Judy: The Unforgettable Story of the Dog Who Went to War and Became a True Hero by Damien Lewis Page B
Authors: Damien Lewis
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group of sailors to shore. But by far her favorite moment was when she was able to dart beneath the boat’s rattan covering, whereupon delighted squeals and shrieks would reveal that she was having a fine rough-and-tumble with Amah’s children.
Such were Judy’s special friends at Hankow, and via her local family she was doubtless able to get in touch with her feminine side. But on the troubled lower Yangtze in 1938 it was perhaps inevitable that few such extended families would remain intact for very long, not even those aboard the gunboats.
Inevitably, there was a churn among the British crews, as those who had completed their two and a half years of “foreign service” were rotated back to the UK. Many were reluctant returnees. Especially in the middle of a conflict like that currently unfolding, the life of a gunboat man was exciting and fraught with danger, which made it strangely compelling. By contrast, England in 1938 remained a land of stability and peace, offering none of the young sailors the buzz they could expect when patrolling the Yangtze.
But as with all good things, every crewman’s gunboat posting had to come to an end. Sadly for Judy, it was now the turn of her foremost shipmates to be rotated back to England. Vic Oliver, who’d plucked her out of the Yangtze; Tankey Cooper, who’d plucked her out of the Hankow cesspit; and Chief Petty Officer Jefferey, who’d plucked her out of the Shanghai Dog Kennels and chosen her as ship’s dog—all were going home. In light of the loss of so many of her close family, perhaps it was serendipitous that Judy was about to start a family of her own . . .
After heartfelt good-byes between those who were departing and the dog they were leaving behind, replacement crewmen came aboard the Gnat . Among them Judy seemed to take an instant liking to two very distinctive individuals. One was an easygoing giant of a man, Leading Seaman Law. The other, Able Seaman Boniface, better known to all as Bonny, was a real joker and was to become the character of the ship. It was to be Bonny and Law who’d perform the pivotal role in Judy’s forthcoming motherhood.
A French gunboat, the Francis Garnier , had docked opposite the Gnat , with an American vessel, the USS Tutuila , pulling in alongside. At first the arrival of the two Allied gunboats was seen as being a good excuse for some fine-spirited hospitality. The crew of the USS Tutuila was invited aboard the British ship for limited use of the ship’s canteen—in other words, her stock of beer. The beer was expected to last only until April 26, before rationing would again be required.
After a fine evening’s Anglo-American carousing, the crew of the Gnat challenged their Yankee fellows to a rifle match. It was a close-run thing: the British sailors won by one point. But from the Francis Garnier , the Gnat ’s crew was about to receive an altogether more unexpected challenge—and very much more than they had ever bargained for.
It was Bonny who first noticed Judy’s odd behavior. He was seated in the crew’s mess, in the bows of the ship, trying to concentrate on the letter he was writing to his sweetheart back in Portsmouth. But whenever he seemed to get the words he was composing in his headjust about right, Judy would get to her feet, whine insistently, wander about unhappily, then flop back down again.
Finally, she padded across to the ladder leading to the main deck and fresh air and stared upward with a fixed expression on her features. Then she turned imploringly to Bonny with the most heart-melting look in her eyes that he had ever seen.
Bonny put down his pen and stared right back at her. “How d’you expect me to persuade the barmaid in the Air Balloon that it’s all right for me to take her on holiday without her mom if you keep moaning and fidgeting?”
Judy flicked her gaze back to the ladder, then pinned Bonny once more with that pleading look.
Bonny got to his feet. “What’s up with
Such were Judy’s special friends at Hankow, and via her local family she was doubtless able to get in touch with her feminine side. But on the troubled lower Yangtze in 1938 it was perhaps inevitable that few such extended families would remain intact for very long, not even those aboard the gunboats.
Inevitably, there was a churn among the British crews, as those who had completed their two and a half years of “foreign service” were rotated back to the UK. Many were reluctant returnees. Especially in the middle of a conflict like that currently unfolding, the life of a gunboat man was exciting and fraught with danger, which made it strangely compelling. By contrast, England in 1938 remained a land of stability and peace, offering none of the young sailors the buzz they could expect when patrolling the Yangtze.
But as with all good things, every crewman’s gunboat posting had to come to an end. Sadly for Judy, it was now the turn of her foremost shipmates to be rotated back to England. Vic Oliver, who’d plucked her out of the Yangtze; Tankey Cooper, who’d plucked her out of the Hankow cesspit; and Chief Petty Officer Jefferey, who’d plucked her out of the Shanghai Dog Kennels and chosen her as ship’s dog—all were going home. In light of the loss of so many of her close family, perhaps it was serendipitous that Judy was about to start a family of her own . . .
After heartfelt good-byes between those who were departing and the dog they were leaving behind, replacement crewmen came aboard the Gnat . Among them Judy seemed to take an instant liking to two very distinctive individuals. One was an easygoing giant of a man, Leading Seaman Law. The other, Able Seaman Boniface, better known to all as Bonny, was a real joker and was to become the character of the ship. It was to be Bonny and Law who’d perform the pivotal role in Judy’s forthcoming motherhood.
A French gunboat, the Francis Garnier , had docked opposite the Gnat , with an American vessel, the USS Tutuila , pulling in alongside. At first the arrival of the two Allied gunboats was seen as being a good excuse for some fine-spirited hospitality. The crew of the USS Tutuila was invited aboard the British ship for limited use of the ship’s canteen—in other words, her stock of beer. The beer was expected to last only until April 26, before rationing would again be required.
After a fine evening’s Anglo-American carousing, the crew of the Gnat challenged their Yankee fellows to a rifle match. It was a close-run thing: the British sailors won by one point. But from the Francis Garnier , the Gnat ’s crew was about to receive an altogether more unexpected challenge—and very much more than they had ever bargained for.
It was Bonny who first noticed Judy’s odd behavior. He was seated in the crew’s mess, in the bows of the ship, trying to concentrate on the letter he was writing to his sweetheart back in Portsmouth. But whenever he seemed to get the words he was composing in his headjust about right, Judy would get to her feet, whine insistently, wander about unhappily, then flop back down again.
Finally, she padded across to the ladder leading to the main deck and fresh air and stared upward with a fixed expression on her features. Then she turned imploringly to Bonny with the most heart-melting look in her eyes that he had ever seen.
Bonny put down his pen and stared right back at her. “How d’you expect me to persuade the barmaid in the Air Balloon that it’s all right for me to take her on holiday without her mom if you keep moaning and fidgeting?”
Judy flicked her gaze back to the ladder, then pinned Bonny once more with that pleading look.
Bonny got to his feet. “What’s up with
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