Judy the hero Boxer dog honoured for charging at gun-toting terrorists and saving her brother's life

Daily Mail​

12-06-2025

The gallantry medal awarded to a hero dog who thwarted a terrorist attack on British officers and saved her brother's life has sold for £22,000.
Judy, a Boxer Bitch, and her brother Punch sprang into action after detecting intruders at an army compound in Palestine in the aftermath of Second World War.
They barked furiously to alert their masters then charged towards the assailants.
The canines were met by a burst of sub-machine fire from the terrorists but did not take a backwards step.
The two officers inside the compound heard the commotion and ran outside.
They saw a pool of blood which led them to Punch who was seriously wounded with Judy draped over him.
She had attempted to shield her brother from further bullets after he was shot in the throat, skull and groin.
She somehow emerged unscathed from the firing frenzy other than a bullet graze to her back.
The gallantry medal awarded to a hero dog who thwarted a terrorist attack on British officers and saved her brother's life has sold for £22,000. Judy, a Boxer Bitch, and her brother Punch sprung into action after detecting intruders at an army compound in Palestine in the aftermath of Second World War
The Dickin Medal awarded to Judy for thwarting the attack on a British Army base in Palestine in 1946
Punch, miraculously, also survived, despite losing three quarters of a pint of blood.
The terrorists would have been able to sneak in undetected to the house and murder the officers in cold blood without their dogs' intervention.
Judy's devotion to her sibling and willingness to risk her life saved his.
Both dogs were awarded the Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent to the Victoria Cross, for their fearless actions protecting their masters on the night of August 5, 1946.
Judy's medal was sold by a private collector who has owned it for 14 years.
It went under the hammer at auctioneers Noonans, of Mayfair, London, where it outperformed the pre-sale estimate of £14,000 to £18,000.
The dogs were the pets of Lieutenant Colonel Campbell, who was Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Jerusalem Military Court, and the Adjutant General Lt Col Niven.
The officers shared a house in the Jerusalem suburb and, seemingly oblivous to the danger posed to them, had left the front door open.
Judy was awarded for her heroics in Palestine. So far 38 dogs have been awarded the Dickin Medal
Judy's Dickin Medal citation reads: 'For beating off a terrorist attack on British Officers at risk of her own life while serving with Army H.Q. Palestine, on August 5th 1946.'
Returning to the UK and after undergoing quarantine, both dogs were presented with their Dickin Medals during the Royal Tournamentcat Olympia on June 14, 1947.
The Dickin Medal was created in 1943 by Maria Dickin, the founder of British veterinary charity the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, to honour animal gallantry during the war.
To date, 75 have been awarded by the PDSA, with 38 going to dogs, 32 to pigeons, four to horses and one to a cat.
A Noonans spokesperson said: 'This Dickin Medal for gallantry was awarded to Judy, a boxer bitch, for thwarting a night-time terrorist attack on British officers in Palestine.
'Suddenly the dogs became aware of intruders within the compound.
'Racing into the darkness and barking furiously, they were met with a burst of sub-machine gun fire from one or possibly two terrorists within the barbed-wire protected perimeter.
'Apparently the intruders were stealthily creeping towards the house with the intent to kill the officers.
The certificate accompanying the Dickin Medal that was awarded to Judy the Boxer
'The barking and gunfire alerted the officers, thwarted the attack and thus saved their lives.
'Judy protected and undoubtedly saved the life of her severely wounded brother Punch, at risk to her own life.'
Christopher Mellor-Hill, head of client liaison at Noonans, added: 'The sale of a Dickin Medal is always hugely emotive and this story is no different reflecting bravery and courage as well as emphasising the great British tradition of the almost human-like relationship that dogs have for us and others.'
In December 2024, the Dickin Medal awarded to Antis the dog who flew in over 30 wartime combat missions was reunited with his master's family after a £60,000 sale.
Antis the Alsatian loyally sat next to his owner Czech airman Robert Bozdech in the turret of a Wellington bomber for operations over Nazi-occupied Europe.
He was twice wounded in action; once by shrapnel over Kiel and then when a shell exploded under his aircraft during a raid on Hannover.
Antis was the only dog who flew in World War Two operations and his medal had left the Bozdech family when a private collector bought it in 1994.
In October 2022, the Dickin Medal for an SAS dog who did over 20 parachute jumps behind enemy lines in World War Two sold for a record £140,000 at Noonans.
Rob, a black and white collie-retriever from a Shropshire farm, was involved in the North African campaign and sabotage missions in Italy.