Who’s a clever boy? SAS dog who parachuted behind enemy lines
THIS “animal VC” won by a parachuting SAS dog is tipped to raise more than £30,000 for charity at auction.
Border collie retriever Rob made 20 jumps in the Second World War, including behind enemy lines to prepare for the Anzio landings in 1944.
He also served on secret missions in North Africa, alerting his handlers to danger by licking their faces and taking messages along the front line.
Rob was the only dog awarded both the PDSA Dickin Medal for Gallantry – akin to a Victoria Cross – and the RSPCA Red Collar for Valour.
Demobbed in 1945, Rob was returned to his pre-war family and died in 1952 aged 12 – 69 in human years. Books were written on his exploits and Rob starred on a 1989 Radio Times cover.
Basil Bayne, son of Rob’s owner Edward, who grew up with Rob near Tetchill, Shrops, is selling his medals, collar, photos and portrait at Noonans of Mayfair, London on October 12.
Christopher Mellor-Hill, from the auction house, said: “Rob the parachuting dog is the most famous of all the Dickin Medal recipients... the first war dog attached to the SAS to be awarded the ‘animal VC’. This is the most important Dickin Medal to be sold.”
A letter tells how 2nd SAS troopers in North Africa sneaked Rob on to a plane and, seeing how keen the dog was to follow them on jumps, later borrowed an animal parachute harness from a US base.
Jennifer Hodges, daughter of Rob’s handler Cpl Victor Redhead, said the dog would “eagerly parachute ahead” of her father: “While the soldiers were sleeping Rob would patrol round them and lick their faces to bring them to instant wakefulness at the slightest sound.”
Rob later helped on SAS sabotage missions in Italy.
As a farm pup Rob had been befriended by schoolboy John Brunt, who later joined the Army – and was awarded a posthumous VC on the day Rob received the Dicken Medal.
Mr Bayne, of Antrim, will give the sale proceeds to the Taylor McNally Foundation which supports poultry students.