Winkie (pigeon)
Encyclopedia
Winkie was a pigeon who won the Dickin Medal
in 1943 for assisting in the rescue of an aircrew forced to ditch in North Sea
during the Second World War.
During World War II
, Winkie the carrier pigeon was on a British Bristol Beaufort
Bomber when it crashed in the North Sea
on 23 February 1942 as a result of being badly damaged by enemy fire following a mission to Norway
.
Struggling in the freezing waters, the crew remembered one piece of vital equipment, a blue chequered hen, number NEHU 40 NSL. It was a long shot, but she was their only chance as the crew did not have time to radio an accurate position before ditching.
Winkie was set free and flew 120 miles home to Broughty Ferry
, where her owner George Ross discovered the exhausted pigeon. He alerted the airbase at RAF Leuchars
in Fife
, and a search and rescue mission was launched.
Using the time difference from the plane ditching, to the arrival of the pigeon in the loft, and taking into account the wind direction and the inhibition to her flight speed caused by oil spoilage to her feathers, the RAF were able to approximate where the plane ditched. Within 15 minutes the crew’s position had been located and a rescue vessel dispatched.
On 2 December 1943, Winkie was awarded the Dickin Medal
. The citation read "for delivering a message under exceptional difficulties and so contributing to the rescue of an Air Crew while serving with the RAF in February 1942." Winkie received her medal from Maria Dickin
in March 1943.
The crew were rescued and later held a dinner for Winkie, who basked in her cage as she was toasted by the officers.
When Winkie died, her owner George Ross donated her and her Dickin Medal to Dundee Art Galleries and Museums.
Dickin Medal
The Dickin Medal was instituted in 1943 in the United Kingdom by Maria Dickin to honour the work of animals in war. It is a bronze medallion, bearing the words "For Gallantry" and "We Also Serve" within a laurel wreath, carried on a ribbon of striped green, dark brown and pale blue...
in 1943 for assisting in the rescue of an aircrew forced to ditch in North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
during the Second World War.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Winkie the carrier pigeon was on a British Bristol Beaufort
Bristol Beaufort
The Bristol Beaufort was a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber....
Bomber when it crashed in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
on 23 February 1942 as a result of being badly damaged by enemy fire following a mission to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
Struggling in the freezing waters, the crew remembered one piece of vital equipment, a blue chequered hen, number NEHU 40 NSL. It was a long shot, but she was their only chance as the crew did not have time to radio an accurate position before ditching.
Winkie was set free and flew 120 miles home to Broughty Ferry
Broughty Ferry
Broughty Ferry is a suburb on the eastern side of the City of Dundee, on the shore of the Firth of Tay in eastern Scotland...
, where her owner George Ross discovered the exhausted pigeon. He alerted the airbase at RAF Leuchars
RAF Leuchars
RAF Leuchars is the most northerly air defence station in the United Kingdom. It is located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the university town of St Andrews.-Operations:...
in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, and a search and rescue mission was launched.
Using the time difference from the plane ditching, to the arrival of the pigeon in the loft, and taking into account the wind direction and the inhibition to her flight speed caused by oil spoilage to her feathers, the RAF were able to approximate where the plane ditched. Within 15 minutes the crew’s position had been located and a rescue vessel dispatched.
On 2 December 1943, Winkie was awarded the Dickin Medal
Dickin Medal
The Dickin Medal was instituted in 1943 in the United Kingdom by Maria Dickin to honour the work of animals in war. It is a bronze medallion, bearing the words "For Gallantry" and "We Also Serve" within a laurel wreath, carried on a ribbon of striped green, dark brown and pale blue...
. The citation read "for delivering a message under exceptional difficulties and so contributing to the rescue of an Air Crew while serving with the RAF in February 1942." Winkie received her medal from Maria Dickin
Maria Dickin
Maria Elisabeth Dickin CBE was an animal welfare pioneer who founded the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals in 1917.-External links:*...
in March 1943.
The crew were rescued and later held a dinner for Winkie, who basked in her cage as she was toasted by the officers.
When Winkie died, her owner George Ross donated her and her Dickin Medal to Dundee Art Galleries and Museums.