b. 04/01/1939 London. d. 17/10/1950 London.
DATE OF DM ACTION: 1940-1945 London.
Beauty DM
Beauty was born on 4 January 1939, and was owned by PDSA Superintendent Bill Barnet, who led one of the rescue squads in London for animals during the Blitz. The dog would accompany Barnet on rescue missions for company. One day in 1940, whilst out with her owner on a rescue mission, she began to dig in the rubble alongside the rescue teams. Within minutes a cat was discovered, becoming the first of 63 animals Beauty found during her war service. She is considered to be the original rescue dog.
For her service, Beauty was awarded the PDSA Pioneer Medal, an award normally given to people, and a silver medal inscribed “For Services Rendered” by the Deputy Mayor of Hendon, and was given the Freedom of Holland Park. Beauty was awarded the Dickin Medal on 12 January 1945. Beauty died on 17 October 1950, and was buried in the Ilford Animal Cemetery, founded and operated by the PDSA.
Her medals were passed into the care of the PDSA after her death and went on display in “The Animal’s War” exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum North which ran from 26 May 2007 to 6 January 2008.
DM CITATION:
For being the pioneer dog in locating buried air-raid victims while serving with a PDSA Rescue Squad.
BURIAL LOCATION: PDSA CEMETERY, ILFORD, ESSEX.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: PDSA.
