Newspaper Clipping of the Day

Via Newspapers.com

Here’s something a little different for this space:  The adventures of a famed four-legged WWII veteran.  The “Australian Woman’s Weekly,” May 3, 1941:

This is the story of Tawny the Caldew cat, the most celebrated cat of Great War II. Three people helped to make Tawny famous--a young British seaman and two Australian girls in the British Consulate at Gothenburg, Sweden. Tawny's adventures, which began with the torpedoing of the British trawler Caldew, have been chronicled in a despatch to the Admiralty, in the august London "Times," the New York "Times," in Scottish, American, and Belgian newspapers. The "Times" mentioned him in a leading article, a Swedish poet wrote a verse in his honor, and a Swedish cartoonist portrayed him sitting on a copy of the "Times." And now one of the Australian girls who put him on the road to fame, Miss Elizabeth a 'Dare, has returned to Australia with the story. She and Miss Ima Barra, both Australian girls, both actresses, were stranded because of the war in Gothenburg, Sweden.

There they started work at the British Consulate. One day they heard the Consulate's naval adviser, Captain Clover, talking on the trunk line: "Yes, drown the cat," they heard him say. "It's the only thing to do with it." "Drown a cat! Whose cat?" shrieked the two Australians. "A torpedoed ship's cat. British," Captain Clover told them. 

"Well, you certainly can't drown their cat," said the two women. "It costs a lot of money to land a cat in a foreign country," explained Captain Clover.

"It doesn't matter. We'll pay for it," they said.

From Captain Clover they learned the story of Tawny. A week before, an English trawler, the Caldew, put out to sea in the direction of the Faroe Islands. While on its way it was overtaken and stopped by a German submarine. The captain and crew of eleven were given ten minutes to get off the trawler. One of the crew, a boy of nineteen, sacrificed his personal belongings and made a frenzied search for Tawny, the ship's tomcat. Then with Tawny in his arms he joined his companions in the lifeboat.

The submarine then blew the trawler to pieces and went off, leaving the crew tossing in the small lifeboat. A day or two later the men were picked up by the Swedish motor ship Kronprincessan Margareta, which was on its way to Gothenburg. But, the Swedish ship was still outside Swedish territorial waters when she was overtaken by two German destroyers which had orders to stop the Kronprincessan and take the Englishmen aboard as prisoners. The German destroyers, however, refused the cat. Parted from his English master, Tawny made friends with the Swedish crew.

At Gothenburg there were difficulties. To land a foreign cat in any country is troublesome, because of quarantine regulations. The Swedish captain accordingly telephoned the Consulate, first to report the story of the English sailors, secondly to ask what to do with the cat. "It was then that we heard the telephone call," said Miss a'Dare. "Captain Clover warned us of the expense of quarantining and the difficulties of finding a home for the animal. "But we were determined that a cat who had escaped being torpedoed, a cat for whom his master had risked his life, should not be drowned.

"Much telephoning had to be done! First to the ship, to stop the execution order. Then a long-distance call to the British Legation in Stockholm requesting permission to keep the cat. Then to a veterinary surgeon who visited the ship to certify that Tawny was in good health. Finally to the quarantine station, which sent an officer to collect him.

A telegram was dispatched to the British Admiralty to tell of the Caldew's fate. At the end of it was the message, "Ship's cat safe and being cared for by ladies of Consulate." While Tawny was in quarantine his story was printed in Swedish newspapers, and letters poured in from cat lovers, many people sending contributions. (Incidentally the expenses came to nearly £10). One letter was addressed. "Fru Barnes, Cat Lady, British Consulate," another to "Chief of Cat Department," a third to "Kind person who saved katt." Best of all is the following letter brought back by Miss a'Dare.

"I am ola swedish woman. No english can I. My son is a seeman. He speak english like englishman. He helped write this letter.

I red about katt. It is kindly of you to help him. I like them very much. Have 4 self. Such nice animals.

I am poor but send 50 ore' (about sixpence) "Plis by fish for it. Katts like fish. The ware such nice animals. The are too very good for amatism. I have it in my back but wen she steps in my back I am very bettre. Hav you reumatism.

"Yours truly, Hulda Carlasson." 

And another: "I hat read with pleasure so much that you interest yourself entirely about one poor English cat; he is I think saved three times from a death in the sea. "I hope so much that I may be allowed to seen you dear Miss Barnes, one kroner for to buy this cat some good Svedish milk. 

"Yours faithfully, JOHN ERICSSON." 

Miss a'Dare at first hoped to bring the cat home to Australia with her. But when she set about getting visas for herself to travel via Russia, the Black Sea, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and India she realised that quarantines in these countries for Tawny would occupy the rest of his life. So she and Miss Barnes accepted one of the numerous offers of a home for the cat--of an English racehorse trainer in Sweden, Mr. Herbert Brown. With Mr. and Mrs. Brown, two spaniels, and the racehorses, Tawny nowadays travels from one end of Sweden to the other.

Twice he has been kicked by racehorses--because of his habit of jumping on their backs when they are being groomed--and twice saved by the care of the vet. That accounts so far for five of his nine lives. His original rescuer, the young seaman, now in an internment camp in Germany, hears regular news of him from Mr. and Mrs. Brown, Captain Clover became so interested in the animal that he devoted a special file to him in the Consulate records.

This, including clippings, statement of receipts and expenditure, and letters, has been brought to Australia by Miss a Dare, It is labelled "Le Chat Fidele"--the faithful cat--although, as the Stockholm correspondent of the "Times" said, "faithful seemed more a description of the letter-writers than the object of their solicitude."

I was unable to find out anything about Tawny’s subsequent career, but after all his close calls, I hope he went on to have a long and peaceful life.  One where he learned to avoid racehorses.