Sergeant Gander: A Canadian Hero

By Robyn Walker

Sergeant Gander is a fascinating account of the Royal Rifles of Canadas canine mascot, and his devotion to duty demonstrated during the Battle of Hong Kong in the Second World War. Armed only with his formidable size, an intimidating set of teeth, and a protective instinct, Gander rought alongside his fellow Canadian soldiers. As the Royal Rifles’ position become more precarious, the men were forced to retreat into the hills of Hong Kong, and it was here that a group of wounded Canadians, threatened by a live grenade, came to fully appreciate the loyalty of Gander.

For his service in battle, Sergeant Gander was awarded the Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent to the Victoria Cross for humans. This honour is dedicated to animals displaying gallantry and devotion to duty while under any control of the armed forces. Sergeant Gander is the nineteenth dog to receive this medal and the first Canadian canine to do so.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dundurn
• Release date: Sep 14, 2009
• ISBN: 9781770705333

Robyn Walker

Robyn Walker is a school librarian and freelance writer. She does regular book reviews for The School Library Journal. She lives in St. Thomas, Ontario.

Book preview

Sergeant Gander

A portrait of Sergeant Gander by artist Anne Mainman.

SERGEANT

GANDER

A Canadian

     Hero

 ROBYN

WALKER

Copyright © Robyn Walker, 2009

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purposes of review) without the prior permission of Dundurn Press. Permission to photocopy should be requested from Access Copyright.

Editor: Cheryl Hawley

Design: Courtney Horner

Printer: Marquis

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Walker, Robyn, 1969-

           Sergeant Gander : a Canadian hero / by Robyn Walker.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-55488-463-6

1. Sergeant Gander (Dog)--Juvenile literature. 2. Canada. Canadian Army. Royal Rifles of Canada--Mascots--Juvenile literature. 3. Dickin Medal-

Juvenile literature. 4. Newfoundland dogs--Juvenile literature. 5. Mascots-

Canada--Biography--Juvenile literature. I. Title.

D810.A65W35 2009          j940.54’251250929          C2009-903265-1

1   2   3   4   5     13   12   11   10   09

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program and The Association for the Export of Canadian Books, and the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Book Publishers Tax Credit program, and the Ontario Media Development Corporation.

Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this book. The author and the publisher welcome any information enabling them to rectify any references or credits in subsequent editions.

J. Kirk Howard, President

Front Cover Photo:The Royal Rifles with Gander in Vancouver, British Columbia, October 27, 1941. Courtesy of the National

Archives of Canada PA-116791.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I must acknowledge the invaluable assistance of Jeremy Swanson, former Commemorations Officer at thesto. He provided a wealth of background information and first-hand accounts about Gander and the veterans themselves, and was unfailing in his willingness to assist in getting the Gander story out there. It was never too late or too early to contact him and his replies were always quick and on point. The Gander story is his passion, and as a writer I benefited immensely from his willingness to share.

The assistance of the Hong Kong Veterans’ Commemorative Association (HKVCA) has been immeasurable, with specific thanks to Jim Trick and Derrill Henderson. Their willingness to answer questions and provide resources is much appreciated. The incredible website of the HKVCA is a repository of information about the Battle of Hong Kong that is without equal. Thanks also to Isabel George and Gill Hubbard of the Peoples’ Dispensary for Sick Animals, for their help in obtaining photographs and information about other animal war heroes.

Many thanks to Ron Parker and his fabulous website (dedicated to his father, Major Maurice Parker, Royal Rifles of Canada), which provides a wealth of personal accounts of the battle. Also to Eileen Elms, who was willing to share her childhood memories of Pal and of what it was like living in Gander, Newfoundland, back in 1941.

Many, many thanks to all of those individuals who provided photographs and photograph permissions for this book. Their willingness to share has truly enhanced this project.

Much appreciation goes out to Corinna Austin, one of the most talented undiscovered writers I know, and my personal muse. The moral support you provide me with on a daily basis means the world.

I would also like to thank my husband and son (Terry and Jed Walker) who supported my writing efforts; Jane Gibson and Barry Penhale at Natural Heritage Books, A Member of the Dundurn Group, for their belief in this project; and Sarah and Samantha, who were there every step of the way.

All possible efforts have been made to trace the copyright holders of the materials used in this book. The responsibility for accuracy rests solely with the author and publisher, and any errors brought to their attention will be rectified in subsequent editions.

Foreword

To say that I was pleased to be asked to write the foreword to this book would be an understatement; it meant so much more to me than the reader could possibly understand. It was a highly satisfying personal honour, due to the extraordinary events that took place when the Gander story came to light.

