Simon was a black and white cat found in the dockyards of Hong Kong in 1848 by a 17-year old British sailor named George Hickinbottom. He was a crewman on the frigate HMS Amethyst. The kitty was undernourished and unhealthy, but Hickenbottom took care of him. He became a popular member of the ship because he battled the rats because he was cute and lovable and he killed rats on the ship. He left dead rat presents on sailors’ bunks and slept in the captain’s hat. In 1949, the Amethyst was sent up the Yangtse River in China to replace another British ship that was on duty near Nanking. At the time, China was in the middle of the Chinese Civil War. Mao Zedong’s communists were battling Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists. The British were officially neutral, but the communists insisted they supported the nationalists. Before reaching Nanking, the Amethyst passed through an area where the communists and nationalists were on opposite sides of the river. The communist artillery opened fire without warning. The ship was hit about 50 times and crippled. It had to move into a stream where it ran aground. The captain and 18 crewmen were killed and many others were wounded. No one knew what happened to Simon. Everyone assumed he had been sleeping in the captain’s hat when the room was hit by a shell. Four days later, the plucky pussy crawled out of some wreckage. Simon was badly injured. He had burns on his face and four pieces of shrapnel in his body. He was not expected to live, but the ship’s doctor removed the metal and treated the burns. Simon recovered in sick bay where he helped with the morale of the wounded sailors.
When he was able, Simon returned to catching rats. This job was more important than ever because the ship was trapped for three months while negotiations took place. The communists insisted the ship admit it started the fight, which was a lie. The British refused to agree to this. Meanwhile, supplies began to run out. Simon saved a lot of food from the rats. In one epic battle, Simon took down a vicious rat named “Mao Tse-Tung”. One night, the Amethyst snuck down river to safety. Cameras and reporters met the ship at Hong Kong. The ship was famous and the crew was considered to be heroes. The biggest hero was Simon. He got hundreds of letters per week and lots of cat food and cat toys. The British public eagerly awaited his return. Unfortunately, when the Amethyst arrived, Simon had to be put in quarantine, which was the rule for animals coming into the country. Sadly, Simon caught a virus and died partly because of his wounds. Millions mourned his death and hundreds, including the crew, attended his funeral. His tombstone reads: “In memory of Simon who served on the HMS Amethyst… Throughout the Yangtse Incident, his behavior was of the highest order.” Simon was awarded the Dickin Medal which is given to heroic animals who serve Great Britain. It is the equivalent of the Victoria Cross or the American Medal of Honor for animals. Simon is the only cat to ever receive the award.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_(cat)
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