Dugouts for working ambulance dogs

This photograph shows a little known aspect of World War One - the working ambulance dogs of the French Army which assisted with retrieval of wounded soldiers in the battlefields. The dogs were trained to stay with wounded soldiers and bark to attract attention, or to retrieve an item of clothing from soldiers who had lost their lives. about the same time as an English school was set up at Shoeburyness. Shepherd-dogs of various kinds, Airedale terriers and Scotch collies were mainly employed. Each French infantry battalion was allotted six dogs.

During World War I as well as working with field ambulances, dogs were employed as sentries, messengers, food carriers, scouts, sled dogs, guard dogs, ratters, Red Cross casualty dogs, and even cigarette dogs. The French Army set up a war-dog training school at Satory, and about 20,000 dogs served with the French Army, and thousands more served with other countries. Many different breeds saw active duty during the war depending on the job at hand. Bulldogs, Bloodhounds, Farm Collies, Retrievers, Dobermans, Airedales, Jack Russell and Wire-Haired Fox Terriers, Sheep Dogs and German Shepherds were all used in a variety of roles.

The large format of The Illustrated London news made it a graphic vehicle for conveying the news, stories and photographs of the war, and it is an important document of social history. This photograph comes from the issue of 30 October 1919. The State Library holds a complete set of this wonderful magazine from 1842 to 2003.

Permission to use this item for any purpose, including publishing, is not required from the State Library under these conditions of use.

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