Day: September 7, 2022

The use of Dogs and animals in WW1

Here in Britain we are a nation of animal lovers so it’s probably not that hard for most of us to understand how dogs could have provided comfort, companionship, and a positive effect on morale for soldiers at war who were missing home comforts. On the Western Front, a dog would have provided a great psychological comfort to the men enduring the cold, wet and bleak horrors of trench warfare.

But, many of these furry friends were also there for very practical reasons and dogs, like horses and pigeons, had an important role to play in World War One. Field communication systems were slow and crude in the trenches and sending messages posed a problem — there was always a possibility that vital information couldn’t be shared between the front and HQ. The use of vehicles in transporting messages was a pain as they could break down and also eat up the mud making the environment even more difficult to traverse. Human runners were large, easy targets for the enemy. Trained dogs solved this communication problem — a pooch could travel over almost any terrain and was faster and more discreet than a human runner. Messages were put in tins around the necks of dogs and they were identified by a scarlet collar or tally. Dogs were extremely dependable and faithful if they were trained properly and as well as being very quick and reliable messengers, dogs proved also to be a great asset when it came to tracking the enemy, detecting explosives and finding wounded soldiers on the battlefield. Dogs used during WWI included Border Collies, Lurchers, English Sheepdogs, Retrievers and mongrels. The Airedale Terrier was probably the most common breed used by the British in World War One though. The Red Cross also commonly used them to find wounded soldiers.

An Airedale called Jack One story that stood out to me while I was researching this subject was that of an Airedale named Jack, who apparently helped save a British battalion in 1918. Jack went to France as a messenger and guard with the Sherwood Foresters, who were sent to man an advance post. There was an intense barrage four miles behind the lines, cutting off every line of communication with HQ. Unless HQ could be informed that reinforcements were needed pronto, the entire battalion risked being killed by the advancing enemy. It was impossible for any man to dodge the fire, but Airedale Jack provided a small chance and a glimmer of hope. The vital message was slipped into the a pouch attached to the dog’s collar, and this loyal and courageous canine, keeping low to the ground, ran through a barrage of enemy fire for half a mile to deliver the message to HQ. When he got there he was badly injured – his jaw was broken, and one leg was severely splintered. He did his duty, delivered the message, then dropped dead at the receiver’s feet. This sad story really sums up the dedication and determination that some of these dogs showed in battle. The ‘Dickin Medal’, awarded to animals that have performed heroic deeds, was not around during WWI, but if it had been Airedale Jack would have surely earned one. Dogs and animals in general are often among the forgotten forces of World War I, but many died or were injured helping the forces of all sides. Pigeons were important messengers too.

War Communications during WW1


From the very beginnings of military warfare communication often holds the keys to
victory. Communicating with your allies while knowing where your enemies are is one
of the most crucial parts in war. After all, in military ranks the common saying is that,
“knowing is half the battle.” Military communication has evolved throughout the ages
from flaming arrows, drum beats, smoke signals, messenger pigeons, to modern
satellite enabled communication devices.
During the First World War, (WWI) communication technology was changing very quickly.
For the first time, much of the world was using electricity, and this new source of power of telegraphs, telephones, signal lamps, and Radio.
However, this new technology was not always the best way to communicate with the Marines
on the front lines.
Weather, and terrain was the enemy and could break the electric lines that connected the Marines to their commanders.
While instant communication was preferred, Marines often had to use
proven methods of communication, many that were invented well before the
Revolutionary War. Here we will explore the different types of communication used by
the Marines, the United States military, and their allies throughout the WWI.

War Communication during WWI
From the very beginnings of military warfare communication often holds the keys to
victory. Communicating with your allies while knowing where your enemies are is one
of the most crucial parts in war. After all, in military ranks the common saying is that,
“knowing is half the battle.” Military communication has evolved throughout the ages
from flaming arrows, drum beats, smoke signals, messenger pigeons, to modern
satellite enabled communication devices.
During the First World War, (WWI) communication terchnology was changing very quickly. For the first time, much of the world was using electricity, and this new source of power was utilised for communication in the form of telegraphs, telephones, signal lamps and radio
However, this new technology was not always the best way to communicate with the Marines on the front lines.

Here we will explore the different types of communication used by
the Marines, the United States military, and their allies throughout the WWI.

Semaphore
During the French Revolution in 1792, Claude Chappe invented the semaphore line system.
This was a method of communication using a series of visual signals and rotating paddles.
The message was encoded by the position of the paddles. The message can then be read
when the paddles are in a fixed position.
This system proved to be much faster than a horse and rider, and once constructed proved
to be a much more cost efficient way of sending messages. In 1792 Chappe
constructed 556 semaphore towers throughout France, spanning 3,000 miles. This
method of communication would be used by the French military until the 1850s.
Wig Wag
Wig wag was developed by U.S. Army Major Albert Myer during the American Civil
War. Based upon the idea of Morse code (each letter being represented by a series of
dots and dashes), this method uses one flag that is waved back and forth in a series of
“wags” to represent each letter of the message. There are two basic wig wag flags, one with a red center and a white flag.
The white flag was used at dusk or dawn (times of day with low light or low visibility)
and the red was used during days with bright sunshine. Each letter has three basic movements: down to the left, down to the right, or down in front of the signalman.
Since this code was based upon Morse Code, it could take up to five waves of the flag for a single letter. To the untrained eye, it looked as though the signalman was just “wagging” the flag around in no particular order, giving it the name “Wig Wag”
Marines would utilize wig wag through the end of WW1, and would change to the more widely used sysyem of semaphore during WW11.