Memorial details

Memorial type
Board / Plaque / Tablet
District
Larne
Town
Carnlough
County
Antrim
Country
Northern Ireland
Commemoration
Second World War (1939-1945)
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
69527

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Current location

Opposite Spar Supermarket.
HQ Carnlough Rowing Club
Harbour Road
Carnlough
Larne
Antrim
BT44 0EU
Northern Ireland

OS Grid Ref: NW 44886 73737
Denomination: Undefined

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Description
Rectangular black marble tablet with a representation of the Pigeon in the top right-hand corner and the lettering in gold. In the top left-hand corner is engraved the Dickin Medal.
Inscription
DURING WORLD WAR II, PIGEONS WERE USED BY THE FORCES AS MESSAGE CARRIERS./ PADDY WAS ONE OF THIRTY PIGEONS DELIVERD BY RAF HURN TO OPERATIONAL UNITS/ OF THE FIRST US ARMY ON JUNE 8TH 1944. THEY WERE TO BE USED IN CONNECTION/ WITH A SECRET TASK, CODER NAMED "U2". PADDY WAS RELEASED IN NORMANDY AT/ AROUND 8.15AM ON JUNE 12TH, CARRYING CODED INFORMATION ON THE ALLIED ADVANCE. / HE RETURNED TO HIS LOFT IN HAMPSHIRE IN JUST 4 HOURS AND 50 MINUTES. THIS WAS THE/ FASTEST TIME RECORDED BY A MESSAGE-CARRYING PIGEON DURING THE NORMANDY LANDINGS./ FOR HIS SERVICES PADDY WAS AWARDED THE DICKIN MEDAL ON SEPTEMBER 1ST 1944./ HE HAD PREVIOUSLY SERVED AT RAF BALLYKELLY ON AIR-SEA RESCUE MISSIONS./ ANDREW HUGHES JP, OF CARNLOUGH WAS THE PROUD OWNER OF PADDY. HE HANDED OVER/ SEVERAL OF HIS PIGEONS TO BE TRAINED, ALONGS WITH OTHERS, FOR SERVICE WITH THE FORCES./ PADDY LIVED FOR ELEVEN YEARS, AND TO DATE IS THE ONLY IRISH RECIPIENT OF THE/ DICKIN MEDAL, WHICH IS THE ANIMAL EQUIVALENT OF THE VICTORIA CROSS./ LARNE & DISTRICT SOCIETY/ MMIX.
Inscription legible?
yes
Commemorations
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 1
    Served and returned: 1
    Died: 0
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Name, decorations, owner.
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Tablet
    Measurements: depth 20mm, height 510mm, width 690mm
    Materials: Marble - Black
Condition
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

This information is made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC licence.

This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement:

© WMR-69527

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