The Bravest Cat Ever?

Simon is the only feline winner of the animal VC

The Dickin Medal is the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross. It was instituted in 1943 by Maria Dickin and is awarded for extraordinary bravery in dangerous circumstances. Unlike the VC, though, the Dickin Medal is not only awarded for wartime service. The medal itself is a large bronze medallion featuring the words For Gallantry and We Also Serve. It hangs on a ribbon of striped green, dark brown and pale blue.

To date, there have been just 62 recipients – a mark of the award’s rarity and how deserving the animals must be to receive it. Of those, there have been several pigeons (carrier pigeons provided an invaluable service during World War II) and dogs (including two guide dogs who led their owners out of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001), but only one cat.

Simon’s story
Simon was the ship’s cat onboard the British Royal Navy ship HMS Amethyst. He’d been found wandering the streets of Hong Kong, malnourished and sick, by 17-year-old Ordinary Seaman George Hickinbottom, who smuggled him on to the Amethyst.

Simon quickly proved himself to be an expert rat-catcher (often leaving presents of dead rats in the sailors’ beds!) and soon become a popular member of the crew – even to the extent of sleeping in the captain’s cap!

Simon was approximately two years old when the Amethyst became embroiled in the so-called ‘Yangtze Incident’. In April 1949, the frigate was travelling up the Yangtze River from Shanghai to Nanjing in China to replace HMS Consort which had been guarding the British Embassy during the civil in war in China.

On 20 April, gun batteries operated by the People’s Liberation Army opened fire on the ship. One of the shells tore through the captain’s cabin, seriously wounding Simon.

The ship’s medical staff operated on Simon, removing four pieces of Shrapnel, but he was given precious little chance of survival. Amazingly, however, Simon beat the odds and despite still being injured, returned to his former duties as rats threatened to overrun the ship.

Simon’s stock with the sailors grew even higher and news of his actions was made public, turning him into an instant celebrity. As well as receiving the Dickin Medal, he was sent so many letters that a special naval ‘cat officer’ was appointed to deal with them.

Despite being feted as a hero on his return to England, Simon was still subject to the UK’s strict quarantine regulations and was sent to an animal centre. There, he contracted a virus, eventually dying of complications from his battle wounds on 28 November, 1949. Hundreds attended his funeral, including the entire crew of the Amethyst.

Images by: francomedia, BBC News and Wikipedia