3 World War 2 pigeons deliver film

     

         Paddy and Gustav, Dickin Medal Winners, 1944

(c) Crown copyright images reproduced by courtesy of The National Archives, London, UK

Catalog numbers AIR2/4129 #74, #102, #103, #177, #178, #179

The message and the note about 8” of film appear on the sixth document.  The fourth and fifth documents are the forms listing the ring numbers of the pigeons used during this operation.  The second document is a thank you note for another pigeon who delivered film.  These documents may not be that interesting!  I posted them because I have read about the WW2 pigeons delivering film, but have never seen any documents from WW2 in any books which are a record of a pigeon delivering film.  8 inches of film of any kind plus the message would be heavy for the pigeon to carry.

Two fantastic books have been written about the pigeons, dogs, horses, and the cat who won the Dickin Medal for Gallantry.  They are Peter Hawthorne's The Animal Victoria Cross and David Long's The Animals' VC.
Pigeon number NPS 42 21610 delivered the film referenced on the receipt below to RAF Felixstowe on September 19, 1944.  It was then brought to Commander Childs.