Sergeant Gander

Sergeant Gander

A portrait of Sergeant Gander by artist Anne Mainman.

SERGEANT
GANDER

A Canadian
     Hero

 ROBYN
WALKER

Copyright © Robyn Walker, 2009

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purposes of review) without the prior permission of Dundurn Press. Permission to photocopy should be requested from Access Copyright.

Editor: Cheryl Hawley
Design: Courtney Horner
Printer: Marquis

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Walker, Robyn, 1969-
           Sergeant Gander : a Canadian hero / by Robyn Walker.

Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-55488-463-6

1. Sergeant Gander (Dog)--Juvenile literature. 2. Canada. Canadian Army. Royal Rifles of Canada--Mascots--Juvenile literature. 3. Dickin Medal-
Juvenile literature. 4. Newfoundland dogs--Juvenile literature. 5. Mascots-
Canada--Biography--Juvenile literature. I. Title.

D810.A65W35 2009          j940.54'251250929          C2009-903265-1

1   2   3   4   5     13   12   11   10   09

We acknowledge the support of the
Canada Council for the Arts
and the
Ontario Arts Council
for our publishing program.
We also acknowledge the financial support of the
Government of Canada
through the
Book Publishing Industry Development
Program
and
The Association for the Export of Canadian Books
, and the
Government of Ontario
through the
Ontario
Book Publishers Tax Credit program
, and the
Ontario Media Development Corporation
.

Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this book. The author and the publisher welcome any information enabling them to rectify any references or credits in subsequent editions.

J. Kirk Howard, President

Front Cover Photo:The Royal Rifles with Gander in Vancouver, British Columbia, October 27, 1941. Courtesy of the National
       
Archives of Canada PA-116791.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I must acknowledge the invaluable assistance of Jeremy Swanson, former Commemorations Officer at thesto. He provided a wealth of background information and first-hand accounts about Gander and the veterans themselves, and was unfailing in his willingness to assist in “getting the Gander story out there.” It was never too late or too early to contact him and his replies were always quick and on point. The Gander story is his passion, and as a writer I benefited immensely from his willingness to share.

The assistance of the Hong Kong Veterans' Commemorative Association (HKVCA) has been immeasurable, with specific thanks to Jim Trick and
Derrill Henderson. Their willingness to answer questions and provide resources is much appreciated. The incredible website of the HKVCA is a repository of information about the Battle of Hong Kong that is without equal. Thanks also to Isabel George and Gill Hubbard of the Peoples' Dispensary for Sick Animals, for their help in obtaining photographs and information about other animal war heroes.

Many thanks to Ron Parker and his fabulous website (dedicated to his father, Major Maurice Parker, Royal Rifles of Canada), which provides a wealth of personal accounts of the battle. Also to Eileen Elms, who was willing to share her childhood memories of “Pal” and of what it was like living in Gander, Newfoundland, back in 1941.

Many, many thanks to all of those individuals who provided photographs and photograph permissions for this book. Their willingness to share has truly enhanced this project.

Much appreciation goes out to Corinna Austin, one of the most talented “undiscovered” writers I know, and my personal muse. The moral support you provide me with on a daily basis means the world.

I would also like to thank my husband and son (Terry and Jed Walker) who supported my writing efforts; Jane Gibson and Barry Penhale at Natural Heritage Books, A Member of the Dundurn Group, for their belief in this project; and Sarah and Samantha, who were there every step of the way.

All possible efforts have been made to trace the copyright holders of the materials used in this book. The responsibility for accuracy rests solely with the author and publisher, and any errors brought to their attention will be rectified in subsequent editions.

Foreword

To say that I was pleased to be asked to write the foreword to this book would be an understatement; it meant so much more to me than the reader could possibly understand. It was a highly satisfying personal honour, due to the extraordinary events that took place when the Gander story came to light.

While I was the commemorations and programs officer at the Canadian War Museum I took on several high-profile projects that resulted in major nationally and internationally recognized events. The Gander project was brought to my desk at the same time as several others, when things were the busiest and most stressful. My two volunteer researchers, Professor Howard Stutt (retired) and Second World War D-Day veteran George Shearman, were already heavily involved in different aspects on several projects at the time. My office and my staff were also actively engaged in the commemorations program to celebrate and mark the fiftieth anniversary of both VE day in May 1995, and VJ day in August 1995.

We were very thin on the ground and there was precious little time or resources to spare for something new. It was an exhausting program for us all, with meetings and events that seemed to happen every second or third day. In the middle of all of that there were research projects for the posthumous award of the Polish Home Army Cross to twenty-six Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) aircrew by the Polish government killed in action over Poland in 1940–45 (1996), and the commemoration of the heroic act of Perth resident Howard Stokes in saving the life of a young Dutch boy in 1945 (1997).

All of those projects would eventually have highly successful outcomes, but at that particular moment their completion seemed impossible. Into the midst of this frantic activity came the dog Gander. He came to my attention in the strangest of ways; many people have since remarked that it seemed to have been pre-ordained. Whatever it was that made it happen, it was certainly at the most appropriate of times.

The Canadian government had introduced the long overdue “Hong Kong” clasp to the CVSM (the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal), a general service medal for veterans of the Hong Kong Battle of December 8 to 25, 1941, on July 2, 1995. The first presentations of the new bar were made by Veterans Affairs in Ottawa on August 11, 1995, as part of the VJ Day fiftieth anniversary.