A rare medal presented to a heroic homing pigeon has been acquired by a Cumbrian museum for £30,000.
The Dock Museum, in Barrow, with help from the Furness Maritime Trust, has bought the Dickin Medal, presented to pigeon called Tommy.
The Dickin Medal is the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross. It has only ever been awarded to 75 animals, including 38 dogs, 32 pigeons, four horses and one cat.
Tommy, owned by William Brockbank, of Dalton-in-Furness, was blown off course during a pigeon race in 1942 and ended up in the German-occupied Netherlands.
The exhausted Tommy was found and put in the care of Dutchman Dick Drijver, who was working with the underground resistance movement.
Mr Drijver nursed Tommy back to health, protected him from the authorities and Tommy was later entrusted with an important mission to deliver the message about the location of an arms factory near Amsterdam.
At the time, the German occupying forces had ordered all homing pigeons in the Netherlands to be killed to avoid them being used by resistance fighters to deliver messages.
Tommy flew the 400 miles to Britain carrying the secret information, along the way being shot at and wounded by German soldiers, and found his way back to his William.
Despite being wounded, he arrived in Dalton on August 19.
The message was illegible to William, but he gave it to the police.
The covert message “Tommy has arrived safely” was broadcast to the Dutch Resistance by the BBC Dutch Service.
In 1946, William was told that the message had resulted in the destruction of the arms site during an Allied air raid, and that Tommy had been awarded the Dickin Medal.
After the war Mr Brockbank regularly exhibited Tommy at shows, and charged a small fee to those wishing to see the heroic pigeon.
The proceeds were used to purchase a playground for local children and the site is now the location of Dalton Leisure Centre, which bears a plaque in Tommy’s honour.
Councillor Roy Worthington, of Westmorland and Furness Council, said: “On Thursday last week, I read that Tommy’s medal was coming up for auction.
“I immediately spoke to the chair of Furness Locality Board about it who agreed we should try to buy it. The same evening I emailed him about it who then forwarded my email to locality board’s senior officer who in turn sent it to the collections and exhibitions manager at the Dock Museum and other councillors on our locality board.
“Then I received an email from the Dock Museum who were just as excited about it as the rest of us. The Dock Museum called an urgent meeting with the Furness Maritime Trust who have financed the purchase to the sum of £39,000 including fees and vat.
All this within seven days! Although I instigated and pressed and pressed for it to happen it wouldn’t have happened without the support of every member of the locality board and its officers and not forgetting the Dock Museum and Furness Maritime Trust. Rock on Tommy!”
Charlotte Hawley, Westmorland and Furness Council’s collections and exhibitions manager at the Dock Museum, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Tommy’s Dickin Medal is staying in the Furness area and will be seen and enjoyed by our visitors at the Dock Museum.
“It is such an important story for the area, particularly for Dalton which is a fabulous town with a rich history.
“As soon as we were aware that it was coming up for auction, there was lots of behind the scenes activity to make sure we could try and keep it in the area.
“At the Dock Museum, we are always keen to promote and celebrate our brilliant heritage and Tommy’s story will be a fantastic addition to this.
“This purchase was made possible thanks to the public who make a donation to the museum and Furness Maritime Trust. We are truly honoured to be the new home for Tommy’s medal.’’
There are plaques in Cumbria commemorating the part homing pigeons played in the war effort.
One is at the Union Jack Club in Workington.
There is also one at the Solway Aviation Museum plus other locations across the county.
