{{Short description|WWII Canadian war pigeon}} {{about|the famous wartime carrier pigeon|the activity of searching the beach|Beachcombing|other uses|Beachcomber (disambiguation)}}
'''Beach Comber''' (designated as "Pigeon – '''NPS.41.NS.4230'''") was a Canadian war pigeon who received the Dickin Medal for bravery in service during the Second World War.
On 19 August 1942, Beach Comber arrived in Britain, despite hazardous conditions, from Dieppe, France carrying a message from the Canadian Army alerting commanders of their landing there, marking the start of the Dieppe Raid. As a result, on 6 March 1944, the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals awarded Beach Comber the Dickin Medal.<ref name=iwm>{{cite web | url =http://archive.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/74/AnimalsWar/images/AAW_CAPTIONS.pdf | title =Animals at War captions | publisher =Imperial War Museum | accessdate =27 February 2010 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20141216202240/http://archive.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/74/AnimalsWar/images/AAW_CAPTIONS.pdf | archive-date =16 December 2014 | url-status =dead }}</ref><ref name=pdsa>{{cite web|title=PDSA Dickin Medal pigeons |url=http://www.pdsa.org.uk/about-us/animal-bravery-awards/dickin-medal-pigeons |publisher=The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals |accessdate=6 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213211708/http://www.pdsa.org.uk/about-us/animal-bravery-awards/dickin-medal-pigeons |archivedate=13 February 2010 }}</ref> Beach Comber remains the only Canadian war pigeon ever to be awarded a Dickin Medal, and one of only three Canadian animals ever to be so honoured.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lennox|first=Doug|title=Now You Know Canada's Heroes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3g9Vesw6-KsC&q=%22Beach+Comber%22+Dieppe|publisher=Dundurn|accessdate=6 July 2013|page=173|date=24 August 2009|isbn=9781770704183}}</ref>
==See also== * List of individual birds
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20140924092934/http://www.pdsa.org.uk/about-us/animal-bravery-awards/pdsa-dickin-medal PDSA Dickin Medal]
{{Dickin Medal}} {{War pigeons}}
Category:Recipients of the Dickin Medal Category:Individual domesticated pigeons