0:00:00 > 0:00:02EXPLOSIONS AND GUNFIRE
0:00:08 > 0:00:10SHELLS WHISTLE
0:00:10 > 0:00:11EXPLOSION
0:00:11 > 0:00:12GUNFIRE
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Whenthe First World War broke out in 1914,
0:00:18 > 0:00:21the German army had 6,000 trained dogs.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24The British had one, an Airedale terrier.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26In fact, Britain was alone amongst the great powers
0:00:26 > 0:00:29in not having a militarydogs programme.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33But now,as you can see, things have changed a little.
0:00:33 > 0:00:34Haven't they, Marley?
0:00:34 > 0:00:37MUSIC: "Stuck In The Middle" by Stealers Wheel
0:00:42 > 0:00:44# Well,I don't know why I came here tonight
0:00:46 > 0:00:49# I'm just scared in case I fall off my chair
0:00:49 > 0:00:53# And I'm wondering how I get down the stairs
0:00:53 > 0:00:57# Clownsto the left of me, jokers to the right
0:00:57 > 0:01:00# Here I am Stuck in the middle with you... #
0:01:02 > 0:01:04DOGSBARK
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Today,Britain leads the way.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08At the Defence Animal Centre in Melton Mowbray,
0:01:08 > 0:01:12I'm about to see some of the most sophisticated training techniques
0:01:12 > 0:01:15inthe world for the deployment of military dogs and their handlers.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19Just check out Stygen searching for a tiny piece of explosive material.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22This dog is trained to focus.
0:01:22 > 0:01:23Really focus.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Youcould land a helicopter next to him and he wouldn't budge.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28That's impressive.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32This is what the military call HASD - High Assurance Search Dog.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35He's trained to spot anykind of peculiarity on the ground
0:01:35 > 0:01:36that might be a threat.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38And he is now going to stay there, staring at that,
0:01:38 > 0:01:39no matter what I say.
0:01:39 > 0:01:40Yo!
0:01:41 > 0:01:43Do you want a sausage? Let's go. Walkies!
0:01:49 > 0:01:51MeetSparky and Onyx.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53You know, it's weird that Britain was so far behind the game
0:01:53 > 0:01:55when it came to dogs in World War One,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58especially given our reputation as a nation ofdog lovers.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00Maybe that was the problem. Maybe we loved them too much.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Thereason things changed
0:02:04 > 0:02:06was largely down to the vision of one man,
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Lieutenant Colonel EH Richardson.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Hewas convinced of the contribution dogs could make in combat
0:02:14 > 0:02:17and lobbied the military top brass to take the idea seriously.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19And while they deliberated,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22warringnations such as Italy were usingdogs to carry munitions
0:02:22 > 0:02:25across treacherous alpine terrain.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Richardson was sure that dogs could solve thecommunicationsproblem
0:02:29 > 0:02:31on the Western Front,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35where phone lines were often down and runners were easy targets.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40Finally,on 31st December 1916, two dogs, trained by Richardson,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43were sent to run messages on the Western Front.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48Their success in navigating across shell holes andmuddy fields
0:02:48 > 0:02:51led to a request to set up the British War Dog School
0:02:51 > 0:02:54to provide more canine support.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57The modern British military dog was born.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00The training programme was led by Mrs Richardson
0:03:00 > 0:03:05and lasted around five weeks before the animals were sentfor duty.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Today dogs like Quinn are trained for around 12 months
0:03:08 > 0:03:10until they're ready for action.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Theadvent of modern communications meant that dogs as messengers
0:03:17 > 0:03:18became obsolete.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22But there was still one key military task that dogs could perform
0:03:22 > 0:03:23and that was search.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28Today the forces have to search planes, vehicles, houses,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32and what this exercise here is doing is deploying that canine strength -
0:03:32 > 0:03:35the sense of smell.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Quinnis trained to filter out competing and confusing scents,
0:03:38 > 0:03:40so he can home in on the most important.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42What's in there?
0:03:42 > 0:03:46The target scent that we want him to find, which is explosives.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49Over the years, the military has fine-tuned exactly what it wants
0:03:49 > 0:03:52from its dogs. It comes downto two broad areas.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54There's the search and detection work
0:03:54 > 0:03:57and then there's protection.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Throughouthistory, armies have sought to take advantage
0:04:04 > 0:04:07of the aggression and muscle power of certain breeds of dog.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11TheRomans, for example, trained up dogs to take on swordsmen.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Today there's few patrols out there that don't value having
0:04:14 > 0:04:18a dog like this with them.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Believe me, getting adog, even one that's been put through some
0:04:21 > 0:04:26of the best training in the world, to follow commands is never simple.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Back in World War One, because dog handling was in its infancy,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32the British shoulders were basically making it up as they went along.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Today, of course, that's completelydifferent.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39It's a fine art and the training for guys like Mikey, dog handlers,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42is as comprehensive and intensive as it is for the dogs.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Butdo you reckon I can give it a go?
0:04:44 > 0:04:45It's as easy as shelling peas.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47- Right. - Here's your dog.
0:04:47 > 0:04:48Thank you.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51So, I'm sending it off to a target somewhere in this field.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54I know wherethe target is. The dog, Onyx, doesn't.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56At the moment it's facing the wrong way. Onyx, go on, this way.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Right, back.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03BLOWS WHISTLE, MIKEY CHUCKLES
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Notgoing where I want it to go.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10WHISTLES
0:05:10 > 0:05:11Sit.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Notsure I'm cut out for this.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- OK,Mikey. - Yeah.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20You tell the dog where to go. Let's see how it's done.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22Onny.
