In the United States of America, the US Marine Corp has, as its official mascot, a British Bulldog. The present incumbent is named Chesty in honour of Marine Lieutenant General Lewis B “Chesty” Puller jr. Chesty the bulldog lives at the marine barracks in Washington DC where he attends weekly parades.
Canadian military units almost always adopt a Newfoundland Dog.
In 1775 at the battle of Bunker Hill during the American War of Independence a stray goat wandered onto the battlefield and is reported to have stayed with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers as they left the field and this is believed to be the start of the habit of British Army regiments adopting an animal mascot.
Strangely enough, there are very strict rules for animals to be accepted as official mascots in the UK
These rules include:-
Now in the British army, the official mascot of a regiment is given a number, a rank, with the prospects of promotion and draws rations exactly the same as a serving soldier. It also has access to the services of the RAVC.
At this time there are only ten recognised regimental mascots of which two are dogs. These belong to the Royal Irish Regiment and the Irish Guards and unsurprisingly both are Irish Wolfhounds.
Domhnall is the current mascot of the Irish Guards. The first one was presented to the Regiment in 1902 and was named Brian Boru after one of Ireland’s legendary chieftains. He was given the pet name Paddy and since then there have been 14 more.
The Irish Guards are the only Guards Regiment that has the right to have a mascot lead them on parade although he doesn’t accompany them at the Trooping of Colour ceremony.
The Royal Irish Regiment formed in 1992 also has a wolfhound mascot and they do things slightly differently. Their dog is always called Brian Boru and to differentiate between dogs, Roman numerals are attached to the name so the present incumbent is called Brian Boru1X, he is the ninth in line and his pet name is Finn.
Alongside the official mascots whose care is funded by the Ministry of Defence, there are a number of unofficial ones who are just as prized and well cared for but whose care is funded through regimental funds. These are known as pets rather than mascots.
In 1882 during the Egyptian War, the Staffordshire Regiment was departing Cairo by train when their mascot dog who went by the name of Boxer was startled and leapt from the train as it started to move. Assumed to be dead the animal was left behind only to reappear, looking decidedly the worse for wear, in Assuit several days later. This extraordinary dog had run 200 miles across the desert to rejoin his regiment!!
Since 1949 the Staffordshire Regiment has always had a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Watchman. There have been six so far and Watchman 1V had a fairly illustrious career, was introduced to Her Majesty the Queen and was promoted to colour sergeant, the same rank as his handler. The current holder of the title is LCpl Watchman V1 even though the Regiment ceases to exist having been incorporated into the Marcia Regiment. When a Watchman passes away he is buried with full military honours at St Edwards Square in Burton on Trent, Staffordshire.
The Royal Air Force have a unique canine mascot.
Buster was a Royal Air Force Police Arms and Explosives Search Dog He became the RAF police mascot – lifetime honour.
Unlike the usual mascots who are, in fairness, only pets Buster was the real deal. In an action-packed life, he completed five tours of duty in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, is credited with saving over a thousand lives both military and civilian and was the last working explosives dog to leave Iraq. Buster, who was a Springer Spaniel, was given a red and black coat to wear for ceremonial occasions and received special dispensation from the Military Medals Office to wear his set of five campaign medals in public. He passed away peacefully in 2015.
In 1973 the Royal Navy banned taking animals to sea which ended a long tradition of naval personnel having an extensive range of exotic animals on board. This was in response to concerns that rabies may be carried by the menagerie of animals that inhabited British naval vessels. Included were a Gibraltar rock ape, monkeys, a host of big cats, exotic birds, an eagle, dogs and a python who went by the name Percy.
In all honesty, I would have dismissed the following tale if I had not seen the photographs.
Probably the strangest tale of a pet mascot concerns a reindeer. In 1941 the crew of HMS Trident were presented with a reindeer by a Russian Admiral as a thank you for the assistance given. The Captain not wanting to create a diplomatic incident graciously accepted.
There was, however, a minor problem. HMS Trident was a submarine!!
Pollyanna, as she was called was brought aboard through a torpedo tube along with a barrel of moss. The moss ran out quite quickly so she was fed scraps from the gally and developed a taste for Carnation condensed milk. She also liked her comfort and demanded that she sleep under the Captain’s bunk. On returning to England it was discovered that Pollyanna had so overindulged on Carnation condensed milk that she was too fat to fit into the torpedo tube. This necessitated that she be lifted by a special hoist in order to extract her from the submarine. Pollyanna was eventually given to Regents Park Zoo (now London Zoo) where she lived out her days, however, it was noted that she always ducked at the sound of a loudspeaker or a siren
Animals in general and mascots, in particular, are considered an important factor in the morale and wellbeing of troops, however, without a doubt, some mascots have been totally unsuitable!!
Final question. When on a submarine and you have been feeding a reindeer condensed milk what do you do with the reindeer poo?
“If all the beasts were gone men would die from a great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth.”
Chief Seattle.
North American Duwarnish Tribal Chief 1786-1866
With subtitle or not?