Judy the Pointer: The Brave Ship’s Dog Who Became a Prisoner of War

Judy the Pointer: The Brave Ship’s Dog Who Became a Prisoner of War

  

Today I want to tell you about one of the most incredible animal stories of the Second World War. I have been finding out about Judy, a liver-and-white Pointer dog who became more than just a ship’s mascot. She was a loyal companion, a protector, and the only dog officially registered as a prisoner of war during the war.

 Judy was born in Shanghai in China, in February 1936. As a puppy, she escaped from her kennel and spent time living on the streets before eventually being returned home.

In 1936, the crew of the Royal Navy gunboat HMS Gnat decided they wanted a ship’s mascot and they chose Judy. She quickly became part of the crew’s family. They had hoped to train her as a gundog, but Judy had very little interest in hunting.

HMS Gnat

She proved to be incredibly alert. Judy could hear approaching aircraft long before the crew could. She barked warnings to them that gave them precious extra time. She also warned the crew of river pirates who were attempting surprise attacks and she even helped the crew to avoid danger on the Yangtze River. The sailors loved her.

 In 1939, Judy transferred with some of the crew to HMS Grasshopper. After war broke out, the ship was eventually sent to Singapore. In early 1942 during the Japanese advance through Southeast Asia, everything changed.

 During the Battle of Singapore, Grasshopper came under heavy attack from Japanese aircraft. Judy again detected the planes before the men. Despite the warning, the ship was badly bombed and it began to sink. The crew evacuated to a small deserted island.

HMS Grasshopper

 When they reached the shore  they realised that Judy was missing. One sailor returned to the burning ship to search for supplies and found Judy trapped underneath some fallen lockers. She was rescued just in time. On the island there was no fresh water. Then Judy began to dig near to the shoreline. Beneath the sand she uncovered a freshwater spring. She effectively saved everyone from dehydration.

 The crew later escaped from the island, but their struggle did not end there. They had to trek around 200 miles across the jungle. They had to deal with exhaustion and hunger, not to mention danger. Judy even survived a crocodile attack and continued to warn the men about predators.

 The group were eventually captured by Japanese forces and they all became prisoners of war.

Life in the prison camps was brutal. The men suffered from starvation, disease, beatings, and forced labour. Judy was smuggled into the camp hidden under some sacks. There she met Leading Aircraftman Frank Williams, the man she would bond with for the rest of her life.

 Frank shared his tiny daily ration of rice with her, even though he barely had enough for himself. Their bond was extraordinary. Judy lifted morale in the camps, warning prisoners when guards approached and of snakes and scorpions.

 Frank worried that the guards would kill her, so he convinced the camp commandant to officially register Judy as a prisoner of war. She was given the registration number 81A Gloegoer Medan, making her the only dog to be officially recognised as a POW during the Second World War.

 You would have thought she had been through enough, but sadly not. In June 1944, the Japanese decided to move prisoners from one POW camp to another. Mainly from Sumatra toward Singapore for labour.

 To transport them, they loaded the prisoners onto the Japanese cargo/passenger ship Harugiku Maru – what POWs often called a “hell ship.”

Judy was secretly smuggled on board inside a rice sack. The ship was torpedoed by the British submarine HMS Truculent, which didn’t know Allied POWs were on board.

 Frank threw Judy through a porthole into the sea in a attempt to save her. More than 500 people died, but Judy survived and according to some survivor accounts, she helped struggling prisoners stay afloat by bringing them debris to cling to.

 After the Allies liberated the camp, Judy was smuggled to Britain with Frank. Following six months in quarantine, she was reunited with him properly. In 1946, she was awarded the Dickin Medal, often called the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross.

Dickin Medal

 Her citation praised her magnificent courage, endurance, intelligence, and the lives she helped save.

 After the war, Judy and Frank travelled around Britain raising money for charities and visiting families of former prisoners of war. Many of them found comfort in her presence. She seemed to carry with her the memory of survival, loyalty, and hope.

 

In 1948, Judy travelled with Frank to East Africa. Sadly, in 1950 she developed a tumour. After complications, she was put to sleep on the 17^th of February 1950, aged nearly 14.

 Judy was buried in . wearing her RAF jacket and with her medals beside her.

Judys grave

 She gave the men loyalty and love, even when she was surrounded by cruelty.

 Do you think animals sometimes understand far more about human emotion and courage than we actually realise?