0:05:22 > 0:05:23BLOWS WHISTLE
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Yep,exactly where I want it to go.
0:05:27 > 0:05:28WHISTLES
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Backin World War One, as the use of dogs developed
0:05:37 > 0:05:40and they proved their worth on the battlefields,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43so did the level of care for their wellbeing,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46with kennels being provided behind the front line.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52The relationship between handler and dog
0:05:52 > 0:05:54is as vital now as it was in World War One.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58And while the specialist role of military dogs has developed hugely
0:05:58 > 0:06:00since they were introduced in World War One,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02some elements have remained unchanged.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09One of those is morale. Soldiers love having a dog in the ranks.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17EXPLOSIONS, GUNFIRE
0:06:21 > 0:06:22Well,hello, there.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25My name is Charlie Blue and this is my great friend Tresor.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28I talk and he listens.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Now, Tresor, did you know that it wasn't just the wonderful horse
0:06:31 > 0:06:33who played arole in World War One?
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Oh, no, there were other animals who lent a hand.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37Like...
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Welcome to the Weird And Wonderful Animals Of World War One.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53HORSE WHINNIES
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Now, when the Americans joined the war,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59they searched high and low for a creature to detect
0:06:59 > 0:07:00oncoming mustard gas.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Cows, cats, rats, mice, guinea pigs, flies
0:07:04 > 0:07:07and even fleas were all tested to no avail.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Enter the common garden slug.
0:07:10 > 0:07:15The sensational slugs were able to detect the presence of mustard gas
0:07:15 > 0:07:17due to their sensitive schnozzles.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21Theslugs would show signs of distress, thus allowing the soldiers
0:07:21 > 0:07:27to put on their masks before being exposed to lethal levels of gas.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31And from the fantasticslug to a flatulent sea gull.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32Huh?
0:07:32 > 0:07:36So desperate were the Allies to counter the menace of the U-boat
0:07:36 > 0:07:41that they tried to train seagulls to defecate on U-boatperiscopes.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Didn't work. Of course it didn't work!
0:07:44 > 0:07:47You'd have more luck getting a sea lion to spot aU-boat.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51Which is exactly what they tried next.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Yes, sea lions would dive down into the deep and, on spotting aboat
0:07:54 > 0:07:58under the water, surface, thus revealing its location.
0:07:58 > 0:07:59Genius!
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Anotherbirdie conscripted by the Allied forces was the carrier pigeon,
0:08:04 > 0:08:08employed to relay messages and take surveillance.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13In response, the Germans would send upinterceptor hawks.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Didn't stop this little birdie, though.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18This is Cher Ami, who saved 194 lives
0:08:18 > 0:08:22after her battalionbecame trapped behind enemy lines.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25She delivered a message detailing their location,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28despite having been shot, blinded inone eye
0:08:28 > 0:08:32and with a leg hanging on only by a tendon.
0:08:32 > 0:08:33What a legend!
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Now, let's not forget that just under a million horses
0:08:37 > 0:08:40were sent off to the front, not only as part of the cavalry,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44but also to perform such tasks as pullingartillery,
0:08:44 > 0:08:48ambulance trolleys and supply wagons.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Theseacts were recently acknowledged
0:08:50 > 0:08:53by the best play,book and film ever made, War Horse,
0:08:53 > 0:08:56which I had a small part in, Tresor.
0:08:56 > 0:08:57Yes, I did.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02But Spielbergcould have made his film about the heroic glow worm.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13Yes,the British soldiers in the trenches found unlikelyallies
0:09:13 > 0:09:16in these bioluminescent critters,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19using them to illuminate battle plans and letters from loved ones.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23GRAVELLY VOICEOVER
0:09:25 > 0:09:26- What is it? - It's a worm.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29A worm they found wandering about in no-man's-land.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31What kind of worm?
0:09:31 > 0:09:33A miraculous worm would be my guess.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41They say he only glows for those with a soldier's heart.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Really?
0:09:43 > 0:09:44No.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49WOMAN: 'DearArthur, it was lovely to receive your last letter.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51'I'm glad you have a new friend.'
0:09:52 > 0:09:55VOICEOVER: 'Sometimes the greatest friendships
0:09:55 > 0:09:57'are forged in the most testing of times.'
0:09:59 > 0:10:03MAN: 'We shall fight and be victorious, whatever the cost.'
0:10:03 > 0:10:05You'll be torn to pieces.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07It's just a worm, for Christ's sake!
0:10:07 > 0:10:08Arthur!
0:10:14 > 0:10:16TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN
0:10:58 > 0:11:00GUNSHOTS
0:11:00 > 0:11:04Yes,Tresor, I expect it would get some GLOWING reviews.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08And, finally, with so many horses off to the front,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11farmers and traders in some parts of the country
0:11:11 > 0:11:14looked to more exotic animals to undertake their tasks.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18Yes, our last animal is the exotic elephant.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22And this is Lizzie, a travelling circus elephant who was enlisted
0:11:22 > 0:11:25to haul scrap metal from merchants
0:11:25 > 0:11:29and became a regular sight down the cobbled streets of Sheffield.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32She'seven had a bus named after her.
0:11:32 > 0:11:33That's it from us.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35It's goodbye from me.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38And Tresor would say goodbye if he could talk!
0:11:44 > 0:11:46GUNFIRE
0:11:49 > 0:11:52SHELL WHISTLES
0:11:53 > 0:11:55EXPLOSION
0:11:55 > 0:11:56PLANE PASSES OVERHEAD
0:12:01 > 0:12:04MILITARY DRUMS