Philly (1917 - 1932) was a stray female dog who served on the front lines of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

with Company A of the 315 Infantry, 79th Division. Smuggled into France, she served at Montfaucon, Nantillois, Troyon and LaGrande Montagne before returning to the United States. Her ability as a guard dog made her a heroine of the troops and resulted in a bounty of 50 deutschemarks on her head by the Germans. She participated in the victory parade and lived until 1932. Following her death, she was mounted and remained at the 315th's headquarters until its disbandment in 1995. Philly was donated to the

Philadelphia History Museum The Philadelphia History Museum was a public history museum located in Center City, Philadelphia from 1938 until 2018. The museum occupied architect John Haviland's landmark Greek Revival structure built in 1824–1826 for the Franklin Institute. ...

and has occasionally been on display for the viewing public.

Life

Philly was a stray mixed breed dog that served with Company A of the 315th Infantry of the 79th Division in

. On September 27, 1917, she was found by a soldier returning from

Camp Meade Camp George G. Meade near Middletown, Pennsylvania, was a camp established and subsequently abandoned by the U.S. Volunteers during the Spanish–American War. History Camp Meade was established August 24, 1898, and soon thereafter was occupie ...

and became the mascot of Company A. The dog was smuggled on board when it came time for the unit's deployment and was shipped to France, where she saw action at Montfaucon, Nantillois, Troyon and LaGrande Montagne. Throughout her service, she was wounded and gassed, but proved to be a capable guard dog. Her warnings of German sneak attacks resulted in a bounty of 50 deutschemarks for her death and her being hailed a hero of the American soldiers. While in France, she also gave birth to four pups. After the war was won, Philly marched with the 315th in the victory parade.

Death and afterwards

In 1932, Philly died at the age of 15. Herman, who had intended to have her mounted, was unemployed and buried Philly under the driveway. After learning of her fate, the members of the 315th exhumed the body and paid a taxidermist to mount Philly. The dog went missing in the intervening years and the unit made a search for her in 1967, the unit's 50th anniversary. After being recovered, she remained in the battalion commander's office until the division's disbandment in 1995; she was then donated to the

. Before arriving at the Museum, Philly was taken to the taxidermist for work. In 1997, Beryl Rosenstock stated that Philly is not on permanent exhibition, stating, " hillyhad to be removed because the heat of the overhead spotlights was beginning to discolor her already fading hair." Philly stands high, and her back is covered with a small blue blanket with insignia of the 79th Infantry Division above a gold chevron denoting the rank of

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Legacy

Philly was featured in

Norman Rockwell Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of Culture of the United States, the country's culture. Roc ...

's ''Wartime: Illustrations''. Philly was featured in '' Mystery at the Museum''.

References

{{reflist Individual dogs 1917 animal births 1932 animal deaths

Life

Death and afterwards

Legacy

See also

References