Dicken Medal Recipient. Believed to have been born in London, Rip, a terrier mix, was apparently left homeless after a Luftwaffe bombing raid on East London in 1940. He attached himself to Air Raid Precaution Warden King within a few months and was adopted as mascot of the Southill Street Air Raid Patrol. Not willing to be left behind, he accompanied rescue crews after bombing raids and without training, began acting as the unit's sniffer dog, locating people buried in bomb debris. Without a care for sirens, fire, falling debris or bombs, he sniffed over wreckage for survivors, and within twelve months, he had found over a hundred victims of the air raids in London. It was largely due to Rip's success that authorities decided to formally train search and rescue dogs toward war's end. In July 1945, his valor earned him the PDSA Dickin Medal, commonly called the Animal's VC. He wore it on his collar until 1946 when age and illness felled him. He was interred at the PDSA cemetery, the original stone memorial inscribed: "Rip, D.M. 'We also serve' - for the dog whose body lies here played his part in the Battle of Britain."
Dicken Medal Recipient. Believed to have been born in London, Rip, a terrier mix, was apparently left homeless after a Luftwaffe bombing raid on East London in 1940. He attached himself to Air Raid Precaution Warden King within a few months and was adopted as mascot of the Southill Street Air Raid Patrol. Not willing to be left behind, he accompanied rescue crews after bombing raids and without training, began acting as the unit's sniffer dog, locating people buried in bomb debris. Without a care for sirens, fire, falling debris or bombs, he sniffed over wreckage for survivors, and within twelve months, he had found over a hundred victims of the air raids in London. It was largely due to Rip's success that authorities decided to formally train search and rescue dogs toward war's end. In July 1945, his valor earned him the PDSA Dickin Medal, commonly called the Animal's VC. He wore it on his collar until 1946 when age and illness felled him. He was interred at the PDSA cemetery, the original stone memorial inscribed: "Rip, D.M. 'We also serve' - for the dog whose body lies here played his part in the Battle of Britain."
Inscription
In Memory of
Rip DM
Served with Civil Defense London
Awarded PDSA Dickin Medal
July 1945
For bravery in locating victims
Trapped under blitzed buildings
buried 15 October 1946
Gravesite Details
The current stone replaced the original stone when the cemetery was repaired and restored in 2006. * Thank you for the sponshership.
