The Pigeons That Went to War, Gordon H. Hayes Collection

The British Army in the Italian Campaign, 1943-1945

Soldiers of the Royal Corps of Signals feeding an ill pigeon with a dose of castor oil at the 8th Army HQ at Vasto, 9 December 1943.

This particular pigeon section was commanded by Sergeant A. B. King (of Wishaw, Lancashire) and his two subordinates - Lance Corporal H. J. Jones (of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire) and Signalman J. D. Clough (of St. Helens, Lancashire). Two of them can be seen on the picture.

This section of pigeons saw a lot of action up to the date the photograph was taken. They took part in exchange of information when one of the brigades was cut off from the main body of the British 8th Army two weeks earlier. The pigeons were also used during commando raids on the city of Messina in Sicily.  © IWM (NA 9753)

Gordon H. Hayes Collection

Robin Hutton includes two chapters on the war pigeons in her book War Animals.  In one chapter is a photo of Yank and Lady Astor, two pigeons Gordon Hayes writes about in The Pigeons That Went to War.  I sent Robin a note thanking her for her great chapters and said she might like The Pigeons That Went to War.  After loving the book she did a little digging and found that the Pacific Library in Stockton, California,  holds Hayes’s papers.  Below is the link she sent me for the full citation of the Hayes collection and a list from the citation of the documents in the collection.

Finding aid of the Gordon H. Hayes Collection of Materials on the U.S. Army 209th Signal Pigeon Company

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Box 1: Materials on World War II

folder 1.1

Articles on Gordon Hayes and audio tape interview, 1990-1999

folder 1.2

Gordon Hayes military papers, 1946-1946

folder 1.3

Book "Pigeons That Went to War" by Gordon Hayes, 1981

folder 1.4

Correspondence on BBC production "Inside Story: Animals at War," 1999

folder 1.5

Signal Pigeon Company rosters, 1944

folder 1.6

Documents on pigeon training, Camp Young California Desert Training

folder 1.7-8

History of the Fourth Pigeon Platoon From the 280th Signal Pigeon Company

folder 1.9

Pigeon training manuals and memoranda, 1944-1945

folder 1.10

Military documents and orders, many regarding the 6681st Signal Pigeon Company, 1942-1945

folder 1.11

Newsletters on pigeon training and the 6681st Signal Pigeon Company, 1942-1945

folder 1.12

Press bulletins, 1943

folder 1.13

Messages carried by pigeons in World War II

folder 1.14

Pigeon certificates of service

folder 1.15

Documents on individual pigeons

folder 1.16

World War II sign: "Registered Homing Pigeon Loft with the U.S. Army; Pigeon Reserve Signal Corps-These Homing Pigeons Protected by Federal Laws"

folder 1.17

Documents of German propaganda

folder 1.18

Stratton Membership card for Pigeon Society of Casablanca, Morocco

Box 2: Memorabilia and Non-World War II Pigeon history

Box 3: Photographs. Over 200 images, including many of pigeon use and training during World War II.

Box 4: Photographs, negatives, and miscellaneous documents on pigeon use and training during World War II.