War hero dog remembered a century on

Arbroath: Army mascot Paddy still has special place in town’s heart 100 years after his death

He is the First World War canine whose memory has been kept alive for 100 years in Arbroath.

Paddy was the 2/1 Highland Cycling Battalion mascot and was laid to rest at Keptie Wood when he died in 1918.

He joined the battalion in October 1914 during the war and was at various locations, including Montrose, before moving to Arbroath where Mcdonald Park was used as a camp and training ground.

Paddy was buried at the edge of Keptie Wood by the soldiers of the Highland Cycling Battalion who made the headstone following his death on January 28.

In the 1970s the ground was to be dug up when the new road was extended and Paddy’s grave was moved to Mcdonald Park, such was his standing in the town.

John Clyde, the parks and cemeteries department superintendent, used to lay a wreath at the grave of Paddy each anniversary of his death and continued that honour until he retired in 1968.

The wreath laying ceased at that point but was taken up again by retired police sergeant Patrick Anderson who has laid a poppy cross at the dog’s grave since returning to Angus in 1998.

“I think that the family stories have been passed down to the families and that is why Paddy is such a popular regimental dog for Arbroath,” he said.

“I am sure that the council in the 1970s dare not dispose of the headstone when they made the new wide roadway to the new driving centre.

“There would have been a public outcry had they disposed of the marker stone that one of the soldiers had taken a lot of time to cut and record the wee dog’s service record.”

Mr Anderson, who was a police sergeant in Yorkshire, grew up in Arbroath and would often visit Paddy’s grave with his father, William, during his childhood.

The 2/1 Highland Cyclist Battalion was posted to Ireland at Athlone and then Curragh after Paddy’s death.

A few years ago a group of volunteers restored Paddy’s headstone to keep his memory alive, while flowers were also planted at the grave.

Members of the Highland Cycling Battalion pictured with Paddy in Montrose during the First World War, and, right, Patrick Anderson laying a wreath at Paddy’s grave yesterday. Picture: Kris Miller.