Page 27 - Chiron Calling Autumn/Winter 2022

vi) A copy of As Brothers In the Fray, The Life Story of Britain’s Ace of War Dogs. “Rob” DM 471/322 – The Parachute Dog – Mascot of the 2nd Special Air Service Regiment. By Edna Bayne, typescript in 18 chapters with foreword by the Lord Stafford, dated 1949.
vii) Letter dated 26th May 1948 from Rob’s original handler in North Africa Major Tom Burt MBE to Mrs Edna Bayne in response to Mrs Bayne’s request for details of Rob’s war service.
viii) A folder containing plastic wallets filled with photographs
and news reports relating to Rob’s history and service, including a (torn) photograph of his handler Major
Tom Burt; together with a series of articles, newspaper cuttings, letters and hand-written notes concerning Rob the Dog, service animals
and military figures; and various photocopies of numerous press cuttings setting out Rob’s war record, often as the pre-eminent example of war animal exploits.
ix) Correspondence with various organisations regarding research into Rob’s war record; together with a folder containing various photographs, newspaper cuttings and War Office correspondence regarding Rob’s return and award.
x) Various articles and original photographs of Rob the Dog and the Bayne family; together with a folder containing various hand-written memoirs of Rob’s life by one of the Bayne children (Heather), including specific details of how he came to complete parachute jumps at Sousse in Tunisia in 1942, and how the family met John Brunt.
xi) A letter from Jennifer Hodges, daughter of Corporal Redhead, Rob’s SAS handler, with a photograph of Rob and Redhead together.
xii) A folder containing details and tributes to Captain John Brunt VC MC, who as a pupil at Ellesmere College had exercised Rob the dog.
xiii) A box file containing
a printer’s metal slug of the photograph of Rob receiving his Dickin Medal, with print copy of the image.
and another dog apparently on manoeuvres with troops, taken
from a film at the Imperial War Museum of Guelma, Algeria on 6th February 1943. Catalogue number AYY 471/2, created by the War Office Film Unit. Titled: Reconstruction
of an army message dog in action in Guelma, one of four belonging to the Royal Irish Fusiliers in North Africa. Full description: Close up of Company Sergeant Major Garrett of S Company, 1st Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers laying flat, writing a message for his platoon sergeant. He hands the message to Lance-Corporal H Evans, with his dogs Rob and Boy. Lance-Corporal Evans places the message in a collar around Rob’s neck and releases him. Rob heads for his other kennel man, Fusilier Williams, who is on the other
side of the field. Rob negotiates
a stream. After running a mile,
Rob dashes to Fusilier Williams. Fusilier Williams detaches the collar and hands it to Platoon Sergeant
M T McHugh. Sergeant McHugh extracts and reads the message and runs off to his platoon hidden in the undergrowth. Rob is petted and fed by his master. Close up of Rob; together with accompanying CD of the film and letter from the film maker’s daughter; and further
correspondence regarding the film from the maker’s daughter.
xv) Seven video cassettes, comprising Basil Bayne Dog and Football; Animal Passions, dated 2nd July 1996 and 9th July 1996;
2 labelled: Rob copy of 16mm film (Circa 1949) for Heather Bayne; and 2 labelled: Animals at War; together with a cassette tape of the BBC Radio Four series The Animals’ VC, with accompanying note from the BBC to Heather Bayne.
xvi) A box of 15 books relating to animal war heroes, the SAS, and the memoir of an Infantry despatch rider. The books include Who Cares Wins, by Jimmy Quentin Hughes MC and Silent Heroes by Evelyn Le Chêne.
xvii) Two copies of Rob the Paradog, a soft back children’s book by Dorothy Nicolle.
xviii) Various sundry news articles, photocopies of photographs; PDSA booklets; cuttings from and complete copies of the Radio Times for 6th-12th May 1989, featuring Rob on the cover for the Inside Story series programme Animals In War; and other ephemera.
Text and photos kindly supplied by Noonan’s of Mayfair. Readers may be interested to know the Dickin Medal for Rob sold for £140,000 on the 12 October 2022.
xiv) A photograph of Rob
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