b. ? d. ?
DATE OF DM ACTION: 1944 Bethnal Green, London.
Upstart DM
Upstart was a chestnut gelding with four white feet and a small star, narrow strip and a snip on his face. Upstart had been stabled near Hyde Park until enemy gunfire from an attack on a nearby ack-ack station damaged the stable. Relocated to east London after the attack, Upstart was patrolling a street in Bethnal Green with his handler DI J. Morley a few weeks after the bombing at Tooting when a bomb landed 75 feet (23 m) in front of the horse, showering horse and rider with bits of glass and shrapnel. Upstart remained unfazed and aided Morley in directing traffic and crowd control after the incident.
Upstart along with fellow equine Dickin Medal recipients Olga and Regal was awarded the medal on 11th April 1947.
DM CITATION:
While on patrol duty in Bethnal Green a flying bomb exploded within 75 yards, showering both horse and rider with broken glass and debris. Upstart was completely unperturbed and remained quietly on duty with his rider controlling traffic, ect., until the incident had been dealt with.
BURIAL LOCATION: METROPOLITAN POLICE MOUNTED TRAINING EST, THAMES DITTON.
LOCATION MEDAL: METROPOLITAN POLICE MOUNTED TRAINING EST, THAMES DITTON.