The memorial to ‘Paddy the Pigeon’ at Carnlough harbour was vandalised some time overnight between Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9. Commenting on the incident, a police spokesperson said: “The marble tile was torn from its mount at the Heritage Centre on Harbour Road and smashed. Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to NorthernIrelandWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
"Anyone who witnessed the damage being caused or who may have other information regarding this crime is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference 481 09/06/24.” ‘Paddy the Pigeon’, who was born and trained in Carnlough and loaned to the RAF during the war, was the first pigeon to bring back a message to an RAF base in England following the D-Day landings. Wartime NI, a digital platform hosting a range of articles related to WWII in Northern Ireland, shared Paddy’s story on https://wartimeni.
com/ The brave pigeon’s journey back to the RAF base took place in a record 4 hours and 50 minutes, facing a host of dangers along the way. “As well as the usual aerial threats of wartime, a number of hawks in the hands of German units had the sole purpose of taking down Paddy and his comrades,” the website notes. Advertisement Advertisement “On September 1, 1944, Paddy received the Dickin Medal.
Introduced in 1943 by Maria Dickin, the founder of the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, this award is the highest accolad.
