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Brillaint, Very interesting reading. Jimmy...

Quoted from jimmy_white

WINKIE
pigeon nehu 40 ns 1
date of award 2 december 1943
"for delivering a message under extremely exceptionally difficult conditions and so contributing to the rescue of an air crew while serving r,a.f.in febuary 1942"

winkie was bred by george & rose ross of b/ferry by dundee

spot on clockie, thats why i wondered how it had a n,e,h.u. ring on.,, it was bred by george ross at broughty ferry, and was actualy stationed at leuchars, scotland

YIP N.E.H.U
NEAR EDINBURGH HOMING UNION  

Have any of you who live in the North East of England heard of "The Searchlight Cock" apparently he used to home down the beam of the searchlight, think Jack Barkel mentioned this to me.

yeh clockwoman

Yes Dear

would certainly like to find out about this bird , i quite beleive its true anyway, so ill keep trying maybe some info will come from some where, hope so,,j.w

why don't you PM Jack Barkel, I'm sure it was he who told be about The Searchlight cock

                CHER AMI   [DEAR FRIEND]
PROBABLY THE MOST FAMOUS OF ALL CARRIER PIGEONS WAS "CHER AMI", TWO FRENCH WORDS MEANING" DEAR FREIND". CHER AMI SEVERAL TIMES ON THE FRONT LINES DURING THE FALL OF 1918. HE FLEW 12 IMPORTANT MISSIONS TO DELIVER MESSAGES. PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT WAS THE MESSAGE HE CARRIED ON OCT 4TH 1918.
MR CHARELES WHITTLESEY WAS A LAWYER IN NEW YORK, BUT WHEN THE USA CALLED FOR SOLDIERS TO HELP FRANCE REGAIN THEIR FREEDOM, WHITTLESAY JOINED THE ARMY AND WENT TO EUROPE TO HELP. HE WAS MADE THE COMMANDEROF A BATTALION OF SOLDIERS IN THE 77TH INFANTRY DIV. KNOWN AS THE LIBERTY DIVISION BECAUSE MOST OF THE MEN WORE A BRIGHT BLUE PATCH ON THEIR SHOULDERS THAT HAD ON IT THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.
ON OCT 3D 1918 MAJOR WHITTLESEY AND MORE THAN 500 MEN WERE TRAPPED IN A SMALL DEPRESSION ON THE SIDE OF THE HILL. SURROUNDED BY ENEMY SOLDIERS, MANY WERE KILLED AND WOUNDED ON THE FIRST DAY. BUY THE SECOND DAY ONLY A LITTLE MORE THAN 200 MEN WERE STILL ALIVE OR UNWOUNDED.
MAJOE WHITTLESEY SENT OUT SEVERAL PIGEONS TO TELL THE COMMANDERS WHERE HE WAS, AND HOW BAD THE TRAP WAS. THE NEXT AFTERNOON HE HAD ONLY ONE PIGEON LEFT, CHER AMI.
DURING THE AFTERNOON THE AMERICAN ARTILLERY TRIED TO SAVE SOME PROTECTION BY FIRING HUNDREDS OF ROUNDS OF BIG ARTILLERY ROUNDS INTO THE RAVINE WHERE THE GERMANS SURROUNDED HIM AND HIS MEN. UNFORTUNATELY, THE AMERICAN COMMANDERS DIDNT KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THE AMERICAN SOLDIERS WERE, AND STARTED DROPPING THE BIG SHELLS RIGHT ON TOP OF THEM. IT WAS A HORRIBLE SITUATION THAT MIGHT HAVE RESULTED IN MAJOR WHITTLESEY AND ALL HIS MEN GETTING KILLED- BY THEIR OWN ARMY.
