Tanned hide of 'Digger' (bulldog)

Tanned hide of 'Digger', a dark brown brindle and white bulldog. Glass eyes have been set into the eye sockets. The hide has been cut and restitched with darts to make it sit flat. The entire edge of the skin was once edged with narrow brown cotton braid and appears to have been lined with black woollen fabric. Only fragments of these remain. The wool may originally have been attached to a larger backing cloth allowing the hide to be displayed as a floor rug.

The tanned hide of Digger, a dark brown and white bulldog, served three and a half years with the AIF during the First World War. Digger seems to have been a stray that attached himself to soldiers on their way down to the troopships at Melbourne. The 1st Division immediately adopted him as a mascot and Digger sailed with them to war on 20 October 1914. It is understood that Digger soon devoted himself to 24 Private James Harold Martin who was serving with the 1st Division Signal Company. Martin, an electrician from Hindmarsh in South Australia enlisted on 18 September 1914 at the age of 22. He served on Gallipoli, and transferred to the 2nd Division Signal Company in July 1915. He remained with the company, attached to the Engineers, during his service on the Western Front in France and Belgium. Martin returned to Australia on 12 May 1918 and was discharged medically unfit. Digger was able to accompany him home as strict quarantine regulations relating to the arrival of dogs in Australia from overseas did not come into force until June 1918.

Newspaper articles at the time refer to Digger's remarkable service with the 1st Division. They describe how Digger 'went over the top' 16 times and had been through some of the worst battles on Gallipoli and the Western Front. He had been wounded and gassed at Pozieres in 1916, shot through the jaw, losing three teeth, was blinded in the right eye and deaf in the left ear. At the sound of a gas alarm, it was reported that Digger would rush to his nearest human companion to have his gas mask fitted. There are also accounts of how Digger would take food to wounded men stranded in no man's land, sometimes bringing back written messages.

Upon their return to Australia, Sergeant Martin and Digger continued to do their bit for the war effort by attending ceremonies and marches in support of recruitment, fundraising and returning men. There are accounts of Sergeant Martin and Digger attending functions in Bathurst, Maitland and Sydney during 1918.

Martin and Digger remained in Sydney. The wounds that Digger had received at Pozieres troubled him and he needed cod liver oil for his mustard gas burns. This was expensive so a picture postcard of Digger, wearing the inscribed silver collar made for him on his return to Australia, with patriotic red, white and blue ribbons attached to it, was produced. The money realised from its sale was used to buy the oil. A copy of this photograph, signed by Sergeant Martin is held in the collections of the Australian War Memorial. See P08897.001

It is said that Digger was also presented with a free tram and rail pass so that he could accompany Martin. Digger died, as an old dog, on Empire Day (24 May, probably 1919) when he was frightened by the celebratory fireworks. Thinking he was under fire again he attempted to jump the fence but failed and fell back with a burst blood vessel. Digger managed to crawl back into the house and died under Martin's bed. Martin was in the Prince of Wales Hospital at Randwick (4th Australian General Hospital) at the time, but he arranged through Mrs J A Little, a volunteer who visited the hospital twice a day to the help the soldiers there, to have Digger's hide tanned. Sergeant Martin then presented the hide and collars to Mrs Little. Her daughter recalled that the hide was displayed on the floor. 'Nobody ever put a foot on it' she said, 'his head was propped on a stool so that everyone could see him & he has been loved by all'.

James Martin returned home to Adelaide and married Frances Letitia Larkin in 1920. Martin and Miss Larkin had met in England during the war. He died in 1963.