Dandie Dinmont Terriers in the UK

Now here is a little gem of a story related by Rudyard Kipling. It takes place in the UK's First World War which was 1914 - 1918. Imagine the scene - three of the Royal Navy's finest destroyers alongside each other 'in the big basin on the east coast of England, that was crowded with destroyers'. Kipling gives these destroyers names of flowers no doubt to preserve their propriety. HMS Gardenia with her Lieutenant-in-Command H R Duckett, arrives back after midnight, apparently rather noisily disturbing her neighbours HMS Phlox and HMS Stephanotis. Gardenia's disruptive arrival, Duckett's four day's leave (denied to the others) and the theft of a fender by a destroyer from another destroyer leads to the situation being sorted out in the traditional way - by meeting next day for 'drinks'.

Dinah was trained to howl at certain notes in her master's voice

It's a jolly good tale but why is it on a Dandie Dinmont Terrier site? Well, the Captain of Phlox, Lieutenant Commander Jerry Marlett, arrives in the ward-room with 'his cherished Dinah in his arms'. As the drink flows you will read snippets about Dinah his Dandie - 'who had been trained to howl at certain notes in her master’s voice' and who was sick on an aeroplane. This little Dandie called Dinah would probably have lived on the destroyer in port and in action as Kipling mentions that Marlett had no hope of leave.

Read the full story in a pdf file in our download section under 'Books'

[Ed: I have known several British Officers who have a worn, well-read little piece of handwritten poetry in their pocket that always accompanied them into combat - it was always Rudyard Kipling's 'If' ]