The first non-British Dickin Medal awardee on this list, Gander was a rather large black Newfoundland dog given to the Royal Rifles of Canada, where he was given the rank of Sergeant. He was so big and fluffy that the Canadian soldiers had to convince the captain of the ship taking them across to Hong Kong that Gander wasn't a bear. There he found fame following his actions during the Battle of Hong Kong during December 1941. During the course of the battle, Gander was on the beach where the Japanese landed. He charged down soldiers, biting at them. He went on to save many lives during course of the battle including chasing Japanese soldiers away from injured allied troops - but he gained the most fame for incident that resulted in his death. He was amongst a group of Canadian soldiers in cover when a Japanese grenade landed near them. As the soldiers looked on in horror at the live grenade, the dog took it up in his mouth and ran away from them - completely going against all training. It exploded, resulting in Gander's death. His story was almost lost, but some 59 years after the Battle, Gander was awarded the first Dickin Medal for half a century. His name also appears on the Hong Kong Veterans Memorial Wall in Ottawa, Canada. There are currently plans underway to construct a war memorial in his form in his birthplace of Belledune, New Brunswick.
