An emaciated pup who grew up to be a hero

Discovered as a puppy by two Czech airmen who crashed in no-man’s land between French and German lines, Antis was in such an emaciated condition that they thought putting the dog out of its misery was the most humane thing to do.

However, they could not bring themselves to kill the pup and took him back to their base.

One of the airmen, Robert Bozdech, then took the dog aboard his aircraft on combat missions and Antis also later sailed on board the MV Northmoor, having been smuggled on board the vessel for a journey from Gibraltar to Britain.

Bozdech and his faithful pet returned to Czechoslovakia, but when they had to flee persecution in 1948, the brave dog guided several people around searchlights and through machine gun fire to cross safely into West Germany.

Antis was formally recognised for his heroics with the award of the Dickin Medal in 1949, two years before Robert Bozdech became a British national and they remained loyal companions until the dog died at around the age of 14.