86 British War Dogs 



A later report on " Tom " is as follows : 



" No. 10 Cross Spaniel has been on the Ypres Sector 

 for the last 12 months, having done some good work bring- 

 ing back some urgent messages from 9 Division and the 

 Highland Light Infantry, being gassed and wounded in the 

 shoulder and getting some very close shaves from shrapnel 

 going through the barrage, was in the advance until it 

 finished." 



Keeper Nicolson seems to have brought his dogs through 

 a gas attack well. 



" I have tried my three dogs in the trenches and found 

 them all very satisfactory. The first time I sent them 

 forward ' Jim,' the dog without a number, did record time ; 

 the journey he did used to take a man one hour and 10 

 mins. to walk, and ' Jim ' did it in 22 mins., through barbed 

 wire entanglements, and a large number of batteries. I 

 noticed when he got near home some of the gunners tried 

 to draw his attention, but he took no notice and came 

 straight to the pill-box where I was billeted. It was very 

 difficult ground he had to travel, the other two dogs were 

 a bit slow. We are in again for the second time and I 

 tried all three. ' Jim ' was sent up to the Test Station 

 yesterday afternoon, and did his journey in 17 mins., 

 which would have taken a man three-quarters of an hour 

 to walk, and the little Irish terrier was sent up this morning 

 before day-break and he did the same distance in 14 mins. 



" The night before last we had a very nasty attack of 

 gas and my dogs' helmets were not available, so they had 

 to stand bare-faced and took no harm. I think they will 

 stand much better than man. I had a bit of trouble with 



