By Patsy Wood
While we may not realize it, an estimated 100,000 carrier pigeons served in the U.S. military in World War I and 95% of these pigeons were successful in completing their missions. Carrier pigeons were crucial messengers of information between humans during the war and due to the efforts of a single pigeon I am here today.
When my grandfather, Daddy Jack, left college in 1917 to enlist as a Navy pilot in World War I, he was commissioned as an Ensign, earning his aviator certificate before being sent to Florida for basic training. From there he was assigned to the Royal Naval Air Service in Norwich Great Britain where he flew fuel and supplies to the front lines in France, defended London against zeppelin raids and engaged in anti-submarine patrols against German U-boats.
The planes he flew were Sopwiths and Snyders. These single seater aircrafts with two pontoons and two machine guns carried 65 pound depth charges to use against submarines. Because this was the age before on-board radio, each plane enlisted a carrier pigeon trained to fly messages back to the base in Britain in case of emergencies. These pigeons were trained to alight on a seesaw at the naval base in Norwich where they were fed. The rocking of the seesaw rang a bell, alerting base personnel to the pigeon’s arrival so messages could be received quickly.
On one fateful mission, Daddy Jack’s plane was shot down over the North Sea. As his plane crashed into the water, my grandfather secured his carrier pigeon and swam to a nearby buoy where he released the bird, attaching a message with his coordinates to a small capsule on its leg. Just as it was trained to do, the pigeon flew back to the base enabling my grandfather to be rescued and brought home alive.
My grandfather was lucky that one of his duties as a naval aviator was to check the location of buoys on the routes he flew, but without his carrier pigeon, he likely would have perished.
Because of this single carrier pigeon, my mother and aunt, their eight children, 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren are alive today. My family owes that pigeon a huge debt.
So how is it that pigeons have the capability to be such effective message bearers? Studies have found that pigeons will find their way home even if blindfolded when they are released from distant places. It is believed that they can sense the earth’s magnetic fields and can orient based on the position of the sun.
To get a fuller picture of the role carrier pigeons played during World War I, historians have collected troves of messages they carried. This data confirms carrier pigeons’ wide historical use in every branch of military service, by both the Allies and Central Powers alike. For example, pigeons were often released mid-air from planes to bring back updated enemy locations to commanders on the ground. Tanks used carrier pigeons to relay information to individual tank units on the front lines to coordinate military planning among the ground forces. It was discovered that using pigeons was safer than sending radio signals that could be intercepted in addition to putting soldiers in danger when sending them.
One of the most common uses of carrier pigeons was sending them with strategic messages from the front lines of battle in the trenches back to the war commanders and planners in the rear flanks. These messages provided frequent updates about what was happening on the front lines and was essential for planning the war effort. To accomplish this, pigeons were housed in mobile units instead of their home lofts so they could be sent where they were most needed. These mobile units were often double decker buses or repurposed horse carriages. Keeping the pigeons in these portable units was crucial as the enemy frequently disrupted military telephone and telegraph lines.
These pigeons were true heroes and risked their lives constantly to do this important work. It was not uncommon for pigeons to be wounded by shrapnel and yet they still carried out their missions. One pigeon, known as No. 498 carried a message from a British boat that was hit by a German U Boat. Even though the pigeon was wounded by gunfire in one wing, he managed to make the trip back, saving all members of the crew.
Another pigeon named President Wilson was assigned to an infantry unit in France during the Argonne offensive. He was dispatched to carry a message 25 miles to commanders to let them know that additional artillery support was necessary. As he flew, German fighters fired constantly into his flight path trying to kill him and disrupt the message. In spite of this he made the trip in 25 minutes dodging the artillery as he flew. Wounded in the chest and losing a leg, he was treated and then retired from service, living an additional eleven years at Fort Monmouth NJ Army Breeding and Training Center. After his death he was placed in the Smithsonian in honor of his heroic service. Today he can be found in a prominent display in U.S. Military Headquarters in Arlington VA to honor the memory of the courageous and important work of pigeons during World War I.
Their work enabled countless lives to be saved and allowed communications to get through, even in the most dire circumstances. There are so many untold stories of pigeon heroism during World War I that we’ll never know but we can be sure that there are many descendants of men who fought in World War I who are alive today because of the courageous and pivotal work of our carrier pigeons. Pigeons were also used during World War II and 32 pigeons in that war were awarded the United Kingdom Dickin medal for their brave and heroic actions.
When we see pigeons today, let’s remember what a crucial role carrier pigeons have played in human history and consider the very real possibility that many of us are here because of their brave and critical work.