Family Mission: Animal Investigators

Health and Wellbeing
Families

Keeping Spirits Up!

Animals are extraordinary creatures with amazing abilities, including keeping our spirits up while many of us are staying safe at home during difficult times.

IWM experts Clare and Roly are here to show you some photos from IWM’s collections of different animals in wartime. Each of these animals had a very specific job… but what were they?

Mission Briefing

Part of the Family Mission series created during the UK lockdown in Spring 2020

Family Mission: Animal Investigators

Hello! My name is Clare and I work at Imperial War Museums. Except today, I’m not working at the museum – I’m working at home, with Roly!

Now animals are amazing creatures, and they have some really special skills, including keeping our spirits up when times are tough. Especially during times of war and conflict.

Now, for IWM’s Family Mission this week, we want YOU to become animal investigators! This means our collection is filled with photographs of amazing animals in wartime and we need you to investigate what is going on in those photographs.

Now you could do this by writing a news report, writing a short story, or even recreating the image yourselves. You could do this with a beloved family pet, your favourite animal toy or even – a sibling!

Now we would love for you to share your investigation findings with us on IWM’s Facebook and Twitter profiles. And if you need some inspiration, have a look in the post and thread below to see some examples from IWM staff. Bye!

Get a closer look at the amazing animals from IWM’s collections with the photographs below.

Don’t forget to share your animal investigations on IWM’s Facebook and Twitter!

Adam and Benji

IWM’s Customer Services Executive, Adam and Benji the cat.

Kirsty, Flo and Mac

IWM’s Public Engagement and Learning Producer, Kirsty with her rabbits Flo and Mac.

Jennifer and Bix

IWM’s Business Development Manager, Jennifer and Bix the cat.

Curious to investigate more amazing animals in IWM’s collections? Take a look at our collections online!

EXPLORE FURTHER

A Lewis gunner of the 6th Battalion, the York and Lancaster Regiment with the Regiment's cat mascot, in a trench near Cambrin, 6 February 1918.

First World War

15 Animals That Went To War

Over 16 million animals served in the First World War. They were used for transport, communication and companionship. Horses, donkeys, mules and camels carried food, water, ammunition and medical supplies to men at the front, and dogs and pigeons carried messages.

Pet dog of the Middlesex Regiment with its catch of rats in the trenches on the Western Front during the First World War.

Animals At War

12 Ways Animals Have Helped The War Effort

Throughout history animals have accompanied men into combat as modes of transport and communication, protectors and companions. Here are some of the ways animals have helped the war effort from the First World War to the present day.