These boots are made for walking

Gander and his soldier friends on their way to Hong Kong.
Photo: Library and Archives Canada

Woof! I’m Gandy the dog. We did not have time to see everything in the museum so I had to make a choice about the sections I wanted to explore. I was naturally drawn to the exhibit about the Defence of Hong Kong during the Second World War, where I found a simple pair of soldier’s boots.

My ancestor, Sergeant Gander, was the mascot of the Royal Rifles of Canada and travelled with them from Newfoundland to the island of Hong Kong in East Asia. The soldiers sure had to go a long way but their boots eventually hit the ground in this British colony in November 1941. Only a few weeks later, Hong Kong was attacked and our troops had to go into action.

It was terrible fighting and many Canadians were killed or wounded. During one battle, Gander was with a group of soldiers when an enemy grenade was thrown at them. Gander rushed to protect his friends by carrying it away. Sadly, Gander lost his life in the effort but his heroism had saved the others. My ancestor was later honoured with the Dickin Medal, the highest award for bravery that an animal can receive. So when I look at these worn-out combat boots, I remember the long journey the Canadian soldiers and Sergeant Gander made to help defend Hong Kong.