MAJOR WHITTLESAY CALLED FOR HIS LAST PIGEON , CHER AMI. HE WROTE A SIMPLE QUICK NOTE, TELLING THE MEN WHO DIRECTED THE ARTILLERY GUNS WHERE THE AMERICANS WERE LOCATED AND ASKING FOR THEM TO STOP. THE NOTE WAS PUT IN THE CANNISTER ON CHER AMI,S LEFT LEG SIMPLY SAID    "WE ARE ALONG THE ROAD PARALLEL TO 276.4" "OUR OWN ARTILLRY IS DROPPING A BARRIAGE DIRECTLY ON US. FOR HEAVENS SAKE, STOP IT".
AS CHER AMI TRIED TO FLY HOME, THE GERMANS SAW HIM RISING OUT OF THE BRUSH AND OPENED FIRE, FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, BULLETS ZIPPED THROUGH THE AIR ALL AROUND HIM. FOR A MINUTE IT LOOKED LIKE THE LITTLE PIGEON WAS GOING TO FALL, THAT HE WASNT GOING TO MAKE IT. THE DOOMED AMERICAN INFANTRYMEN WERE CRUSHED, THEIR LAST LAST HOME WAS PLUMMETING TO EARTH AGAINST A VERY HEAVY ATTACK FROM GERMAN BULLETS.  SOMEHOW CHER AMI MANAGED TO SPREAD HIS WINGS AND START CLIMBING AGAIN, HIGHER, AND HIGHER BEYOND THE RANGE OF THE ENEMY GUNS. THE LITTLE BIRD FLEW 25 MILES IN 25 MINUTES TO DELIVER THE MESSAGE. THE SHELLING STOPPED ,AND MORE THAN 200 AMERICAN LIVESWERE SAVED....ALL BECAUSE THE LITTLE BIRD NEVER QUIT TRYING.
ON HIS LAST MISSION, CHER AMI WAS BADLY WOUNDED. WHEN HE FINALLY REACHED HIS COOP, HE COULD NOLONGER FLY, AND THE SOLDIER THAT ANSWERED THE SOUND OF THE BELL, FOUND THE BIRD LAYING ON HIS BACK, COVERED IN BLOOD. HE HAD BEEN BLINDED IN ONE EYE, AND A BULLET HAD HIT HIS BREASBONE, MAKING A HOLE THE SIZE OF A QUARTER. FROM THAT AWFULL HOLE, HANGING BY JUST A FEW TENDONS, WAS THE ALMOST SEVERED LEG OF THE BRAVE LITTLE BIRD.ATTACHED TO THAT LEG WAS A SILVER CANISTER, WITH THE ALL IMPORTANT MESSAGE. ONCE AGAIN ,CHER AMI WOULDNT QUIT UNTIL HE HAD FINISHED THE JOB.
CHER AMI BECAME THE HERO OF THE 77TH INF. DIV. AND WHEN MEDICS WORKED LONG AND HARD TO PATCH HIM UP. WHEN THE FRENCH SOLDIERS LEARNED THE STORY OF CHER AMI,S BRAVERY AND DETERMINATION, THEY GAVE HIM ONE OF THEIR OWN COUNTRIES GREAT HONOURS. CHER AMI , THE BRAVE CARRIER PIGEON WAS PRESENTED WITH A MEDAL CALLED THE FRENCH   CROIX DE GUERRE WITH A PALM LEAF.
THOUGH THE DEDICATED MEDICS SAVED CHER AMI,S LIFE, THEY COULDNT SAVE HIS LEG. THE MEN OF THE DIV. WERE CAEFULL TO TAKE CARE OF THE LITTLE BIRD THAT HAD SAVED THE LIVES OF 200 OF THEIR FREINDS, AND EVEN CARVED A SMALL WOODEN LEG FOR HIM, WHEN CHER AMI WAS WELL ENOUGH TOTRAVEL, THE LITTLE ONE-LEGGED HERO WAS PUT ON A BOAT TO THE U,S . THE COMMANDER OF ALL THE U,S, ARMY,  THE GREAT GENERAL JOHN J PERSHING, PERSONALLY SAW CHER AMI OFF AS HE DEPARTED FROM FRANCE.
             CHER AMI, BY WEBB FARRINGTON.
      
