Medals for bravery awarded to a Collie-Retriever named Rob recently sold for a record £140,000 ($160,000 USD). Rob made regular SAS parachute jumps behind enemy lines during the Second World War and is credited for saving his human colleagues.
A Heroic Dog
Rob was born in 1939 and worked on his family’s farm before he was recruited for military service in 1942. “He used to help settle the chicks in their houses at night, picking them up in his mouth when they had strayed away — he had a wonderful mouth — and tucking them in under their mothers,” Rob’s pet parent told the Oban Times.
Following his wartime adventures, Rob settled back into life on the farm, occasionally making public appearances. He led the Wembley Parade of 32 war dogs in1947 to help raise funds for returning prisoners of war and their families.
Rob made 20 parachute jumps strapped into a special harness, including one into Nazi-held Italy with the SAS, reported The Guardian. One of Rob’s jobs was to stand guard and alert his human comrades of danger by licking their faces. The para-dog also carried important messages from one part of the front to the other. According to the Daily Mail, on one mission Rob went missing for five weeks but in that time rounded up all the widely scattered members of his 2nd SAS patrol and they returned home safely. The war hero died in 1952 at age 12.
Medals on the Auction Block
Rob was the only dog ever to be awarded both the PDSA Dickin Medal for Gallantry (considered the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross) and the RSPCA Red Collar for Valour. He was also awarded a lifetime supply of biscuits for his service. The Dickin medal is the highest award an animal can receive for serving in the military.
London medal auctioneer Noonans describes the medal’s inscription thus: “War Dog No 471/322 ‘Rob’ took part in the landings in the North African campaign with an Infantry unit. Since September 1943, he has served with a Special Air Force Regiment and took part in operations with that Unit in Italy, most of which were of an unpleasant nature. He was used as a patrol and guard over small parties who were lying up in enemy-occupied territory. There is no doubt that his presence with these parties saved many of them from being discovered, and thereby captured or killed. The dog has made over 20 parachute descents.”
