and his littermates opened their eyes. After his mother died his littermates died. he was the only surviver. He was with one of the soldiers named Lieutenant Lekeux became his owner. When Lieutenant Lekeux found out about a German plot he came and drew a map of the operation. He was discovered by some German soldiers but before they could shoot at Lieutenant Lekeux Pitoutchi jumped out and the German soldiers shot at him,and after they sow that it was a cat they laughed and walked away letting Lieutenant Lekeux finsh the map. 

Lizzy the Elephant

Lizzy started out as a circus elephant. They recruited Lizzy because there were little horses. She was employed to get scrap metal. Lizzy was made boots so her feet didn't get hurt from the scrap mettle on the floor.

Bibliography

"Badass of the Week: Sergeant Stubby the War Dog." Badass of the Week: Sergeant Stubby the War Dog. Accessed July 13, 2015. http://www.badassoftheweek.com/sgtstubby.html.

 

"Cher Ami—World War I Carrier Pigeon." Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Cher Ami--World War I Carrier Pigeon. Accessed July 13, 2015. http://www.si.edu/encyclopedia_si/nmah/cherami.htm.

 

"Pitoutchi, a Mascot Cat in World War I." Everything Dog at Alpine Publications. March 17, 2014. Accessed July 13, 2015. https://alpinepub.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/pitoutchi-a-mascot-cat-in-wwi/.

 

Tarns, Leah. "How Did Animals (even Slugs) Serve in World War I?" National Museum of American History. November 14, 2014. Accessed July 13, 2015. http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/how-did-animals-even-slugs-serve-world-war-i.

 

"The Unlikely Animals of WWI." WAR HISTORY ONLINE. November 21, 2013. Accessed July 13, 2015. https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/circus-animals-helped-britain-wwi.html.

 

Copping, Jasper. "Cats of War: Animals Suspected by British of Spying on WW1 Trenches." The Telegraph. March 13, 2014. Accessed July 13, 2015. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/10692910/Cats-of-war-Animals-suspected-by-British-of-spying-on-WW1-trenches.html.

 

Gate, Brook, and Park Lane. "History." Animals In War Memorial. Accessed July 13, 2015. http://www.animalsinwar.org.uk/index.cfm?asset_id=1375.

 

Horon, Sonia. "World War I Animal Heroes: Dog Pigeon & Slug Influenced WWI | Global Animal." Global Animal. January 8, 2012. Accessed July 13, 2015. http://www.globalanimal.org/2012/01/08/animal-war-heroes/.

 

Rix, Megan. "Top 10 Animal War Heroes." Theguarden. July 4, 2014. Accessed July 13, 2015.

 

Smith, Mort. "Read about the Role of Camels in the First World War." Getbucks. June 5, 2014. Accessed July 13, 2015. http://www.getbucks.co.uk/news/news-opinion/animals-world-war-one-camels-6945814.

 

Staff, History.com. "War Animals From Horses to Glowworms: 7 Incredible Facts." History.com. December 22, 2011. Accessed July 13, 2015. http://www.history.com/news/war-animals-from-horses-to-glowworms-7-incredible-facts.

 

Talarico, Jessica. "15 Animals That Went To War." Imperial War Museums. Accessed July 13, 2015. http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/15-animals-that-went-to-war.

 

Tarver, Nick. "World War One: The Circus Animals That Helped Britain - BBC News." BBC News. November 11, 2013. Accessed July 13, 2015. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-24745705

 

Tompsin, Melissa. "Animals - the 9 Million Unsung Heroes of WW1." Mirror. July 30, 2014. Accessed July 13, 2015. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/9-million-unsung-heroes-ww1-3939895.

 

Trueman, C N. "Horses in World War One - History Learning Site." History Learning Site. Accessed July 13, 2015. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/the-western-front-in-world-war-one/animals-in-world-war-one/horses-in-world-war-one/.

 

Trueman, C N. "Dogs in World War One - History Learning Site." History Learning Site. Accessed July 13, 2015. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/the-western-front-in-world-war-one/animals-in-world-war-one/dogs-in-world-war-one/.

 

Trueman, C N. "Pigeons and World War One - History Learning Site." History Learning Site. Accessed July 13, 2015. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/the-western-front-in-world-war-one/animals-in-world-war-one/pigeons-and-world-war-one/.

bottom of page