Events In History
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17 December 1944Major Major, mascot of 19 Battalion, dies of sicknessMajor Major, No. 1 Dog, 2NZEF, and member/mascot of 19 Battalion since 1939, died of sickness in Italy. He was buried with full military honours at Rimini. Read more...
Articles
Military mascots
New Zealanders have one of the highest pet-ownership rates in the world. Wartime was no different. Take a tour through this menagerie of military mascots: dogs, cats, donkeys, monkeys, pigs, goats and birds. There's the famous bull terrier Major Major, along with the less well-known, but very cute, slow loris adopted by 1 RNZIR in Borneo.
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Page 2 – First World War mascots
First World War mascots from the New Zealand Rifle Bigade's Great Dane, Freda, to Pelorus Jack of HMS New Zealand.
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Page 3 – Second World War mascots
Second World War mascots, including the dogs Major Major and Colonel Ben and Rommel the cat
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Page 4 – Other military mascots
Mascots we would like more information about, mainly from post-Second World War conflicts
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Page 5 – Further information
Books and website links relating to New Zealand military mascots.
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Main image: HMS Philomel's mascots
Like all Royal Navy warships of the time, Philomel had its own mascots.
