Judy (ship's dog)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Judy (born Shanghai 1936, died Tanzania 1950) was a ship's dog on a Royal Navy vessel before and during World War II.

Judy was an English pointer, and was known for pointing out the approach of hostile Japanese aircraft long before any of the human crew could hear them.

Later on when the ship was sunk in action, and the crew became Prisoners of War, Judy as an honorary POW would do what she could to help out, find food, etc. She was the only animal to have been officially registered as a Japanese prisoner of war.

She was adopted by Frank Williams (1919–2006) and smuggled back to England after liberation. She was awarded the Dickin Medal, "the animals' VC", in May 1946. Her citation reads: "For magnificent courage and endurance in Japanese prison camps, which helped to maintain morale among her fellow prisoners and also for saving many lives through her intelligence and watchfulness".

In 2006 her collar and medal went on display in the Imperial War Museum, London, as part of "The Animals' War" exhibition.