A lasting tribute to a pigeon which helped save lives and win a war has winged its way to the bird's home village.

Blue chequer hen Winkie became an animal Victoria Cross recipient after helping to save the stranded crew of an RAF bomber after it crashed in the icy North Sea at the height of World War II.

The bird had been a carrier pigeon for the service and followed her training when she escaped from her container in the impact of the crash as the Beaufort Bomber hit the sea between Norway and Scotland on the night of February 23, 1942.

She flew home, alerting her owner who contacted the RAF, which then deduced where she had flown from based on her bedraggled condition and weather conditions.

The crew were saved after they were found in their rubber dingy.

Her heroics earned Winkie, who was bred on Bents Farm in Whitburn, the Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent of a VC.

With radio silence essential, RAF crews used tens of thousands of birds to send messages and microfilm, with the animals reliable and able to make their journeys undetected.

Now, she has been given a lasting memorial in the village, with a display entitled Winkie Comes Home to Whitburn installed in Latimer's cafe in the village.

To read the complete article, see:
Victoria Cross hero pigeon Winkie honoured with memorial to bird's RAF rescue mission (www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/all-news/victoria-cross-hero-pigeon-winkie-honoured-with-memorial-to-bird-s-raf-rescue-mission-1-7409807)