Judy was a pure-bred black and white pointer who was the mascot on the HMS Grasshopper. The Grasshopper was a gunboat patrolling the Yangtse River in China. Judy once warned of Chinese pirates trying to sneak aboard the boat. She attended a party on the USS Panay and got kidnapped by the American sailors. The British sailors snuck aboard the Panay and stole its bell. They then traded the bell for Judy. She got married to another boat’s dog and had 13 puppies. After the Japanese went to war with China, Judy would give warning of Japanese aircraft. When Singapore fell to the Japanese in 1942, the little ship tried to escape to Sumatra. Unfortunately, it was hit by Japanese aircraft and had to be abandoned. Noone knew where Judy was. The crew was left stranded on a small island. One of the sailors swam out to the sinking ship and found Judy trapped under some lockers. It was a good thing he rescued her because Judy found fresh water on the island which saved the crew. Later, the men made a 20-mile trek through a jungle to reach a port where they could escape to British lines. Judy was bitten by a crocodile, but continued on. They reached the port too late and were taken captive and put in a Japanese prison camp. Judy was adopted by Frank Williams, who shared his small ration of rice. He gave Frank the will to live in very trying circumstances and was a favorite of all the men. The plucky pup warned them when poisonous snakes were near and once scared off a crocodile. The crafty canine caught rats and snakes to supplement the meager meals. He would intervene when Japanese guards were abusive toward prisoners. Judy would avoid punishment by escaping into the jungle. Because some of the guards wanted to kill Judy, Williams got the commandant drunk and he agreed to register Judy as a prisoner of war. Judy became the only dog registered as a P.O.W in World War 2. After three years, the prisoners were transferred to Singapore on a hell ship. This is what Japanese ships that transported prisoners were called. The voyage was like hell because of the overcrowding, extreme heat, and little food. On the way, the ship was sunk by a torpedo from a British submarine which did not know that the ship was carrying British prisoners. Frank pushed Judy through a port hole, never expecting to see her again. 500 prisoners drowned when the ship went down. The survivors were taken to a new camp and Frank was reunited with his buddy. He learned that Judy had helped prisoners swim to floating debris after the sinking. At the new camp, the men worked building a railroad. Judy would bark when tigers or elephants were near. She was once shot in the shoulder by a mean Japanese guard. When lice broke out in the camp, she was sentenced to death. She escaped and returned three days later after the Japanese disappeared. Later that day, the camp was liberated and the prisoners found out the war was over. Frank and Judy went to Great Britain. Judy was put in quarantine and British people donated the money to take care of her. Judy was awarded the Dickin Medal by Maria Dickin herself. For years, she and Frank would visit relatives of prisoners who had not survived, bringing comfort to them. Judy died in 1950 at age 13. Frank built her a granite and marble memorial. “Gunboat Judy” was a pointer who protected prisoners from cruel captors and killer crocodiles.
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/english-pointer.html
https://military.wikiaorg/wiki/Judy_(dog)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judy_(dog)
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