SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Saw this in this morning's YEP and thought it might be of interest.http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 1_3320986A new memorial in tribute to animals who lost their lives in conflict has been officially unveiled.The stone sculpture was revealed by the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Dr Ingrid Roscoe, during a moving ceremony at Dartmouth Park in Morley, Leeds.The monument is dedicated to all animals who have died serving their country alongside British troops since the First World War.The memorial was built following a campaign by local resident Julie Taylor-Radcliffe who came up with the idea for its creation.She was inspired by her friend Margaret Barker who started an annual memorial wreath ceremony for animals, and worked to have something more long lasting created.Both women were present to see the memorial unveiled, alongside RSM Sean Jones who travelled from his Army base in Germany to be there.Mrs Taylor-Radcliffe said: “I want to thank the people of Morley who believe in what the statue stands for.“If you meet anyone who does not understand the significance of this memorial then please try to explain to them the bonds between man and animals.”The memorial’s sculptor Melanie Wilks, Leeds City councillor Judith Elliott and the Mayor of Morley, Coun Paul Cook also came to see its unveiling.Coun Elliott said: “I thought it was a very good idea of Julie’s to have a memorial for animals who have worked in the military.“Already the interest from people visiting the park has been tremendous.”The memorial is only the second of its kind in the country.The front depicts a horse rearing up with poppies growing underneath it. The other side features working dogs, carrier pigeons and a ship’s cat.Mrs Taylor-Radcliffe raised £2,000 through car boot sales and also applied to the Morley Murals Committee to fund its creation.A very worthy tribute in my opinion and remarkable that the woman behind it seems to have raised most of the money from her own efforts.

I'm just wondering if the Russians will remember their WW2 canine friends the same way? They trained the dogs to sniff out food from underneath tanks, then half starved them, strapped a bomb to them, then let them go when the Germans attacked. It wasn't very successful, a lot of dogs ran amok amongst their own troops, and some hid under their own tanks and blew them up instead.    Russian bomb dogshttp://www.damninteresting.com/let-slip-the-dogs-of-war

Didn't the americans do something similar with dolphins? To attack ships, not tanks, obviously.

Musn't forget the famous and fearless pigeons which, with incredible speed and accuracy, carried vital messages to and from the Normandy battlefields in WW2. There is a section dedicated to them at the "Enigma" museum at Bletchley Park.    

Here's a picture of Phill's anti-tank dog. The saddle-bags are full of explosive, and the trigger can be seen on the top. (Click on the red X.)