Gunner (dog)
Kelpie | |
Sex | Male |
---|---|
Born | c. August 1941 Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia |
Died | April 30, 1955 (aged 13) |
Nation from | Australian |
Employer | Royal Australian Air Force |
Years active | 1942–1945 |
Known for | Air-raid early warning during World War II[1] |
Owner | Percy Westcott |
Named after | Gunner (rank) |
Gunner (born c. August 1941) was a male kelpie dog who became notable for his reliability to accurately alert Allied air force personnel that Japanese military aircraft were approaching Darwin during the Second World War.[1]
Biography
The origins of the black and white male kelpie have never been ascertained. He appears to have been a six-month-old stray when was found on 19 February 1942, under the ruins of a mess hut at RAAF Darwin, following the first Japanese air raid on Darwin. He was found by personnel from No. 2 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) who heard the dog whimpering, as result of a broken front leg.[2][3][4] The dog was taken to a field hospital, where a medical officer reportedly insisted that he could not treat a patient without knowing their name and number.[5] After being informed that the patient's name was "Gunner" and his number was "0000", the doctor set and plastered Gunner's leg.[6] At that point, Gunner officially entered the records of the RAAF.[5]
About a week later, Gunner first demonstrated his remarkable
Gunner became such a part of the air force that he slept under Westcott's bunk, showered with the men in the shower block, sat with the men at the outdoor movie pictures, and went up with the pilots during practice take-off and landings.[5][6] When Westcott was posted to Melbourne 18 months later, Gunner stayed in Darwin, looked after by the RAAF butcher.[6] Gunner's fate is undocumented.
See also
References
- ^ a b c Page 044608. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 2019-01-26
- ^ News Limited. Northern Territory News. 21 April 2011. p. 16 (Tribute to the Vietnam Veterans). Archived from the original(PDF) on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
- ^ Bombing of Darwin. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 2011-05-11.
- ^ Darwin Air Raids. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
- ^ a b c d Kerrigan, Vicki (19 February 2009). "Gunner" the air raid siren dog Archived 2012-09-24 at the Wayback Machine. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio Darwin. Retrieved 2011-04-22
- ^ OCLC 156393185
- ^ a b Cranston, Frank (15 August 1981). A man's very best friend in a nasty situation. The Canberra Times, p. 2.