War Dogs MemorialPrint Page

The plaque commemorates dogs who have served with the Australian Defence Forces.

The plaque features Fod, a retired military working dog who spent 14 years as a security dog for the Royal Australian Air Force, who died at the age of 14 years.  Fod received a Canine Service Medal.  Fod's handler was Adam Mitchell who is a members of the Glass House RSL Sub-Branch.

Australian Military forces enlisted the help of man’s best friend during World War One when German shepherds were given the task of watching over valuable military equipment. In Vietnam, the Australian Task Force included dogs in combat tracker teams. Their mission was to search the jungle for the enemy, and eleven were left behind, as it was against policy to return a service animal to Australia.

A dog's keen sense of smell aided our soldiers in detecting mines, in a similar fashion to the bomb detector dogs of today. They were often used to search for and aid the wounded. During World War Two specially designed gas masks were made for the canine division.

In 1943, a special medal was created to honour the dogs who have fought and fallen in combat. 18 canine comrades have so far been awarded the Dickin Medal — the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross — for their acts of heroism and bravery. The medal, a bronze medallion bears the words 'For Gallantry'.

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