Ilford Animal Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Ilford Animal Cemetery is an animal cemetery in Ilford
, London
, England
, containing over three thousand burials. It was founded in the 1920s and is operated by the PDSA
. The cemetery was closed to new burials in the 1960s and gradually became neglected and overgrown. In the early twenty first century it was restored with the assistance of a £50,000 grant from the National Lottery
. Headstones were repaired or replaced, the entrance gate was repaired, the graves were numbered and a visitor's map was created. The cemetery re-opened in 2007 with a ceremony that included a performance of the Last Post
by a bugler from the King's Royal Rifle Corps
and a pigeon fly-past (although the birds actually took fright at the assembled crowd and flew in the opposite direction). It was attended by two holders of the PDSA Gold Medal
, Jake (an explosives detective dog) and Endal
(an assistance dog). Also present was Commander Stuart Hett, who had been an officer aboard HMS Amethyst and had been tasked with responding to the many letters received by the ship's heroic cat, Simon
, who is buried at Ilford.
The burials are a mixture of family pets and military animals, including twelve recipients of the Dickin Medal
for bravery (a fifth of all Dickin Medal recipients are buried at Ilford). The first Dickin Medal recipient to be buried at Ilford was Rip
, a Second World War search and rescue dog. Information boards recounting the stories of several of the animals were constructed during the recent restoration. The cemetery has an area specifically dedicated to bird burials. It also has a Pet Tribute Garden designed by celebrity gardener Bob Flowerdew
. The inspiration for the design was the Dickin Medal, which has stripes of brown, blue and green representing sea, land and air forces. The garden includes a pet tribute tag dedicated to Endal, the assistance dog who was present at the re-opening ceremony but who died in 2009. The cemetery is behind the PDSA on Woodford Bridge Road, Redbridge, Ilford, Essex, IG4 5PS.
Dickin Medal recipients buried at Ilford include:
Ilford
Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, containing over three thousand burials. It was founded in the 1920s and is operated by the PDSA
PDSA
The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals is a veterinary charity in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1917 by Maria Dickin to provide care for sick and injured animals of the poor...
. The cemetery was closed to new burials in the 1960s and gradually became neglected and overgrown. In the early twenty first century it was restored with the assistance of a £50,000 grant from the National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
. Headstones were repaired or replaced, the entrance gate was repaired, the graves were numbered and a visitor's map was created. The cemetery re-opened in 2007 with a ceremony that included a performance of the Last Post
Last Post
The "Last Post" can be either a B♭ bugle call within British Infantry regiments or an E♭ cavalry trumpet call in British Cavalry and Royal Regiment of Artillery used at Commonwealth military funerals and ceremonies commemorating those who have been killed in war.The two regimental traditions have...
by a bugler from the King's Royal Rifle Corps
The Rifles
The Rifles is the largest regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, Each battalion of the Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light...
and a pigeon fly-past (although the birds actually took fright at the assembled crowd and flew in the opposite direction). It was attended by two holders of the PDSA Gold Medal
PDSA Gold Medal
The PDSA Gold Medal is an animal bravery award that acknowledges the bravery and devotion to duty of animals. It was created by the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals in 2001, and is now recognised as the animal equivalent of the George Cross...
, Jake (an explosives detective dog) and Endal
Endal
Endal was a male Labrador retriever in Britain whose abilities as a service dog and as an ambassador for service dog charitable work have had considerable news media coverage....
(an assistance dog). Also present was Commander Stuart Hett, who had been an officer aboard HMS Amethyst and had been tasked with responding to the many letters received by the ship's heroic cat, Simon
Simon (cat)
Simon was the ship's cat who served on the Royal Navy sloop HMS Amethyst. In 1949, during the Yangtze Incident, he received the PDSA's Dickin Medal after surviving injuries from a cannon shell, raising morale, and killing off a rat infestation during his service.-Origin:Simon was found wandering...
, who is buried at Ilford.
The burials are a mixture of family pets and military animals, including twelve recipients of the Dickin Medal
Dickin Medal
The Dickin Medal was instituted in 1943 in the United Kingdom by Maria Dickin to honour the work of animals in war. It is a bronze medallion, bearing the words "For Gallantry" and "We Also Serve" within a laurel wreath, carried on a ribbon of striped green, dark brown and pale blue...
for bravery (a fifth of all Dickin Medal recipients are buried at Ilford). The first Dickin Medal recipient to be buried at Ilford was Rip
Rip (dog)
Rip , a mixed-breed terrier, was a Second World War search and rescue dog who was awarded the Dickin Medal for bravery in 1945. He was found in Poplar, London, in 1940 by an Air Raid Warden, and became the service's first search and rescue dog. He is credited with saving the lives of over 100 people...
, a Second World War search and rescue dog. Information boards recounting the stories of several of the animals were constructed during the recent restoration. The cemetery has an area specifically dedicated to bird burials. It also has a Pet Tribute Garden designed by celebrity gardener Bob Flowerdew
Bob Flowerdew
Bob Flowerdew is an organic gardener, and television and radio presenter. He is a regular panel member of BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time. He has nearly an acre of garden in Dickleburgh, Norfolk, England, where he lives with his wife, Vonetta, a care worker, and their twins, Italia and...
. The inspiration for the design was the Dickin Medal, which has stripes of brown, blue and green representing sea, land and air forces. The garden includes a pet tribute tag dedicated to Endal, the assistance dog who was present at the re-opening ceremony but who died in 2009. The cemetery is behind the PDSA on Woodford Bridge Road, Redbridge, Ilford, Essex, IG4 5PS.
Dickin Medal recipients buried at Ilford include:
- BeautyBeauty (dog)Beauty , a wirehaired terrier, was a Second World War search and rescue dog considered to be the first rescue dog, who was awarded the Dickin Medal for bravery in 1945...
- Crumstone Irma
- Mary of ExeterMary of ExeterMary of Exeter was a carrier pigeon who served with the National Pigeon Service during World War II. She was awarded the Dickin Medal in November 1945 for showing endurance on war service despite injury. She was owned by Charlie Brewer, a cobbler from Exeter. She served with the National Pigeon...
- PeterPeter (dog)Peter was a collie dog who in 1945 was awarded the Dickin Medal, considered to be the Victoria Cross for animals. During the later stages of the Second World War he served as a search and rescue dog in London. He attended the 1946 Civil Defence Stand–Down parade, where he was presented to the King...
- Punch
- Ricky
- Rip
- Able Seacat Simon
- Tich