Dogs of War Memorial to hero hounds who saved countless lives in the combat zone

A MONUMENT for Forces working dogs featuring two RAF legends could soon be completed.

Two-thirds of the £150,000 needed for the National Military Working Dogs Memorial has been raised and the first of its four statues, Hero Dog Theo, has been cast.

Now the NMWDM charity has launched an appeal for people to donate the cost of a cup of coffee, saying ‘small donations can really make a difference’, to help reach the fundraising total.

The memorial will be built at The Pet Cemetery in Holywell, North Wales and will feature bronze statues of German shepherd Lucky, an RAF Police anti-terrorist tracker dog deployed on active service from 1949-52 during the Malaya Campaign, and springer spaniel Buster, who completed five tours of duty to Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. He was the last military working dog to leave Iraq.

Spaniel Theo served with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps in Afghanistan and died in the line of duty, within hours of his handler. The other heroic hound to be honoured is English Pointer Judy – the only dog to be registered as a Prisoner of War, in Japan, and who was mascot of river gunboat HMS Grasshopper.

John Ward, chairman of the charity’s trustees, said: “We have ordered the memorial, which will take about 20 weeks to be prepared. The plan is to have a ground-breaking service on April 4, then start ground work such as concreting in July. We have already put in the roadway, kerbs and electricity. We will erect the monument in August, and plan to put flower beds in during the autumn then hopefully have the inauguration in the late spring/early summer of 2024.

“We have had a lot of support from the RAF, including the Officer and Aircrew Training Unit at RAF College Cranwell, and a team from RAF Akrotiri’s dog section and the dog section in the Falklands. They have been very, very good, raising

HONOUR: Tracker dog Lucky and handler money through sponsored dog walks and other events.”

He added: “None of our charity organisers or collectors get paid anything at all – 100 per cent of the money donated goes into the fund for the memorial.”

The charity was founded in 2017 to establish a memorial – the idea of legendary airdog Buster’s handler FS Will Barrow and colleague Ian Henderson – to commemorate the military working dogs who bravely served their country in both world wars and in the later conflicts in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Alongside the four bronze statues will be plaques with the names of many other loved military dogs. The public can donate in memory of a loved one and of a beloved pet and have a photograph and message added to the charity’s online memorial wall.

The statue of Theo is now temporarily situated at the front of the tea rooms within

TOP TEAM: Frontline RAF dog Buster with handler FS Will Barrow in Afghanistan

STRIKING: Illustration of how the finished memorial in Holywell, North Wales will look

THEO: Statue already completed the Pet Cemetery’s grounds. It has been mounted on a strong wooden box so that it can be transported to promotional events, including Crufts in March.

The charity’s patrons include celebrity Marc Abraham, known as ‘Marc the Vet’ and former First Sea Lord Admiral Lord West. l Go to: nmwdn.org.uk to support the project.