Rob (dog)

Rob (1939 – 18 January 1952) was a Collie dog who in February 1945 was awarded the Dickin Medal,[1] considered to be the animals' Victoria Cross. He was alleged to have made over 20 parachute descents during the North African Campaign, serving with the SAS. However, in 2006, his actions were revealed as being a possible hoax perpetrated by members of his regiment in order to prevent Rob leaving after his original owners requested his return.

Rob
Rob with his Dickin Medal and SAS troopers, Royal Hospital, Chelsea, September 1945
SpeciesDog
BreedCollie
SexMale
Born1939
Died18 January 1952
Tetchill, Shropshire
Nation fromBritish
EmployerSpecial Air Service
Notable roleMilitary Dog
OwnerBasil and Heather Bayne
AwardsDickin Medal
RSPCA silver medal

Early life and military service

Rob was a working dog on a farm in Shropshire until 1942, when his owners, Basil and Heather Bayne, enlisted him as a war dog.[2] Assigned to the Special Air Service at the base in Wivenhoe Park, Essex, Rob's official designation was war dog No 471/322.[3] He was used as a messenger and a guard dog.

Dickin Medal

Rob received his medal in London on 3 February 1945.[1] The citation read "For service including 20 parachute jumps while serving with Infantry in North Africa and SAS Regiment in Italy."[3] Rob won other medals for bravery, including an RSPCA silver medal.[2] The Dickin Medal is often referred to as the animal metaphorical equivalent of the Victoria Cross.[4]

Hoax

According to Quentin Hughes' autobiographical account of his time in the 2nd SAS, Who Cares Who Wins?,[3] the actions which led to Rob's Dickin Medal were in fact a hoax. He reported that instead of completing parachute drops as reported, the dog acted as a companion to the regiment quartermaster, Tom Burt.[5] Lll Hughes wrote that when hearing that the family which donated Rob to the Army Veterinary and Remount Services had requested the dog back, he and Burt worked together to keep Rob by exaggerating his exploits. At one point they attempted to carry out a parachute jump with Rob but weather conditions were unfavourable and they could not follow through with the jump as Hughes wrote, "We had a suitable parachute harness and I phoned through to the RAF and made arrangements for Rob to have a short flight, unfortunately, quite a strong wind blew up during the flight and the RAF decided it would be dangerous to drop Rob on that day."[3] They had planned to send a letter to his owners following the successful drop, and after the failure decided to send it anyway. Rob's owners passed the letter about the dog's actions to the PDSA,[3] resulting in Rob's Dickin Medal in January 1945. Although Hughes died in 2004, the possibility of a hoax wasn't revealed until 2006 when a painting of Rob was featured in an exhibition entitled "The Animals War" at the Imperial War Museum in London.[5] According to Hughes' friend Mickey King, who remembered the author discussing the incident, "Quentin said that nobody survived 20 parachute drops, let alone a dog. You were lucky to survive three."[3]

Sold at Auction

Rob's Dickin Medal was sold by auction at Noonans Mayfair in London for a record price of £140,000 (plus 24% buyer's premium) on 12 October 2022.[6]

Later life

Following his military service, he returned to his owners in Tetchill, Shropshire. He died in 1952 and was buried on the family farm, marked with a stone memorial which reads:[7]

To the dear memory of Rob, war dog no 471/322, twice VC, Britain's first parachute dog, who served three and a half years in North Africa and Italy with the Second Special Air Service Regiment. Died 18th January 1952 aged 12 1/2 years. Erected by Basil and Heather Bayne in memory of a faithful friend and playmate 1939–1952.

In literature

A children's book has been written about Rob, entitled Rob the Paradog, written by Dorothy Nicholle and published by Blue Hills Press.[8]

See also

Notes
  1. "Dickin Medal dogs". People's Dispensary for Sick Animals. Archived from the original on 12 February 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  2. O'Neill, Amanda (2006). Dogbiz. Interpet Publishing. p. 71. ISBN 978-1-84286-136-3.
  3. Malvern, Jack (20 July 2006). "War heroics were a shaggy dog story". The Times. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  4. Long, David (2012). The animals' VC: for gallantry and devotion: the PDSA Dickin Medal - inspiring stories of bravery and courage. London: Preface. ISBN 9781848093768.
  5. Alleyne, Richard (21 July 2006). "SAS reports of canine heroics 'just a shaggy dog story'". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  6. "Lot 412, 12 October 2022". Noonans Mayfair. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  7. Toms, Jan (2006). Animal Graves and Memorials. Shire Publications Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7478-0643-1.
  8. "Books for children". Blue Hills Press. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
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