In 2009, the Australian War Memorial (where I worked as a Tour Guide), had an exhibition called ‘A is for Animals’. It was all about animal mascots in wartime, and featured a black & white studio portrait of a little dog called 'Stuka' who was a dead ringer for my beloved Tenterfield terrier, 'Poppy'... or so I thought.

I was so taken with the image of Leading Seaman Stuka, a little dog with an interesting history, that nine years later, during the Year of the Dog (2018), I finally got around to painting him. And it was as his portrait evolved that the essence and individuality of this brave little dog emerged.

Knowing just how sensitive these little dogs are, particularly to loud noises, I couldn't imagine a more unsuitable military mascot!

Taken Prisoner of War along with an Italian Army Unit in North Arica in World War II, Fox Terrier 'Stuka' was named after a notorious German-type dive bomber 'known for a distinctive, chilling "screaming" sound during a dive, created by small propeller-driven sirens called "Jericho Trumpets" which were designed to psychologically terrify enemy troops on the ground; essentially sounding like a high-pitched, piercing air raid siren' (Source: Aces in Action (blog).

Stuka became mascot to His Majesty’s Australian Ship WATERHEN (lost in enemy action, 1941), HMS DEFENDER (lost in enemy action, 1941) & HMAS LISMORE respectively, before his eventual transfer to shore duty at the Royal Naval Dockyard Trincomalee, Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

I like to think that Stuka's life at Trincomalee was long and happy, but I have no way of knowing whatever became of him? According to sources, in April 1942, the Japanese attacked the dockyard at Trincomalee...

HMS Hermes, HMAS Vampire and the Flower-class corvette HMS Hollyhock were sunk. HMS Hermes was undergoing repairs in Trincomalee harbour in April 1942. As a result of the advance warning of the impending attack by the Japanese, Hermes left Trincomalee, minus the 12 Fairey Swordfish Mk Is of 814 Naval Air Squadron, disembarked. A Japanese reconnaissance plane spotted Hermes off Batticaloa, and 70 Japanese bombers attacked the defenceless Hermes forty times. The carrier sank with the loss of 307 sailors.

The RAF lost at least eight Hurricanes and the FAA one Fairey Fulmar. The Japanese lost five bombers and six fighters, one in a suicide attack on the Trincomalee fuel tanks. Seven hundred people lost their lives in the attack on Trincomalee.

According to eye witness Michael Tomlinson (author of The Most Dangerous Moment and RAF Station Intelligence Officer at Ratmalana and later at China Bay in Trincomalee), one Japanese flyer deliberately crashed his plane into one of the giant fuel tanks just north of China Bay aerodrome... (Source: Wikipedia: SLN Dockyard).