This morning I joined Kit Sturgess, our Chair of Trustees, at the Animals in War Memorial, where I laid a wreath on behalf of Cats Protection’s staff and volunteers. I was struck by just how many organisations were represented; it was good to see friends from so many of them, gathered on Park Lane for this annual act of remembrance.
Working in animal welfare, we tend to spend our time discussing what needs doing next. There is generally quite a lot of it. This morning gave us a chance to pause together, remember the animals caught up in human conflicts, and enjoy the company of people whose working lives are devoted to helping their successors.
The memorial stands beside Hyde Park, a short walk from Marble Arch. Unveiled by Princess Anne in 2004, it owes much to the determination of Jilly Cooper, who helped champion the appeal that paid for it. David Backhouse’s design includes two heavily laden mules approaching a gap in a stone wall; beyond it, a horse and dog face towards the gardens. The inscription is blunt and sufficient: “They had no choice.”
Naturally, representing Cats Protection, my thoughts included a particular ship’s cat. I have written before about Simon of HMS Amethyst, the only cat to have received the PDSA Dickin Medal, often described as the animals’ Victoria Cross. His story deserves another outing.
In 1949, during the Chinese Civil War, Amethyst came under fire on the Yangtze. Simon suffered shrapnel wounds and burns, but survived and resumed catching the rats threatening the ship’s dwindling food supplies. He also helped lift the spirits of the injured crew, accompanying the maintenance officer on his rounds. The sailors promoted him to Able Seaman; anyone who has tried to give a cat instructions will appreciate the optimism involved in bringing one formally into the chain of command.
What stays with me is that combination of practical help and companionship. Simon protected food that the sailors badly needed, while his familiar presence gave them comfort in frightening circumstances. Anyone who has found reassurance in a cat settling beside them will understand at least a little of that.
Across the organisations represented this morning, there was an enormous range of knowledge and experience of animals and the people who care for them. It was a pleasure to catch up with friends, and moving to stand alongside them as the wreaths were laid. My thanks to Petplan Charitable Trust for bringing us together.
We cannot explain our wars to the animals we take into them. We can remember what they endured, acknowledge how much people depended on them, and take better care of those who depend on us today. I was glad to lay our wreath, and to have a cat called Simon in mind as I did so.
