The official announcement awarding the 'animal Victoria Cross' to the only dog ever to be officially registered as a British prisoner of war has been discovered at The National Archives (TNA).

Judy, a liver-and-white pointer, was the mascot of the HMS Grasshopper, a Royal Navy gunboat on the Yangtze River during the Second World War.

The Grasshopper was sunk by the Japanese in February 1942 during the evacuation of Singapore. The crew abandoned ship and rowed to an uninhabited island, realising afterwards that Judy was not with them. She was discovered trapped below decks under fallen lockers by a crewman sent back to the wreckage of Grasshopper to salvage food.

There was no fresh water on the island and the prospects of survival looked slim until Judy managed to dig down to a spring on the shoreline. The shipwrecked crew believed she ensured their survival. She also protected them from snakes.

In 1946 Judy was awarded the Dickin Medal for Gallantry, known as the animal VC, by the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals.

The letter announcing the award was found in a file about animal awards in section AIR 2/5036 at TNA by a historian researching Great Escapes: Remarkable Second World War Captives, The National Archives' exhibition on Second World War prisoners.

Dr William Butler, TNA's Head of Modern Collections, said:

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'Animal VC' for Second World War POW dog discovered(https://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/news/judy-dog-second-world-war-medal)