               CHER AMI,HOW DO YOU DO,
               LISTEN, LET ME TALK TO YOU
               ILL NOT HURT YOU, DONT YOU SEE?
               COME A LITTLE CLOSE TO ME.

               LITTLE SCRAWNY BLUE WHITE FLIGHT
               MESSENGER FOR MEN  WHO FIGHT    
               TELL ME OF THE DEEP, RED SCAR,
                THERE,JUST WHERE NO FEATHERS ARE.
    
                 WHAT ABOUT YOUR POOR LEFT LEG?
                 TELL ME, CHER AMI I BEG
                  BOYS AND GIRLS ARE AT A LOSS,
                 HOW YOU WON THAT SILVER CROSS.

                  "THE FINEST FUN THAT CAME TO ME
                    WAS WHEN I WENT WITH WHITTLSEY;
                   WE MARCHED SO FAST, SO FAR AHEAD,
                   " WE ALL ARE LOST"THE KEEPER SAID;

                    MON CHER AMI_ THATS MY DEAR FREIND
                    YOU ARE THE ONE WELL HAVE TO SEND
                     THE WHOLE BATTALIAN NOW IS LOST,
                     AND YOU MUST WIN AT ANY COST.

                      SO WITH MESAGE TIED ON TIGHT;
                      I FLEW UP STRAIGHT WITH ALL MY MIGHT,
                       BEFORE I GOT UP HIGH ENOUGH,
                       THOSE WATCHFULL GUNS BEGAN TO PUFF.

                        MACHINE GUN BULLETS CAME LIKE RAIN,
                        YOUD THINK I WAS AN AEROPLANE;
                         AND WHEN I STARTED TO THE REAR,  
                          MY? THE SHOT WAS COMMING NEAR.

                         BUT I FLEW ON , STRAIGHT AS A BEE;
                          THE WIND COULD NOT CATCH UP WITH ME
                          UNTILL I DROPPED OUT OF THE AIR,
                          INTO OUR OWN MENS CAMP, SO THEIR;

                           BUT, CHER AMI, UPON MY WORD,
                            YOU MODEST MODEST LITTLE BIRD;
                            NOW DONT YOU KNOW THAT YOU FORGOT?
                            TELL HOW YOUR BREAST AND LEG WERE SHOT.

                             " OH YES THE DAY WE CROSSED THE MEUSE,
                               I FLEW TO RAMPART WITH THE NEWS;
                                AGAIN THE BULLETS CAME LIKE HAIL,
                               I THOUGHT FOR SURE THAT I WOULD FAIL.

                                THE BULLETS BUZZED BY LIKE A BEE,
                                 SO CLOSE , IT ALMOST FRIGHTENED ME.;
                                 ONE STRUCK THE FEATHERS OF THIS SAIL,
                                  ANOTHER WENT RIGHT THROUGH MY TAIL.

                                  BT WHEN I GOT BACK TO THE REAR.
                                  I FOUND THEY HIT ME HERE, AND HERE;
                                  BUT THAT IS NOTHING NEVER MIND
                                   OLD POILU, THERE IS NEARLY BLIND.

                                   I ONLY CARE FOR WHAT THEY SAID,
                                   FOR WHEN THEY SAW THE WAY I BLED
                                    AND FOUND IN FRONT A SWOLLEN LUMP
                                     THE MESSAGE HANGING FROM THIS STUMP;

                                    THE FRENCH AND MINE SAID, "TRES BIEN",
                                     OR VERY GOOD,,,,,,, AMERICAN.
                                     MON CHER AMI, YOU BROUGHT GOOD NEWS;
                                     OUR ARMY,S GONE ACROSS THE MEUSE.

                                     YOU SURELY HAD A LUCKY CALL/
                                      AND SO IM GLAD. I GUESS THATS ALL.
                                      ILL SIT, SO PARDON ME, I BEG;
                                       ITS HARD A_STANDING ON ONE LEG????

CHER AMI DIED OF HIS MULTIPLE WAR WOUNDS ON JUNE 13TH 1919      LESS THAN A YEAR HE HAD COMPLETED HIS SERVICE TO THE U,S ARMY SIGNAL CORPS, UPON HIS DEATH A TAXIDERMIST PRESERVED THE SMALL PIGEON FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS, A BIRD WITH A STORY THAT BECOME AN INSPIRATION , TO MILLIONS OVER THE YEARS,        

Great post Jimmy

Brilliant read Jimmy

Brought tears to my eyes

Jimmy, Thanks for reminding us, we can to easily forget.

Quoted from jimmy_white

PADDY
pigeon nps 43 9451
date of award 1 september 1944
"for the best recorded time with a message from the normandy operations, with the r.a.f.in june 19 44"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/yourplaceandmine/topics/war/dday_news.shtml
a bit more info on Paddy. he was of the PUTMAN STRAIN.
great thread jim,

Great post on "CHER AMI" jimmy, keep the stories coming .

read that snowy,, what fantastic birds these were, just wish the press could put an article on them all ,,, including the story attached,,, brilliant snowy

That's what we need Jimmy ! someone in the press to have a read of this type of post and then reprint it in their newspaper ....anyone know any decent journalists ?

Cher ami is one of the most famous first world war pigeons

Cher Ami (French for "Dear Friend" [male]) was a famous homing pigeon who was owned and flown by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France during World War I. He helped save the Lost Battalion of the 77th Division in the battle of the Argonne, October 1918. In his last mission, he delivered a message despite having been shot through the breast. The bird was awarded the Croix de Guerre, for heroic service delivering 12 important messages in Verdun.

He is enshrined in the Smithsonian Institution, and is currently on display in the National Museum of American History's "Price of Freedom" exhibit.

Brave birds aren't they and people have the neck to call them flying rats