Mr Fox our August pin-up

Carol Carter loves animals…she has a dog named Bailey and lives in the North East of England. Her unusual request was to nominate the fox for our virtual calendar.

We had to search long and hard to find any evidence of foxes who were used in war – any war. But then we found this photo of an RAF fox mascot sitting on a plane with the pilot during World War One. According the Imperial War Museum archives this fox cub was the mascot of No 32 Squadron.

The cub is pictured at Humieres Airport, St Pol, in France in May 1918, and it is thought (but not confirmed) that he would take a spin in this bi-plane fighter. More than 16 million animals served in the First World War. They were used for transport, communication and companionship.

Thank you Carol for reminding us that animals were, and are, a great morale booster, providing comfort among the hardship of war and solace in peacetime, too.