Prince the Irish Terrier
A common story at the time of the Great War was about dogs running away from home and finding their masters in the trenches. Most of these accounts were fiction or wishful thinking. However, one account has been verified as true.
In his book Animal War Heroes, Peter Shaw Baker gives a detailed account of Prince and verifies that the dog did find his way to France. It seems that when Mr. Brown left for France, Prince was distraught and would not be consoled. One day when he was let out by Mr. Brown's wife, he did not come back. It remains a mystery how Prince found his way to his master's trench in France.
The news about Prince's remarkable feat spread, and Private Brown was asked to go before the commanding officer to verify the exploit. Prince was adopted as the regiment's mascot and stayed with the men for the entire war. The soldiers made a vest for Prince, and when Private Brown was awarded the 1914–15 Star Medal, the Victory Medal, and the British War Medal, they were pinned on Prince's vest.
The soldiers taught Prince many tricks, and he was a constant source of amusement and comfort to them. He could balance a penny on his nose, and, on command, he would run around looking for any pair of legs that were not clad in a khaki uniform. If he found non-khaki legs, he would grab the pants leg and tug.
Prince also learned how to survive in war conditions by hiding when he heard incoming heavy shells.
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