- Jimmy 'The Sergeant' was born at the Battle of the Somme in 1916
- He was wounded by shellfire three times during two years on the frontline
- Donkey taught to raise his hoof in salute by the soldiers who brought him up
- Jimmy is posthumously awarded the highest military honour for an animal - almost 100 years after his birth
- After the war he raised thousands of pounds for the RSPCA through charity work in Peterborough
7
View
comments
A donkey born in a First World War trench who saved countless soldiers' lives on the battlefield is being honoured for his bravery almost 100 years on.
Jimmy 'The Sergeant' was born in France after a shell wounded his pregnant mother as she went into labour during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
Troops brought the donkey up amid falling shells and gunfire on the frontline and weaned him on tins of condensed milk.
War donkey: Jimmy in the 1920s with one of his keepers after he was 'demobbed'. he was born at the Somme in 1916 and saved countless soldiers' lives
Jimmy spent the next two years in the Army, carrying equipment and soldiers, and he was even taught to raise his hoof in salute, with the troop of Cameronian Scottish Rifles.
Jimmy has now been awarded the Dickin Medal for bravery, the highest military honour for an animal, by the Cameronian's Museum in Hamilton, Scotland.
Sam Morrell, Cameronian Scottish Rifles Regimental Association member and war historian, said: 'Jimmy played an important role in keeping up the morale of the troops, even if he just acted as a distraction from the horror of what was around them.
RELATED ARTICLES
Share this article
Share'He gave them something else to think about rather than whether or not they would be killed.
'He was a clever animal and even was even trained to raise his hoof in salute on command.
'After the war he gave a lot of pleasure to children and helped raised a lot of money for charity. It's only right that he should be honoured and I'm glad he is recognised by the Hamilton museum.'
Despite being lauded for his role on the frontline, mystery surrounds the circumstances of Jimmy's birth.
Troops: The Cameronian Scottish Rifles 'somewhere in France' during World War I. They looked after Jimmy on the frontline - but he was wounded three times by shells in the space of two years
Troops: The Cameronian Scottish Riffles somewhere in Malta during the First World War. After the end of the conflict they were based temporarily in Peterborough - and while there Jimmy was sold
It has been claimed he was delivered by Scottish troops following an agreed cease fire between Allied and enemy soldiers.
ANIMALS OF THE WAR: WAR HORSES AND DONKEYS ON THE FRONTLINE
With tank technology still in its infancy, donkeys and horses were still an essential tool in every country's armoury during World War I.
However, as machine guns were developed throughout the conflict, they became less and less useful.
The British mounted cavalry charges throughout the war.
However, the key role of the horse - and the donkey - was as a method of transport to take weapons and supplies to the frontline.
The motor car was still in the early stages of its development - and was certainly not versatile enough to cross the muddy terrain in France and Belgium.
Although railways could have been built, the process was time-consuming and it was easiest to transport things by donkey or horse.
Another account says Jimmy's mother was sent into labour after being hit by a shell and the baby donkey was born soon afterwards, only to be found by advancing Scottish troops in no man's land cowering next to her body.
The young donkey was wounded three times by shellfire during his two years on the frontline.
At the end of the war he was de-mobbed and in 1920 brought to Peterborough, where the Cameronian Scottish Rifles were briefly based before returning to Scotland.
But before the soldiers left, Jimmy was sold at a charity auction to a woman known only as Mrs Heath from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.
Throughout the next 23 years Jimmy was used in a series of charity events raising thousands of pounds for the RSPCA, including donkey rides for children along the city's beach.
After his death, he was buried in Peterborough's Central Park in 1943 and a monument erected.
The grave fell into disrepair but it was restored in 2003.
Sam said: 'There were many boys from this area who were in the Cameronians and were killed during World War One.
'Jimmy received the Dicken Medal and he was made an honorary sergeant with three stripes on his bridle.
'Jimmy was injured three times by shell debris but he recovered each time. He is a big part of the Cameronian history and we want to make sure that he is never forgotten.'
Jimmy will be honoured as part of an exhibition at the Cameronian's Museum in Hamilton, which will reopen on April 4 following a refurbishment.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWJ%2Fcn2YbGpxZ4Sdsm6wzqeinrFdl7yzuox%2FoKurpGKksL7LnWSQmaJiwbOxzZyfZqWRqLCwwIx7qaKsmai1bsDRqKapq16dwa64