Dumfriesshire to remember Animals In War

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A special free outdoor ceremony for pet lovers will be held at Dumfriesshire’s The Devil’s Porridge Museum in Eastriggs on Monday’s Armistice Day (November 11).

The museum – which tells the story of HM Factory Gretna, ‘the greatest munitions factory on earth’ in World War One with 30,000 workers from around the Commonwealth, where the ‘devil’s porridge’ cordite was mixed – has one of only two official monuments in the UK honouring Animals In War.

It has an open invite for anyone to go along with their pets at 10.45am to remember all the animals who played such an important role during the wars – from horses to homing pigeons – at the statue at the rear of the museum.

The service will start promptly at 11am at the five-and-a-half-foot polished granite statue which commemorates animals who gave their lives or worked in many ways to help the UK during wars and conflict.

It will include the Devil’s Porridge Museum laying a wreath down at the memorial, which cost £10,500 and is the only Animals in War memorial in the north of the UK, with only one other in London.

It also gained the royal seal of approval from Princess Anne when she officially opened the museum a few years ago.

The memorial’s history goes back to 2008 when the Animals in War committee was founded by Stephen Glencross in Cumbria with the intention of having oone over the border in Carlisle at Hardwicke Circus.

It was supported by the Royal Pigeon Racing Association and funding flooded in from animal-lovers from across the UK for the memorial and the late Queen Elizabeth II – who was a keen pigeon fancier – also sent a donation.

However, last year the committee was rocked when Carlisle City Council called for alterations which would cost another £8,000.

But they were “absolutely delighted” when the volunteers at the Devil’s Porridge Museum offered it a home in Dumfries and Galloway instead.

Councillor Richard Brodie, who is chairman of the Eastriggs and Gretna Heritage Group behind the museum, said: “The memorial is very impressive and we are glad to have it. What is Carlisle’s loss is Eastriggs’ gain.”

As well as the memorial, to honour the work of animals in World War II the PDSA Dickin Medal was instituted in 1943 in the United Kingdom by Maria Dickin and is referred to as “the animals’ Victoria Cross”.

The awarding of the medal was revived in 2000 and acknowledge actions of gallantry or devotion during the Second World War and subsequent conflicts.

Staff and volunteers at The Devil’s Porridge Museum are also inviting anyone visiting on Sunday (November 10) to join them in a two minutes silence to mark Remembrance Sunday at 11am.

In addition, representatives of The Devil’s Porridge Museum will be laying wreaths at Eastriggs and Dornock war memorial on Remembrance Sunday.

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