Bobbie was the name of a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

regimental mascot dog, a mongrel from

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

, who accompanied his regiment to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and became involved in the

Battle of Maiwand The Battle of Maiwand (Dari: نبرد میوند, Pashto: د ميوند جگړه), fought on 27 July 1880, was one of the principal battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Under the leadership of Ayub Khan, the Afghan forces defeated a much sma ...

. He survived, and upon his return to England he and several of his human colleagues were presented to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

and received honours.

Life

Bobbie belonged to Lance-Sergeant Peter Kelly of the

66th Regiment of Foot The 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1756. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 49th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) (Hertfordshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Princess Cha ...

(the Berkshire Regiment). He was initially stationed at

Brock Barracks Brock Barracks is a British Army barracks in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Located on Oxford Road in the district of West Reading. The majority of the buildings and structures within Brock Barracks are Grade II listed ...

, then went overseas with the regiment in the late 1870s.Reading Evening Post: Memorial for dog hero of Maiwand
/ref> In 1880 the regiment was stationed at the fort in

Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...

, which had been occupied by the British since January 1879, just after the start of the

Second Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dy ...

. On 3 July 1880, a column of about 2,700 troops under Brigadier George Burrows set out from Kandahar to assist friendly tribesmen in putting down a rebellion by

Ayub Khan Mohammad Ayub Khan (14 May 1907 – 19 April 1974) was a Pakistani military dictator who served as the second president of Pakistan from 1958 until his resignation on 1969. He was the first native commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Army, se ...

. Bobbie accompanied the troops. For ten days, Burrows searched for the rebel force. Meanwhile, the friendly tribesmen turned out not to be so friendly, leaving Burrows' force to face an ever-increasing rebel army in countryside where every man's hand was ready to turn against them. Eventually, the British force was surrounded and attacked by a much larger Afghan force. Along with a line of Indian regiments and cavalry, the 66th Foot made a stand while the guns were evacuated. Bobbie was reported to have barked furiously at the attackers. The British were overrun; over half of the 66th Regiment was wiped out, and the survivors were forced to retreat to Kandahar. Bobbie got lost in the confusion, but the following day, British survivors making their way back to the fort spotted a wounded Bobbie trying to catch up with them. He was reunited with his owner, who had also been wounded. Upon arrival back in England, Bobbie was presented to

alongside several soldiers of the regiment. The soldiers received

Distinguished Conduct Medal The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military ...

s, while Bobbie was awarded his own Afghanistan Medal. In 1882–just a year later–Bobbie was accidentally run over and killed by a

hansom cab The hansom cab is a kind of horse-drawn carriage designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an architect from York. The vehicle was developed and tested by Hansom in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England. Originally called the Hansom safet ...

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hampshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 70,131 and the district had a pop ...

, Hampshire. He was stuffed and can be seen today at The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum in

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

. He was loaned to

Reading Museum Reading Museum (run by the Reading Museum Service) is a museum of the history of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire, and the surrounding area. It is accommodated within Reading Town Hall, and contains galleries describing ...

for a World War One exhibition.

Memorials

As well as the display in the Regimental Museum at Salisbury, Bobbie is featured on a commemorative coin given to those who attended the 2004 opening of the

Animals in War Memorial The Animals in War Memorial is a war memorial, in Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park, London, commemorating the countless animals that have served and died under British military command throughout history. It was designed by English sculptor David Bac ...

in Hyde Park in London.garenewing.co.uk/angloafghanwar/articles/dogs.php

References

External links

Dogs in the Second Anglo-Afghan War

Picture of Bobbie

Two paintings of Bobbie in the thick of the fight {{Use dmy dates, date=December 2019 Military history of Berkshire Individual animals in England Individual animals in Afghanistan British Army animals Individual taxidermy exhibits 1882 animal deaths 1880s in military history Individual dogs in the United Kingdom British mascots Dog mascots Army mascots Real-life animal mascots Mascots introduced in 1882