56 British War Dogs 



of dogs, and at last I got two dogs to carry messages home- 

 wards regularly without a hitch for two miles. They were 

 both Airedales, and their names were Wolf and Prince. 



They left for France on the last day of 1916, and went 

 direct to Thiepval, under escort of a gunner. The dogs 

 were very intelligently managed in France, for although 

 they had been trained without any of the adjuncts of war, 

 they settled down successfully, and began to carry messages 

 regularly. Colonel Winter, R.A., to whom they went, was 

 very kind in assisting me with suggestions, and I found the 

 hints he gave me very useful later on. The first report 

 on these two dogs was as follows : 



" From : O.C. 56th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery. 



" To : R.A. Headquarters, nth Division. 



" In continuation of my letter No. 549, dated on the 7th 

 inst., during the operations against Wytschaete Ridge, 

 two messenger dogs attached to this brigade were sent 

 forward at one a.m. One was attached to the forward 

 liaison officer and one with the group forward observation 

 officer. 



" After being led up through communication trenches 

 during darkness, they went forward as soon as the attack 

 was launched, passing through the smoke barrage. . . . One 

 was dispatched at 10.45 a.m. and the other at 12.45 p.m. 



" Both dogs reached brigade headquarters, travelling a 

 distance as the crow flies of 4,000 yards over ground they 

 had never seen before and over an exceptionally difficult 

 terrain. The dog dispatched at 12.45 p.m. reached his 

 destination under the hour, bringing in an important 

 message, and this was the first message which was received, 

 all visual communication having failed. 



" (Signed) O.C. 56th Brigade, R.F.A." 



