Checking in with the Wildlife


Like many folk, I am looking for ways to occupy my time when I am not working from home. So I was obviously interested in undertaking the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend, giving an hour of my time to sit in an armchair with a coffee and observe our feathered friends flying in and out of my garden. It's been an interesting hour observing the pecking order, watching the little arguments as they find their place on the bird feeders, admiring their queuing system that operates on the nearby trees as they wait their turn for a snack. Meanwhile, a wily wood pigeon saunters along the ground collecting the seeds that the birds have dropped. A really pleasant way to spend an hour.

It did make me think of a photograph (attached) we have in the Museum collection of a tame jackdaw perching on the back of Lance Corporal Smiley, an instructor at the Regimental Depot, taken in 1935. There is a document in Carlisle Archives that mentions the Jackdaw; as a chick it fell down a chimney and was raised by the soldiers, who obviously named it 'Jack'. Classed as one of the world's most intelligent birds, Jack is seen here perching on the back of LCpl Smiley who is aiming his rifle. Whether the bird was brave enough to remain on the soldier's back when he fired the weapon, we will never know, although the likelihood is it is a staged photo However, the connection between man and feathered friend is clear.

Animals have long had a connection with the British Army whether as mascots such as goats and dogs, or beasts of burden such as mules and even elephants, or modes of transport like the horse or camel. This is less obvious nowadays with the benefits of motor transport but The Royal Army Veterinary Corps still exists as part of the Army's medical services to 'lead in the development of good husbandry, training practice, preventive medicine and care for Military Working Animals (MWAs).'

The connection between handler and animal is a unique bond, one of mutual respect. One of the veterans of the Museum's Afghan project shared his experiences of being attached to the dog section of a bomb disposal unit, and how he admired, and was in awe of, the two military working dogs. From this photo, we can see there is a connection between Jack and LCpl Smiley. There are many questions I want to ask - where did Jack live? was he friendly with all the soldiers? did he venture outside the Castle walls? And, of course, the next obvious question is what happened when Jack passed away...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Socially Distanced Alternative?

Image
Matchlock Musket or Brown Bess?  As debate rages whether the Prime Minister will reduce social distancing from 2m to 1m tomorrow, I think we may have the answer for our visitors. Like many other businesses, we at the Museum have a range of posters and floor stickers in production, hazard tape at the ready and a socially 2m safe layout in the pipeline. Or  perhaps we should consider alterna tives to ensure people don't get too close... Let me introduce you to the Brown Bess, o r 'British (Long) Land Pattern Musket' to give it  it's proper name,  used between 1722  and 1838. There are plenty of variations to this flintlock weapon, but at a metre and a half long, it is well on its way to being a useful tool in social distancing. Although the len gth of the Brown Bess did decrease during its long and illustrious history. The Brown Bess was the standard musket of the British military, used in battles such as Culloden and Waterloo. It was the first mass-produced weapon for th
Read more

Once a Guide, Always a Guide...

Image
T onight is another night out in the garden camping. Tonight we are having a Ranger Guide campout with all the girls either camping in their garden or inside their house. We have arranged a call at 7pm and may even burst into song with a virtual campfire. We have all arranged to photograph the evidence of our group sleep out and post it in our WhatsApp group. Luckily the weather is good and it is set to be a warm night so we shouldn't have many mishaps. We were due to go camping as a unit in July but this is unlikely to happen. It is good to encourage the girls to enjoy the great outdoors and camping is an excellent way to introduce them to this primitive way of living outside. I have camped since I was a Guide enjoying weekends, weeks and even longer camps all across the Country from Cornwall to Scotland, Yorkshire to Norfolk. Obviously the weather is a factor in making camp a wonderful experience but it is good to teach the girls that you can still have a great time in the wind a
Read more

Anti-Bacterial wipes for the Medieval Castle?

Image
As part of preparations for opening the Museum staff volunteered to go round the Castle to check out preparations for opening tomorrow.  Not everywhere on the site can be open (medieval castles are not known for social distancing) but one area that could prove interesting will be the dungeons in the Keep. These rooms are all the more fascinating as they are home to the infamous 'licking stones.' I was once asked by a friend to help with her infant class on a visit to the Castle. Obviously, they got all the spiel spiced with kiddie-friendly humour and when we entered to dungeons, I built up the tension and relayed the Jacobite 'licking stone' story. 'Errr' many of the kids commented when I shared the licking stone story 'that's horrible!' which why it was more surprising when one of the wee kids said to me 'Miss, miss. I've just licked the stones!' Joy, oh joy. Not sure that was on any risk assessment. Now I am not actively encouraging vis
Read more