Ogden Daily Standard | 1918-10-21 | Page 2 | Carrier Pigeon Pensioned off for War Service

UU I Carrier Psg ; Pensioned Off For War Service! LONDON. Oct. 15. (By Mail.) ! Wounded and with blood streaming i from one of Its eyes, a carrier piseon j fluttered to the ground in a British aerodrome, almost exhausted. The ! message it carried was the one word j "attacked." The bird was one of four which had I been taken out in two seaplanes on patrol pa-trol duty in the North sea. It was known that a German patrol of at least six machines was in the vicinity. These had swooped down on the Brit- ish flyers and, before help summoned by the pigeon could arrive, had quit -the fight and flown away, in accord- 1 ance with the usual German air tactics 1 of not wishing an engagement with equal forces. The pigeon, which has recovered from its wound, lias been "pensioned I off" for war service. I i acre are numerous cases where messages carried by pigeons have resulted re-sulted in the rescue of occupants of wrecked seaplanes. In one, a bird, at the cost of its life brought a message that saved six British airmen adrift in the North sea. After delivering its message, the pigeon fell dead from exhaustion. ex-haustion. Tho wrecked airmen were on the point of death when rescued, having had no food and little water for days. . i