b. ? Egypt d. 1945 Cairo, Egypt.
DATE OF DM ACTION: April 1943 Egypt.
Princess DM
A smoky blue hen pigeon of Egyptian origin, Princess was given one very special but extremely difficult mission. Trained by the RAF at their station in Alexandria, she was selected for a mission which was top secret and little details are known.
In April 1943, she was taken to Crete and released with a brief to fly to Alexandria, Egypt. This was a journey of 500 miles mostly across open sea. This was especially tough as Princess would have no opportunity to rest or find food. Remarkably she made it to RAF Alexandria at 4.30pm on the 14th April.
Following her exploits she was used in exhibitions and parades to make funds for the war effort and boost morale. Whilst on display in Cairo though she contracted an infection and died soon afterwards. Sadly, she didnt live to collect her Dickin Medal which was announced in May 1946.
DM CITATION:
For carrying valuable information 500 miles from Crete to Alexandria in April 1943. One of the finest performances in pigeon war service records.
BURIAL LOCATION: UNKNOWN.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.