SHANGRALA'S

JUDY - POW
WAR DOG HERO!


      Meet Judy, the only animal imprisoned as an official POW in WWII. A purebred pointer, she was the mascot of several ships in the Pacific, and was captured by the Japanese in 1942 and taken to a prison camp. There she met Aircraftman Frank Williams, who shared his small portion of rice with her, and they became best friends.
      After watching Judy try to defend her fellow prisoners from guard beatings and getting beaten with the butt of their rifles for her intervention, he devised a plan. Williams believed that the only way to keep her from being shot was to get her official POW status. He waited for the camp's commandant to get his fill of saki, knowing the Japanese officer was a happy, pliable drunk. Frank's calculation and nerve paid off; the commandant agreed and from then on Judy was POW 81A.

Shangrala's Judy - POW War Dog Hero
      Although this new distinction did save her from execution on multiple occasions, Judy was never out of danger for long. Over three long years as a POW, she provoked prison guards and the wild animals she encountered in the jungle surrounding the camp, barking at tigers and surviving a battle with a crocodile.

Shangrala's Judy - POW War Dog Hero
Shangrala's Judy - POW War Dog Hero

Shangrala's Judy - POW War Dog Hero
      Judy raised morale in the POW camp, and also barked when poisonous snakes, crocodiles or even tigers approached the prisoners. When the prisoners were shipped back to Singapore, she was smuggled out in a rice sack, never whimpering or betraying her presence to the guards.

Shangrala's Judy - POW War Dog Hero
      The next day, that ship was torpedoed. Williams pushed Judy out of a porthole in an attempt to save her life, even though there was a 15-foot drop to the sea. He made his own escape from the ship, but was then recaptured and sent to a new POW camp.

Shangrala's Judy - POW War Dog Hero
      He didn't know if Judy had survived, but soon he began hearing stories about a dog helping drowning men reach pieces of debris after the shipwreck. And when Williams arrived at the new camp, he said: "I couldn't believe my eyes! As I walked through the gate, a scraggly dog hit me square between the shoulders and knocked me over. I'd never been so glad to see the old girl!"



Shangrala's Judy - POW War Dog Hero
      Williams said that every day in the prison camp he thanked God for Judy because she gave him a reason to keep living. They spent a year together at that camp in Sumatra. "Judy saved my life in so many ways," said Williams. "But the greatest of all was giving me a reason to live. All I had to do was look into those weary, bloodshot eyes and ask myself: 'What would happen to her if I died?' I had to keep going."

Shangrala's Judy - POW War Dog Hero
      Once hostilities ceased, Judy was then smuggled aboard a troopship heading back to Liverpool.

Shangrala's Judy - POW War Dog Hero
      In England, she was awarded the Dickin Medal (the "Victoria Cross" for animals) in May 1946. Her citation reads: "For magnificent courage and endurance in Japanese prison camps, which helped to maintain morale among her fellow prisoners, and also for saving many lives through her intelligence and watchfulness".

Shangrala's Judy - POW War Dog Hero
      At the same time, Frank Williams was awarded the PDSA's White Cross of St. Giles for his devotion to Judy. Frank and Judy spent a year after the war visiting the relatives of English POWs who had not survived, and Frank said that Judy "always provided a comforting presence to the families."

Shangrala's Judy - POW War Dog Hero

Shangrala's Judy - POW War Dog Hero

Shangrala's Judy - POW War Dog Hero

Shangrala's Judy - POW War Dog Hero
      When Judy sadly died of cancer at the age of 13, Frank spent two months building a granite and marble memorial in her memory, which included a plaque describing her life story.



Warm All Your Friends With This Story
Shangrala's Judy - POW War Dog Hero
Of The World's ONLY POW Dog! :)



submit to reddit

Share


SEE ALSO: Sgt.Stubby War Dog Hero!






^BACK To TOP^


For those of you who Want More FUN - Visit The Shangy Fun List! Variety is the
spice of life! The Shangy Fun List is an ezine packed full of Poems, Inspirational and
Heart Warming Stories. Jokes from G to slightly R, and Anything else that just
might make you SMILE! Join In The Free FUN!! ... :)

Yes! Click Here To GO TO THE ARCHIVES!-



share

Like This Page?




If you are looking for more, here are some good places to start:

More Animation!
Why My Son?-
Dog Warriors!-
K9 9/11 Heroes!-
Thank You Lord!-
Lest We Forget 2!-
War Pics: Daily 3!-
WWI Human Art!-
Rolling Memorial!-
No Words Needed!-
Freedom Isn't Free!-
War Pics: Humor 2!-
Military WWII Posters!-
Proud Of Our Troops 6!-
Military Motivational Posters!-
FULL 9/11 And Troops INDEX!-
USS New York LPD-21 Tribute!-
A-Z Animated Images!-

FUN URLS



BACK To SHANGRALA -To SHANGRALA-


Special THANKS Goes To PERRY WISE For Sharing This With Us.



Copyright © 1996 Netscape Communications Corporation. Mozilla is
a trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation.
Note: This is an Unofficial God, Jesus Christ, Family, & Cartoon Fan Site.
© All graphics representing Disney characters are copyrighted by Disney.
Likewise all other graphics & music Copyright © by their own Individual Artists.
I do not own any graphics on this site. If you do, please notify me and I'll give
you proper credit, a link, or remove it immediately according to your wishes.
~*~ Copyright © 1997-2023 Elrhea M. Bigham ~*~