Judy: A Four-Legged Guardian Angel by Candace West

 

In my series featuring animals who have received the Dickin Medal for valor, I discovered the story of Judy, a brown and white English Pointer. (For review: the Dickin Medal is awarded to animals who perform incredible acts of bravery in wartime. It is the Victoria Cross for our furry friends.)

During World War II, Judy became the mascot for the Royal Navy ship HMS Gnat and later the HMS Grasshopper. Her job was to improve morale among the troops.

But this soon changed.

After a mission on the Grasshopper, Judy was captured along with the troops in 1942. To save her life, the men smuggled her with them to a Japanese Prisoner of War camp in Sumatra. Later that year, the men hid her again under rice sacks when they were transferred to a prison camp in Medan.

They shared their meager rations with her. She lost weight and became a former shadow of herself, but her will to live inspired the men to hold on in the worst circumstances.

In Medan, Judy met fellow-prisoner Frank Williams who taught her a sophisticated way of communicating. By using a language of hand signals and low whistles, she learned his commands. Her loyalty to him and the other troops became legend.

Judy and Frank Williams

Judy learned to create distractions when someone was being beaten. She also comforted those who were suffering.

In 1944, however, the dangers intensified.

Using his special language he had developed for Judy, Frank and the others smuggled her when they were transferred to another camp. For hours while they were forced to stand in formation in the unforgiving heat, Judy remained quiet and unmoving inside a sack on Frank’s shoulder.

On June 26^th, still on their journey, the ship that was carrying the prisoners was torpedoed. As it was sinking, Frank pushed Judy from a porthole before abandoning the ship with his fellow troops.

Frank lost track of Judy in the fiery, oil slick waters. He lost hope of ever seeing his friend again.

In Singapore, however, Frank was reunited with Judy in the camp. When she saw him, she flung herself against him. Both were overcome with joy.

Frank learned that Judy had saved lives while the ship was sinking. She pulled many men to shore only to rushed back into the sea to save more. One of the soldiers she saved had smuggled her into the camp.

The Japanese soldiers learned to tolerate Judy as long as she behaved herself. And she did, always obeying Frank’s hand cues and whistles.

Her loyalty and bravery inspired and encouraged the soldiers who were starved, beaten, and forced to work laying railway tracks in the jungle. Her will to survive gave them the courage to keep going.

Both Frank and Judy survived the dangers of prison camp to finally recover and rest in England after the war ended. Once more, though, Frank had to smuggle her onto the ship that would carry them home. By then, Judy was a pro at keeping a secret.

Her tenacity and love could not be kept under wraps for long. Her fame soon spread throughout England.

During the Victory Day celebrations, Judy became the first dog to bark live on air across the radio waves worldwide. She also attended charity events to raise money for charities and comfort the families of those whose loved ones did not return home from the prison camps.

Judy 

In May 1946, she received the Dickin Medal and a citation which reads For magnificent courage and endurance in Japanese prison camps, which helped to maintain morale among her fellow prisoners and also saving many lives through her intelligence and watchfulness.

Judy spent the rest of her life happily with Frank until she passed from this life on February 17, 1950.

Judy and Frank in later years

According to the National Military Working Dogs Memorial, she is the only dog officially listed as a Prisoner of War.

Source and Photo Credits:

The National Military Working Dogs Memorial, UK  and PDSA

About Candace West

A homeschooling mama by day and a historical romance writer whenever she can steal the time, Candace West writes hope-filled, redemptive stories that snag her characters from disaster to victory. In 2018, she published her debut novel Lane Steen. Since then, she has authored the Valley Creek Redemption and Windy Hollow series. She also belongs to The Mosaic Collection of authors. When she isn't crafting her next story, she divides her time between family and three bossy cats.

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