While I was the commemorations and programs officer at the Canadian War Museum I took on several high-profile projects that resulted in major nationally and internationally recognized events. The Gander project was brought to my desk at the same time as several others, when things were the busiest and most stressful. My two volunteer researchers, Professor Howard Stutt (retired) and Second World War D-Day veteran George Shearman, were already heavily involved in different aspects on several projects at the time. My office and my staff were also actively engaged in the commemorations program to celebrate and mark the fiftieth anniversary of both VE day in May 1995, and VJ day in August 1995.

We were very thin on the ground and there was precious little time or resources to spare for something new. It was an exhausting program for us all, with meetings and events that seemed to happen every second or third day. In the middle of all of that there were research projects for the posthumous award of the Polish Home Army Cross to twenty-six Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) aircrew by the Polish government killed in action over Poland in 1940–45 (1996), and the commemoration of the heroic act of Perth resident Howard Stokes in saving the life of a young Dutch boy in 1945 (1997).

All of those projects would eventually have highly successful outcomes, but at that particular moment their completion seemed impossible. Into the midst of this frantic activity came the dog Gander. He came to my attention in the strangest of ways; many people have since remarked that it seemed to have been pre-ordained. Whatever it was that made it happen, it was certainly at the most appropriate of times.

The Canadian government had introduced the long overdue Hong Kong clasp to the CVSM (the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal), a general service medal for veterans of the Hong Kong Battle of December 8 to 25, 1941, on July 2, 1995. The first presentations of the new bar were made by Veterans Affairs in Ottawa on August 11, 1995, as part of the VJ Day fiftieth anniversary.

At the ceremony I was accompanying the family of Canada’s first Victoria Cross winner, Sergeant Major John Osborn of Winnipeg, who was killed at Hong Kong in the selfless act of saving several of his men by throwing himself on a hand grenade. The family were the guests of the Canadian War Museum as they had donated the medal to the Museum, and I was tasked with looking after them during their stay in Ottawa.

At the social gathering after the medals award ceremony I was gathered with a group of Hong Kong veterans from both the Royal Rifles of Canada and Winnipeg Grenadiers, and the family of John Osborn. We were discussing the medals and the courage of Sergeant Major Osborn. I made a casual remark to the assembled guests that it must have taken tremendous courage and immediate instinctive reaction to have performed such a deed with a deadly smoking hand grenade just feet away, waiting to deliver death and destruction to many.

One of the veterans near me, who I believe was Bob Manchester of the Winnipeg Grenadiers, answered my statement by replying Yes. Just like that damn dog. In answer to my immediate question, Bob Manchester and his friend Robert Flash Clayton told me all about Gander and what he had done. I shall never forget it; I was stunned by what I heard. I had heard many stories about the battles in Hong Kong, and indeed in many other wars, but never one about a dog picking up a grenade in the middle of battle. That night Manchester told me that he and his comrades had always felt that the dog deserved a medal for what he had done in saving the lives of seven wounded men, but that in the aftermath of war and history no one wanted to know about a dog mascot. Still, they kept hoping it would happen. And so it has.

So that night in August 1995, Gander, the beloved dog mascot of the Royal Rifles of Canada, entered the story and my life. It was the start of three years of dedicated work by my volunteer group and office staff to find out what had happened, research all the evidence, and present the story to the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) in the United Kingdom for eligibility for the award of the Dickin Medal, known as the Animals’ Victoria Cross.

For me, one of the most poignant moments came at the end of August when Roger Cyr, past president of the Hong Kong Veterans’ Association (HKVA), sat in front of me in my office at the War Museum and told me the story of Gander from the point of view of the men who were there and knew him. Roger told the story with difficulty because he had to tell me about the regiment’s battle at the same time. He burst into tears in the middle of it and said to me through his tears, Jeremy don’t ever let them forget us! I have always felt that in this meeting, in the moment of tearful memory while he told the story of Gander, he was also telling me the story of the men he served with, and that somehow by recognizing Gander’s bravery perhaps we could all remember the courage of the men who fought, died, and endured unspeakable horrors at Hong Kong, so many years before. It seemed that Gander’s recognition would help the generations that follow to understand and recognize what the soldiers had done.

Roger Cyr was a wise man, as well as a brave one. It would not have been easy to deny a request from a man with such heart and soul. That afternoon I promised him that I would do what he had asked. I did not let him down. It took three years to complete, but we did it. Roger was there at the award ceremony. I am sure I saw a glint in his eye and a wink of thanks as he presented me a life membership in the Hong Kong Veterans’ Association in October 2000, in recognition of my work for Gander and the Association.

What took place between the moment of Gander’s story being revealed and the awarding of the Dickin Medal is contained within this fine book by Robyn Walker. It is a fascinating tale. I have never asked Robyn how she learned of Gander, or why she wanted to do the book, but in meeting with her I did know that it was going to be a good one and that the story would be complete, which it has proved to be. In reading this book I have been immensely gratified to learn so many things about the Gander story that my volunteers and office group did not know at the time. I realize now that there were many blanks in the narrative and many unanswered questions over the years, which time and events