By Pauline Murphy

At the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington DC you will find an unusual item on display in it’s war exhibition – a taxidermy mount of a mixed breed bull terrier dog called Sergeant Stubby.

During the summer of 1917 Stubby was found in the grounds of Yale University, Connecticut. The stray dog made the campus his home and befriended members of the 102nd Infantry who were training there at the time. One infantry man, Corporal James Robert Conroy, grew particularly fond of Stubby.

When the infantry had to ship out to Europe for combat in World War I Corporal Conroy found it hard to part with the much-loved mutt so, he smuggled Stubby on board his troop ship!

Halfway across the ocean Corporal Conroy’s commanding officer discovered the stowaway dog. To sooth tensions Corporal Conroy ordered Stubby to salute him, it was a trick he had taught him in Yale. The commanding officer was won over by the patriotic pooch and allowed him to stay with Corporal Conroy and his unit.

Stubby proved to be a natural soldier. He fitted in well with life in the trenches and got his first taste of combat in February, 1918, at Chemin des Dames.

In April, 1918, Stubby received shrapnel wounds when a German grenade exploded in his trench.

He was rushed to a Red Cross hospital where he recovered from his wounds. While at the hospital Stubby brought light relief to injured soldiers and became a morale boosting figure for them.

Continue reading in this week’s Ireland’s Own