Simon The Cat: Wartime Hero Remembered
This is cute: Simon, a cat, is being remembered and credited with helping save the lives of Royal Navy officers during the Chinese civil war in 1949.
Cats are often being portrayed as rather selfish and egocentric, independent and not at all fussed with humans, with the exception of tea times. This just shows that cats can be loyal companions, Simon was an ever present sight, even after he sustained life threatening injuries:
He did what noone else could do better: Simon protected food stores from an infestation of rats on board the HMS Amethyst.
Simon was awarded the Dickin Medal for bravery, instituted in 1943 by Maria Dickin CBE, the founder of veterinary charity the PDSA, and was given the rank of Able Seaman.
He suffered severe shrapnel wounds when HMS Amethyst came under fire in a 101-day siege known as the Yangtze Incident in which 17 marines were among the dead.
He received a hero’s welcome when the ship returned to dock in Plymouth on 1 November 1949.
Simon died in quarantine three weeks later and was buried with full military honours at the PDSA Animal Cemetery in Ilford, Essex.
Wartime hero cat Simon remembered [BBC]