Page 23 - Chiron Winter 2020

Gunner – the hero dog
by Nigel Allsopp
Gunner – the hero dog who could differentiate between the sounds of Japanese
and Allied aircraft. During WW2, there was an Australian dog whose hearing was so acute that it could warn air force personnel of incoming Japanese planes 20 minutes before they came and before they showed up on radar.
Gunner was a male kelpie
dog who became famous for his reliability to alert Allied airmen that Japanese aircrafts were approaching Darwin during WWII. He appears
to have been a stray when he was found in February 1942, under the ruins of a mess hut, after the first Japanese air raid on Darwin.
He was found by personnel from No. 2 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) who heard the dog whimpering as he was carrying a broken front leg. Gunner was taken to a field hospital, where a medical officer insisted that he could not treat a patient without knowing their name and number. After
being told that the patient’s name was “Gunner” and his number was “0000”, the doctor set and plastered
Gunner’s leg. At that moment Gunner officially entered the records of the Royal Australian Air Force.
Leading Aircraftman Percy Westcott assumed ownership of Gunner and became his master and handler. The young Gunner was badly shaken by his experiences but quickly responded to the care and attention of Percy Westcott and others from 2 Squadron.
A week later, Gunner first demonstrated his hearing skills.
As the RAAF personnel went about their daily routine, Gunner became agitated and started to jump and whine. Not long after, the sound of approaching aircraft engines was heard. A few minutes later, Japanese raiders appeared above Darwin and began strafing and bombing the town. Two days later, Gunner again began jumping and whimpering and not long after came another attack. This pattern was repeated several times over the weeks that followed. Long before the sirens sounded, Gunner would head for shelter and become agitated.
Gunner’s hearing was so good he was able to warn RAAF personnel
Gunner with his handler Percy Westcott
of Japanese air attacks, up to 20 minutes before they arrived and before they were detected by the rudimentary radars available at the time. Gunner didn’t behave the same way when he heard Allied aircraft approaching; he could differentiate between the sounds of the engines used by Japanese and Allied airplanes. Gunner was so good at it that the commanding officer, Wing Commander A. B. “Tich” McFarlane, gave approval for Westcott to sound an air raid siren whenever Gunner’s jumping or whining alerted him.
Gunner became a big part of the RAAF that he slept under Westcott’s bunk, showered with the airmen in the shower block, sat with the men at the outdoor movies, and went up with the pilots during practice take- off and landings. When Westcott was posted to Melbourne 18 months later, Gunner stayed in Darwin. Gunner’s fate is undocumented.
Military Working Dog Smoky decorated posthumously
Sin the USA
moky the WWII mascot was born in Australia and has become the world’s most decorated war dog in her country of birth, where she also
served as the world’s first PTSD dog (Guinness book of records). Smoky is also known for her skills in keeping the troops entertained during the South East Asian campaign over several years. Following her return from WWII, Smoky went to America with Corporal Bill Wynn, where she became well known from her appearance in a succession of TV shows. Smoky’s handler Cpl Bill Wynn is still with us at 98 years old and he continues to pay his daily tribute to his WWII buddy whose action saved of his fellow comrade’s lives.
Chiron Calling / 21