The D-Day Story is located in Portsmouth on the south coast of
England. On June 6, 1944 Gustav was
released from an Allied ship off the coast of Normandy. He flew to Thorney Island, near Portsmouth,
with the first message from the beaches.
In 1944, Gustav was awarded the PDSA Dickin Medla, the animal equivalent
of the Victoria Cross. Gustav was
owned by a Portsmouth man and his Dickin Medal is on loan to
The D-Day Story.
His owner's Identity Card and Pigeon Service Badge are also on display along
with a pigeon message container and a bronze model of Gustav that visitors are
invited to touch.
Below is a photo taken by
Frank A. Blazich, Jr., Curator of Modern Military History at the National
Museum of American History in Washington D.C., of the plush Gustav available
for sale in the museum gift shop.
No comments:
Post a Comment