WWII conjures up much pride from British people giving it the title ‘The People’s War’. When we remember the lives lost in WWII we are quick to think of the humans and forget the animals sacrificed. WWII has been considered the ‘Good War’, yet can we still give it this title when we consider the massacre of innocent animals?
In the first week of war over 400,000 pets were slaughtered. This event at the time was called 'The Holocaust of Pets'. There were various reasons for this massacre, some people were evacuating cities and could not afford to take their pets with them. Others, especially those who lived through the trauma of WWI, thought it would be kinder to put their pets to rest rather than live through the stress and suffering of bombings on London. Whilst this may seem humane to some, it is worth noting the first bombs did not fall on London until August 1940 yet the massacre of pets occurred in September 1939. Once the bombings began there was evidence of many pets who were unaffected. Therefore, the massacre of pets was premature and an unconsidered response to the announcement of war. Thousands of people unnecessarily panicked and sent their pets to their death without considering the advantages they could bring to the war.
Many animals were vital to the war in practical and emotional terms as they often boosted morale. Women whose husbands and sons were sent to the battlefield often found comfort in having their pet as a companion during times of uncertainty and isolation. Animals helped connect humans to their emotions as they found comfort in pets during times of loneliness and suffering. Humans and dogs share some similar parts of a mammalian brain meaning they could experience shared vulnerability during the war. This shared sense of anxiety often led many humans and animals to bond and find consolation in one another in times of hardship. Many pet owners felt the responsibility of looking after their pets during air raids, by keeping them calm it often distracted humans from their personal fears. Furthermore, dogs and cats assisted in warning humans when German bomber planes were approaching due to their ears being tuned to high-pitched sounds.
(Hulton Archive)
Animals often played crucial roles in the war such as dogs being used to sniff out bomb victims or being used on the front line to track enemies. By tracking enemies’ dogs could expose enemy ambushes and as a result they saved the lives of thousands of soldiers who would have been blind to the attack. As well as dogs, pigeons were used to carry messages between troops and horses carried soldiers on patrol.
Birds are another animal that received much attention in the war yet have been forgotten today among the human history. Birdsong became integral to everyday life at home as it was often played on the radio as a use of escapism and mindfulness for the British public. Claire Kipps was an air raid warden who discovered an injured sparrow from a fallen nest. Claire cared for the sparrow and taught it tricks so that when there was an air raid the sparrow would accompany her and entertain the children, distracting them momentarily from the atrocities of the war.
Clarence performing a card trick (from Claire Kipps, Sold for a farthing)
For those of us who have pets, I am sure we are all aware of how perceptive animals can be. In times of suffering and despair during the war they acted as vital soldiers as well as companions. They had the ability to boost morale. It was this high level of morale held by the British public that was part of why Britain was victorious in the war. If the country’s morale had failed, then the war effort would not have been as successful. Just like humans, animals made the ultimate sacrifice and one we cannot forget.
Sources:
Michael Guida, 'Ludwig Koch's birdsong on wartime radio: knowledge, citizenship and solace' in Robert Bud, Paul Greenhalgh, Frank James, Morag Shiach (eds) Being Modern: The Cultural Impact of Science in the Early Twentieth Century (London: UCL Press, 2018)
Philip Howell, 'The dogs that didn't bark' in the Blitz: Transpecies and transpersonal emotional geographies on the British home front',Journal of Historical Geography, 61 (2018)
Hilda Kean,The Great Cat & Dog Massacre: The Real Story of World War II’s Unknown Tragedy(Chicago, 2017)
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