Nov 16th, 2017 : Animals in War

[xoxoxoBruce]

The dogs of war won't negotiate,
The dogs of war don't capitulate,
They will take and you will give,
And you must die so that they may live.

But the real dogs of war would rather chase a ball.



All the other animals sent off to war, Horses, Mules Elephants, Camels, cats, birds, etc, would druther not be.



The Monument in London says:
............................“This monument is dedicated to all the animals
..............................that served and died alongside British and Allied forces
..............................in wars and campaigns throughout time”

................................................................................................“They had no choice.”



But they animals at home didn’t fare well either.
The Brits knew war was coming and this would not be fought in trenches on the continent.
They had seen the Nazis build a Navy and Air Force capable of striking Britain at will.

In 1939 the United Kingdom, after failing to settle its differences with Germany through diplomacy, knew a war was imminent. Hence, in order to best prepare the nation for the worst-case scenario, the government issued some much-needed precautionary measures, such as preparing shelters for civilians or encouraging food stockpiling to avoid starvation. After witnessing sirens being placed on almost every corner of the United Kingdom and getting an issue of Air Raid Precaution in every newspaper they bought, the people, fearing for theirs and the safety of their loved ones, naturally began to panic.

But the government had been gearing up for a log time.
The "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters had been printed and plans made for rationing and civilian work details.

What to do with them(pets) when the war started. As an answer, in mid-summer 1939, on the eve of World War II, the British government established the NARPAC as an extension of the ARP organization, issuing a formal statement that read: “If at all possible, send or take your household animals into the country in advance of an emergency,” continuing with, “If you cannot place them in the care of neighbors, it really is kindest to have them killed.”

Almost every street in London was suddenly filled with disoriented and scared people, among whom were many walking their pets for one last time. It was reported in the following days that almost every hospital and dispensary was overwhelmed by the sheer number of pets brought to them, and by the end of the week almost 750,000 of these poor animals were either put to sleep or killed by their owners.

Their chances at the front seemed suddenly better.

In a way this was one of the many obvious signals that war is not knocking, it has entered uninvited through the front door. As the esteemed historian and former Dean of Ruskin College, Hilda Kean, recalls, “It was one of the things people had to do when the news came–evacuate the children, put up the blackout curtains, kill the cat.”

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