A medal awarded to a Shropshire dog which was parachuted behind enemy lines on SAS missions is going up for auction.

The black and white Collie Retriever, Rob, originally from Colemere Farm near Ellesmere, was volunteered as a war dog during the Second World War.

He took part in 20 parachute descents throughout the war, and was awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal for Gallantry, otherwise known as the Victoria Cross for animals, as well as the RSPCA Red Collar for Valour, for his outstanding service.

The Dickin Medal will be auctioned on Wednesday, October 12, by Noonans - with a guide price of £20,000 to £30,000.

Rob's descents were made while serving with Infantry in North Africa and the 2nd SAS Regiment.

The proceeds of the auction will be given to the Taylor McNally Foundation.

The medal is being sold with an extensive archive including Rob's collar, a portrait painting, photographs, certificate, manuscripts, books and letters.

Rob was bought as a puppy from Colemere Farm near Ellesmere in 1939 for five shillings, and lived his early years with the Bayne family of nearby Tetchill as their farm dog and pet.

His owners volunteered him as a War Dog in 1942 and he was signed up on May 19 of that year.

Following action in the North Africa campaign, from September 1943, Rob served with the SAS, the first war dog to do so.

With the regiment, he took part in operations in Italy, parachuting in on sabotage missions.

Christopher Mellor-Hill, Head of Client Liaison at Noonans said:

"Over the years books have been written about him and he even featured on the front page of the Radio Times. We believe this to be the most important Dickin Medal to ever be sold at auction.

Instituted by Maria Dickin, CBE, the founder of the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), in 1943, the Dickin Medal has since been awarded on 71 occasions - 32 of them going to pigeons, 34 to dogs, four to horses and one to a cat.

The vast majority - and all those awards to pigeons - were granted in respect of acts of bravery in the Second World War, but more recently a number of awards have been made to Arms and Explosives Search Dogs of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps for their gallantry in Iraq and Afghanistan.

To visit the Noonan's website, see:
https://www.noonans.co.uk/

To read the complete article, see:
Medals awarded to incredible SAS parachute dog expected to raise more than £20k at auction(https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/oswestry/ellesmere/2022/09/25/medals-awarded-to-incredible-sas-parachute-dog-expected-to-raise-more-than-20k-at-auction/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
Bravery medals of parachuting SAS dog are tipped to fetch £30,000 after he was awarded the animal Victoria Cross for being dropped behind enemy lines in WW2 (and a lifetime supply of biscuits)(https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11238723/Medals-parachuting-SAS-dog-tipped-fetch-30-000-awarded-animal-Victoria-Cross.html)