War Animal Remembrance Day 24th February

Tomorrow (24th February) is War Animal Remembrance Day.  There are some terrific picture books you can use to explore the animals who were heroes of various wars and conflicts. My interest in this topic began when I read Lofty's Mission by Krista Bell illustrated by David Miller.  I was so interested to read about the Dickin Medal which began in 1943. It has been awarded to 32 pigeons, 31 dogs, 4 horses and one cat.

Here are some books you might like to hunt out:

People are asked to wear purple poppies to commemorate this day.

The purple poppy is often worn to remember animals that have been victims of war.

Animals like horses, dogs and pigeons were often drafted into the war effort, and those that wear the purple poppy feel their service should be seen as equal to that of human service.

In particular, many horses were killed or injured in World War One.