Animals in war

On Armistice Day we commemorate those who have died in conflict as they sought to defend and protect us at home and abroad.

But not all of those who have given their lives are human. Throughout history, animals have played an important role in the military and continue to carry out vital work for our services today.

We think it is important that we take time to remember the animals who have helped us and been affected by conflict over the years.

For this reason, we have developed an ‘Animals in war’ secondary assembly. The assembly asks pupils to think about the effects of war from a new angle, and explores how animals are still used today to carry out jobs that humans can’t do. It also promotes pupils to consider our duty of care towards all animals.

‘Animals in war’ is accompanied by a video entitled ‘Our four-legged heroes’. In this film, we meet Charlie the springer spaniel, who is training to be an arms and explosives search dog for the Royal Army Veterinary Cops (RAVC).

You can find out more about how the RSPCA has been involved with animals affected by war on the by visiting the Animals in war pages.