58 British War Dogs 



men at the end of the course, which lasted about five weeks, 

 took the dogs overseas. The men were at first recruited 

 in France from battalions whose commanding officers 

 expressed a wish to have dispatch dogs. This system was 

 carried on for several months, but while the utility of the 

 dogs was clearly proved, it was found that there was not 

 enough supervision over their working and management 

 in the field, and the full measure of usefulness was not 

 being brought out in many regiments. In certain battalions, 

 commanding officers with a sympathy for dogs and an eye 

 to the value to be obtained from their service, would make 

 arrangements that full use should be made of them, and, 

 moreover, kept records of their work and sent them to 

 G.H.Q. in France. The inability of our people to recognize 

 that a dog is capable of real work and is worth taking 

 seriously, was a stumbling-block in many cases, and it was 

 soon reported to me that the capabilities of these valuable 

 and highly-trained dogs were being inadequately recog- 

 nized, and their keepers could not get sufficient attention 

 paid to the working needs of their service. I reported the 

 matter, and as the result an officer was appointed, Major 

 Waley, M.C., R.E., to superintend the organizing of the 

 messenger-dog service in France. It was found that better 

 results could be obtained by withdrawing all the dogs 

 with their keepers from the separate battalions, and form- 

 ing the whole into a complete unit. A central kennel was 

 formed at Etaples, where the dogs and keepers were col- 

 lected on being withdrawn from the battalions. From this 

 central kennel the dogs were, with their keepers, posted to 

 sectional kennels behind the front line. Each sectional 

 kennel was in charge of a sergeant, and had about forty- 

 eight dogs and sixteen men allotted to it. From these sec- 

 tional kennels the dogs were sent, with their keepers, to the 



