December 28, 1917 Brooklyn Eagle ran this photo with the caption.
Spark Plug, the cat mascot, an interested onlooker.
Princeton Aviation School
Give thought to all the kitties
who served in World War One.
A battalion of the finest
who never fired a gun.
who served in World War One.
A battalion of the finest
who never fired a gun.
Whether hunting rodents out at sea,
or loyal friends to men,
these many cats had vital roles,
time and time again.
A common sight in trenches deep,
dispatching mice and rats,
the soldiers’ had a special bond
with many of these cats.
Five hundred thousand cats were sent
to serve in the Great War.
Some detected mustard gas,
whilst others were off shore.
Togo was the Dreadnought’s cat,
The Swan had their lad Ching.
Pincher was the Vinex’s mog,
it was luck they hoped they’d bring.
‘Martinpuich’ was aptly named,
by The 9th battalion chaps.
Pitouchi was the orphaned kit,
who’d survived on army scraps.
Spark Plug, Tabby and many more
were companions to the troops.
The feline unsung heroes,
those cats who became recruits.
We’ll never truly realise
just what these cats went through.
So spare a thought and give some thanks
for what they did for you!
Bain News Service on the negatives or caption cards. - Forms part of: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress).
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