Paddy the Pigeon
 by Gail Seekamp  Illustrated by Seán Aherne  (122 pages)


Fiction, for 10 to 12-year-olds

ISBN: 0-9543544-1-9



Tells the story of Paddy, a pigeon that won a Dickin Medal for his part in
the World War 2 Normandy Landings of June 1944.

Based on a true story.



 The year is 1943 and World War Two is raging across Europe. From the Moyleen Lofts in County Antrim, a young pigeon is chosen for the National Pigeon Service. Thousands of pigeons are already playing their part in the fight against Hitler, but Paddy is destined for a key role.
…Read about the amazing adventures of this feathered hero, the only Irish animal ever to have been awarded the Dickin Medal for bravery…

 PADDY THE PIGEON




Excerpt from Paddy the Pigeon

 Chapter 23

…Howard took a deep breath. Any information of this sort was vital and had to be sent back to England immediately. Digging in his pockets he found a pencil and note-pad. The thin paper was over-stamped with the words:

 OPERATIONAL MESSAGE – Telephone to War Office Signal Office, WHITEHALL 9400

 Frantically, he scribbled the details on the message paper, adding his own name and the date – June 11th 1944. He wrote a second, identical message. Next he got two bright green message containers. These were also very light, made of papier-mâché. With fumbling fingers, Howard rolled one message into a cigarette shape and folded it in two. He inserted it into the tiny container and popped the lid shut. He did the same thing with the second message.

Now for the pigeons…


What the critics had to say:
“Gail Seekamp writes with a lovely sense of pace, a lovely sense of quiet humour and manages to resurrect both the feel of rural north Antrim and the World War Two battlefield.…I love this book!” – Robert Dunbar, Children’s Book Critic.

“Ideal for the study of SESE, nature and habitats. It also gives a huge insight into World War Two, food, habits, dress and the war itself at the time.” – Primary School Teachers’ Journal, INTOUCH.  

Price: €5.99

 

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