Norman Crompton and the pigeon of war

​When we say warbirds we now mean planes from the wars.
But once upon a time it meant pigeons. Yes, those sometimes called feathered rats and often infest cities
Pigeons were an invaluable means to sending messages and proved their worth over and over again. In fact, 32 pigeons have received the Dickin medal for gallantry - originally set up as an award to the animals that served in wars.
They flew under fire and from huge distances to deliver messages that were desperately needed.
There is nothing new in the idea. Julius Caesar used pigeons to send messages. And in the First World War they came into their own, so much so that it became illegal to kill a homing pigeon.
New Zealander Norman Crompton’s life was saved by a homing pigeon in the Second World War.
The flight lieutenant and his crew were forced to ditch their Martin Baltimore Bomber off the coast of Libya in 1943. Crompton was the pilot and he and his men managed to get into two small inflatable life rafts with no food or water and no way of signalling for rescue.
What they did have was George. A messenger pigeon also sometimes called Tyke. He had been hatched in Cairo and seconded into military service.
Bomber crews often carried messenger pigeons.
George had survived in his special carrying canister although he was covered in oil and soaked with water.
The crew cleaned him up as much as they could then attached a message with their location to his leg.
HIs first attempt at taking off ended when he dropped straight into the ocean and had to be rescued. After letting him dry out in the sun they tried again. And George took to the air and flew with the men cheering him on.
The game little bird flew over 100 miles in poor visibility and made it to a Royal Air Force pigeon loft where his message was discovered.
As a result, the Navy were dispatched to find the men, who were all recovered safely.
It was the first time in the Second World War that a pigeon saved the lives of men in the Mediterranean sea.
George and two other pigeons received the first Dicken medals.
Norman Crompton was born in 1917 to William and Charlotte Crompton.
He survived the war and returned to New Zealand where he worked as a salesman. He died on September 1982 and is buried in the Taupo Cemetery.
Picture by Sneha Cecil.