The strange tale of when a furry mascot went to war
INJURED under heavy fire, absent without leave, served in both Egypt and France and was the darling of the troops – that was Nancy the Springbok, who during her short but much remembered career with the 4th South African Infantry Regiment (South African Scottish) was accorded full funeral honours and was buried in an Allied war cemetery.
According to history records, Nancy was born on a farm in the Free State. When she was a year old her owner, Mrs McLaren Kennedy of Vierfontein Farm, volunteered the family pet for war service in March 1915.
She wrote to General Tim Lukin, head of the South African Infantry Brigade, saying “I feel that if Nancy were adopted by a South African regiment as a mascot, she would keep the memories of South Africa alive.”
Fittingly, the regiment’s badge (as with all South African regiments serving overseas) was a springbok head with the motto “Union is Strength – Eendracht Maakt Macht”. Lukin sent a telegram back saying, “Delighted with your offer. Please bring her.”
Nancy was taken to Potchefstroom and joined the 4th SA Infantry Regiment, under the care of Bugler Petersen. The feisty springbok underwent six months of intensive training to respond to all the regiment’s calls, as well as how to conduct herself properly on the parade ground.
The regiment then set sail for England on the HMT Balmoral Castle as Nancy embarked on her first sea voyage. They spent an estimated six months training in England before sailing again for Egypt in early 1916, where “the heat and rolling sand dunes were more to Nancy’s liking than the English winter”.
It was during this time when the regiment were set up at Mex Camp that Nancy went missing.
By midday her absence became regarded as serious and was “posted up in regimental orders as awol”.
By the following morning, the small springbok was still missing and it was considered her disappearance could lower morale among the men. All parades were cancelled and a search party sent out, and returned downhearted at sundown with no sight of their missing mascot.
On the third day the regiment’s pipers went out in different directions on patrol in a last ditch effort that the bagpipes would bring Nancy home, as she had been well trained to “step it out in an orderly fashion in front of the pipe band when on parade”.
Out of the blue, Nancy suddenly appeared as the men were parading for the midday meal, with cheers breaking out in the lines. Where she was for those three days remains a mystery.
After the Egyptian posting, the regiment moved on to Marseilles in France in April 1916. According to James Mitchell, former books editor at The Star newspaper, who wrote the regiment’s history, it was during this time in France that Corporal John Quayle Greggor took over as Nancy’s handler.
The regiment ended up at Sailly-le-Sac, a small village some two miles behind the front line.
Under heavy bombardment by the Germans, a shell exploded on the transport lines where Nancy was tethered. In a panic and trying to escape, she broke her left horn against the wall, which from that moment on grew back at a downward angle.
By this time, she was the absolute darling among all the troops and in 1918 Nancy led four battalions of the South African Brigade to the first Delville Wood service. It was to be her last ceremonial parade, as well as the last for Lukin.
In the winter of that year, Nancy caught pneumonia and died despite 24-hour nursing by all the medical personnel.
Her death was announced in general orders and said to be probably the only time in military history this was done. The few remaining original members of the regiment formed the firing party. After they had fired their volley, Bugler Petersen played the Last Post.
According to one history record, “Once or twice the bugler faltered, but nobody seemed to notice. Bugler Petersen sounded the last note and there were tears in his eyes as the officers saluted, then trudged back to their cold and muddy trenches.”
Nancy was buried with full military honours in the cemetery of Hermeton-sur-Meuse, while her head and skin were treated and mounted. It was kept at the officers’ mess at the Transvaal Scottish regimental headquarters, before being moved to the South African National Museum of Military History.
There is also a replica of Nancy and Greggor at The Transvaal Scottish regimental museum in Johannesburg.