Wartime Pets Part Five

I feel I've said everything I have to say on the topic in the last four posts from this series; essentially, I absolutely adore photographs depicting men (and sometimes women) at war with the pets and mascots that were more common than we realize. I feel it is so humanizing and so touching--tender moments in difficult times. 

Walter Sanders, LIFE © Time Inc.

A sergeant holding the puppy mascot of the 36th jet fighter group, Germany, 1948. Source

Library and Archives Canada

Nanny, the pet goat of a Canadian Mobile Veterinary Section, takes a cigarette from an officer, 1917. Source

© IWM (TR 2145)

One of the RAF's top aces in WW2, Johnny Johnson, with his pet lab Sally, 1944. Source

Wartime Pets Part Four

Considering how much I love this series, it's been a very long time since I had a wartime pets post. But, at last, another collection of soldiers, sailors and airmen with their animals.

 © IWM (K 554)

An Australian soldier with Joey the kangaroo, a mascot smuggled into Malaya, c. 1942. Source

© IWM (C 111)

'Alyosius', the lamb mascot of an RAF squadron, 1939. Source

Australian War Memorial

An RAAF man with a pet monkey, Algeria, ca. 1944. Source

Wartime Pets, Part Three

Many apologies to my wonderful wonderful blog followers-- I have a couple Internet complications right now but rest assured we are still in business! Loads of great stuff coming up, I promise!

Today, how about another great set of wartime pets? 

State Library of Queensland

An American lietentaunt with a koala in Australia, 1942. Source

State Library of Queensland

A pygmy flying phalanger (I don't know either!) named Ferdie, mascot for a RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) Spitfire Squadron, WW2. Source

Australian War Memorial

English ace Johnny Johnson with his dog, along with Australian and New Zealand commanders, WW2. Source

Australian War Memorial

RAAF squadron mascots, a joey and puppy, 1943. Source

Australian War Memorial

Staff Sergent Major Morgan and his dog (who is apparently also in the army), 1915. Source

Australian War Memorial

Australian soldiers with tracker dogs, Vietnam, 1967 (not quite pets, but almost). Source

Australian War Memorial

Captain and battalion mascot Tim the Turtle, 1940. Source

More wartime pets:

Part One (World War One)

Part Two

Part Four

Part Five

Wartime Pets, Part Two

Shortly after publishing my very first post, Pets of World War One, I found a whole lot more photographs of soldiers and their pets, which I've been saving (and I'm still saving a few more, stay tuned!). I find these so very endearing, these touches of humanity and joy in a war situation. More Australians this time and some World War Two, as well as some more exotic pets!

Australian War Memorial

Aussies and their pet dog evacuating Egypt, 1941. Source

Australian War Memorial

An American soldier at a base in Australia, with pet joey. 1942. Source

National Library of Scotland

A young gunner and the battery's goat kid mascot, WWI.  Source

Australian War Memorial

Portrait of soldier with sleeping cat in corner, WWI.  Source

Australian War Memorial

A koala being held by a corporal in Egypt, WWI [they brought this koala all the way to Egypt! wonder what it thought of all that]. Source

More wartime pets:

Part One (World War One)

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Pets of World War One

The National Library of Scotland has a terrific collection of official photographs from World War One, from professional photographers who were sent out into the field. We'll come back to this archive, but today we're going to focus on one part of the collection-- pets and mascots.

National Library of Scotland

RAF men with pet rabbits. Source.

Pets and animal mascots were common among the men on the Western Front... and isn't that terrific? Lots of these photos were taken as a kind of propaganda, to show the people back home that it wasn't so bad out there, sure-- but nevertheless, you can see the real bits of joy that these animals brought to men in a very difficult place. Very touching.

National Library of Scotland

Soldiers playing with pet dog. Source

National Library of Scotland

The fox mascot of an RAF squadron. Source