Pigeons in planes?

I am reading my latest library book, A crowd is not company by Robert Kee. It describes how he was shot down on a mine laying mission and taken prisoner.
On the first page he describes getting ready to take off in a Hampden, "Twice we piled each other high with maps and pigeons and parachutes."

I am now halfway through the book and no more mention or explanation re: pigeons, so... why did RAF have pigeons in planes

 

CALSHOT - (aka TRAINING PIGEONS FOR THE RAF) - British Pathe

 

Royal Pigeon Racing Association > About Us > Pigeons In War

 

Thanks for that, it's been puzzling me all weekend, when I googled pigeon in planes I got a million hits for an Indie hip hop band!

 

Amazing, the more I read about WW2, the less I seem to know!

 

Royal Air Force bombers drop bombs over Nazi positions in European Theater




Pigeons on board

 

Sorry Owen,

Winkie (A He rather than a She) did the deed a whole year earlier than your quote and it was to No.42 Sqn Beaufort not a Beaufighter. The eventual rescue was more startling as Winkie was not carrying a message from the downed crew!

23rd Feb 1942
L9965
Op: Sweep, took off at 14:40 hrs from RAF Sumburgh

Crashed into the North Sea after engine failure some 100 miles east of the Firth of Forth. No.18 Group had initially estimated the position of the aircraft as 150 miles east of Aberdeen but one of the two pigeons carried escaped when the Beaufort was ditched. Although not carrying a message the condition of Winkie the Pigeon when he reached his loft and his estimated time in the air resulted in the search position being moved 50 miles closer to Leuchars.

The next day at approximately 11:15 hrs Hudson H/320 sighted the dinghy and dropped a Thornaby Bag at a point estimated to be equidistant from Aberdeen and Blyth. RAF HSLs from both Blyth and Aberdeen were sent to the rescue with the survivors being picked up at 14:15 hrs by the Blyth boat.

A Fleet Air Arm Walrus from Arbroath had also landed on the sea near the dighy and stood by until all four crewmen were picked up.

As a point of note the other pigeon was correctly released from the dinghy with a message but failed to return to his loft.

Regards
Ross

 

Not Pigeons but I did read once that a Polish Wellington crew used to take their dog with them.

 

As regards pigeons in Bomber Command ,they were declared redundant by 1944 when they were replaced with the emergency radio transmitter.The responsibility for the emergency radio, as with the pigeons (two carriers and requiring a second crewman), was the Wireless Operator who had the duty of carrying the radio into the dinghy.Emergency distress frequency 500k/cs with range of 200 miles and capable of being picked by an aircraft at 2000ft.

Never heard of a pigeon being on the menu as were wild rabbits but RAF Snaith (No 51 Squadron) had a mascot ram which was housed in the station pigeon carrier hut.But that was safe unlike pigeons which tended to be on the menu of civilians.

There was a the tale of the pig bought in a local pub,it is not recorded which Pollington pub it was. The pig was fattened up from swill (quite common during the war when pig slaughtering was regulated by the M of F and had to be included in the owner's food ration allocation.) A half share of the pig was sold by a groundcrew NCO who had bought the pig to a W.O on the squadron.It is not recorded when the pig was slaughtered and the subsequent sharing of cuts or notification was made to the M of F. However,I do not think the allocation of the pigs trotters would have been a problem in those days.

 

A number of Pigions won the Dickin medal in ww2 here is the list with a number flying from downed aircraft. Animal bravery awards - Dickin medal pigeons

 

Not Pigeons but I did read once that a Polish Wellington crew used to take their dog with them.

It is recorded that a No 51 Squadron Rear Gunner always took a poisonous snake, carried in a basket, when he went on ops.

It is not recorded what his intentions were.However he was not from the Indian sub continent.

 

I recall as a child receiving the Victor annual and the story of Winkie the was mentioned i believe he/she received the Dickin Medal.

 

I recall as a child receiving the Victor annual and the story of Winkie the was mentioned i believe he/she received the Dickin Medal.
This one I remember reading this, and it was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the thread, and is it the story in post 10

 

Amazing, the more I read about WW2, the less I seem to know!

I agree! I was just reading about the US Army Pigeon Service last week. It wasn't disbanded until 1957.

Remember the scene in the move 'The Longest Day' when they release some carrier pigeons on the beach and they flew toward the German lines? One of the guys shouts, 'Dirty traitors!'

Dave

 

When you check the side of the pdsa you see a lot of pigeons received the Dickin Medaille for braveness.
Animal bravery awards - Dickin medal pigeons