On February 19, 1942, a group of 242 Japanese aircraft bombed the small town of Darwin, Australia in which a strategically important Allied base and harbor were located. Eleven ships were sunk, thirty aircraft destroyed.  The Battle of Darwin was the single largest attack on Australian soil during WWII, and delivered a striking blow to Australian military personnel.

Gunner’s story began in that chaos.

The black and white Kelpie had been born just a year before, and as bombs tore through the RAAF base, a group of airmen heard the faint cries of a puppy trapped beneath the wreckage of a mess hall. They dug him out, a battered pup with a broken leg. He was handed over to Leading Aircraftman Percy Westcott who took him to a medic.

Incredibly, the field medic wouldn’t treat anyone without a name and serial number, even if the the injured was a pup. Westcott, quick on his feet, named the dog, “Gunner” and assigned him the number 0000. Gunner had became an official member of the Royal Australian Air Force in the blink of an eye.

Traumatized, Gunner still recognized that he had been saved by the men around him, and quickly warmed to them.

They would come to appreciate their effort. A week after he was rescued, Gunner suddenly became restless and agitated. While the men worked, Gunner whined and paced. He simply couldn’t settle. Minutes later, the distant hum of Japanese aircraft engines reached the ears of the airmen. Another bombing run had begun.

Black and white image of Gunner with Percy Leslie Westcott. From Wikipedia shared in public domain

A pattern soon emerged. Gunner always become agitated before the enemy’s arrival, sometimes up to 20 minutes in advanced. His warning was far better than radar capabilities of the time!

Incredibly, what made Gunner extraordinary was that he could tell the difference between allied aircraft and that of the enemy. He never barked at Allied planes, only at the Japanese. His warnings were so accurate that the base commander gave Westcott the go-ahead to sound the air raid siren whenever Gunner started up. From then on, Gunnerwasn’t just a mascot, he was a trusted early warning system –  and the only dog allowed on base.

Gunner became a fixture of daily life at the base. He slept under Westcott’s bunk, joined the men for showers, watched movies with them under the stars, and even hitched rides in planes during practice flights. It could not have been easy for the Kelpie when Westcott was transferred to Melbourne in 1943. Gunner stayed behind, his new caregiver the base butcher.

It is maddening to discover these stories and not be able to give closure to them. By the accounts we found, Gunner’s fate after the war is a mystery. Westcott himself later said, “I never heard what happened to him in the end. I thought I’d go back after the war or see somebody but you know how these things go.”  Some sources note that Gunner died on April 30, 1955 when he was about 13 years old, but there are no detailed accounts of his later life or final years.

Still, Gunner’s legacy is undeniable. He wasn’t just a lucky survivor; he was a lifesaver and a reminder that the most extraordinary heroes can come on four legs and a wagging tail.

Image: Black and white hand-drawn ink Kelpie by Aaron Phillips/iStock