Gallipoli Art Prize 2025 Finalist

I was honoured to have been selected as a finalist in the 2025 Gallipoli Art Prize for my painting 'Veterans', which is now part of the Gallipoli Memorial Club's art collection.

I made it home to Sydney for a short trip, to attend the finalists' function. The winner was Andrew Tomkins, 'HMAS Karangi' and Highly Commended was Wayne Davis, 'Lighthorse Section'; announced by The Honourable David Harris MP on Wednesday 16 April. Below are some images from the day and more can be seen on the Gallipoli Art Prize Instagram account.

The 2025 Gallipoli Art Prize exhibition was on display at 6-8 Atherden Street, The Rocks between 16 April to 11 May, 2025. Artworks can now be viewed on display virtually here.

My painting 'Veterans' is an acknowledgment of the important role that pigeons, and other animals, played during the First and Second World Wars.

Pigeons were an effective communication method, carrying vital information in a pouch on their back, or a vial tied to a leg, between the front line and headquarters, especially from locations where radio communication was not available.

Titled ‘Veterans’, the painting comprises an antique photograph of a returned soldier, releasing a messenger pigeon to freedom after its service. The photograph is positioned on the mantelpiece of a loved one, against a backdrop of rosemary-patterned wallpaper. Rosemary grows wild on the Gallipoli peninsula and is a symbol of commemoration and, as well as the familiar red poppy, is traditionally worn on Anzac Day and Remembrance Day.

Since reading stories of the many lives that were saved, as a result of carrier pigeons’ successful flight missions, I now view the humble pigeon very differently … and hope viewers of this painting will too.

Below is more about the pigeons and the part they took during the Gallipoli Campaign, in addition to the World Wars I and II.

From the Trenches to the Skies

Messengers of Hope: The Role of Pigeons in Gallipoli, World War I and World War II

In the midst of the world’s darkest hours—when nations trembled and lives were lost in numbers too great to count—messages carried by feathered wings quietly shaped the outcomes of battles and the survival of those caught in the throes of war. Though small and silent, messenger pigeons saved countless lives and became an integral part of the British Armed Forces’ communication network during the Gallipoli campaign, the First World War, and the Second World War.

Their contribution is not often discussed in mainstream remembrance, but for those whose lives depended on them, these birds were nothing less than heroes.

Gallipoli: A Harsh Beginning for Avian Couriers

The Gallipoli campaign (1915–1916), part of the First World War, remains one of the most poignant and painful military endeavours in British and Commonwealth history. Designed to break the stalemate on the Western Front by opening a sea route to Russia, the campaign ultimately resulted in significant loss of life—more than 130,000 men killed, and hundreds of thousands more wounded or missing on both sides.

In this unforgiving terrain—marked by steep cliffs, dense scrub, and parched ravines—conventional communication was fraught with difficulty. Telegraph lines were frequently cut by artillery, runners faced snipers and machine-gun fire, and wireless technology was still primitive. Into this chaos stepped the humble pigeon.

The British, along with ANZAC and French forces, employed messenger pigeons as part of their field communication. Carried ashore by soldiers or kept on naval vessels offshore, pigeons provided a vital link between frontline units and command centres. Though no individual birds from Gallipoli are formally recorded or awarded for their service, reports confirm that these animals were used to carry operational updates and calls for assistance under fire.

It is important to acknowledge the context: in the broader horror of Gallipoli, where men suffered under unimaginable conditions, the pigeons’ role—though small—became one of the few reliable threads in the fabric of shattered lines of command.

World War I: A New Kind of Soldier

As the First World War expanded across Europe, the British Army formalised its use of pigeons. The Army Pigeon Service was formed under the Royal Engineers, and by 1918, more than 100,000 pigeons were serving the Allied cause. These birds travelled from trenches to command posts, often across no man’s land, in hostile and unpredictable conditions.

The Mechanism of Messenger Pigeons

Messenger pigeons, also known as homing pigeons, possess an extraordinary ability to return to their home lofts across great distances, often at speeds exceeding 50 miles per hour. Messages were written on cigarette paper or rice paper, sealed in small aluminium canisters, and attached to the bird’s leg. The loft was always positioned in a fixed location known to the pigeon, allowing messages to be delivered across complex battlefields even when all other communication systems failed.

Pigeons became indispensable during heavy bombardments and gas attacks, when wires were severed and visibility was reduced to metres. Their ability to fly high above the confusion made them vital assets in preserving the chain of command and in bringing rescue where human couriers could not survive.

Notable Acts of Avian Bravery

Though many birds served anonymously, a few became well-documented symbols of courage.

One such pigeon, Cher Ami, served with the American forces under British command during the Battle of the Argonne in 1918. When a group of 194 American soldiers was trapped behind enemy lines and mistakenly targeted by their own artillery, Cher Ami was released with a desperate message. Despite being shot through the breast, blinded in one eye, and flying with a nearly severed leg, she reached her loft and helped save the battalion. She was later awarded the French Croix de Guerre and is buried at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., where she remains a powerful symbol of silent service.

While Cher Ami was American, many British birds performed similar acts of service. Pigeons stationed in Ypres, the Somme, and Passchendaele delivered messages through gas clouds and gunfire, their efforts now recorded in regimental histories and private diaries.

World War II: A Legacy Continued

With the outbreak of the Second World War, the use of pigeons expanded significantly. By 1945, more than 250,000 pigeons had been deployed by the British military across Europe, the Middle East, and the Pacific. These birds were part of nearly every branch of service: the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Intelligence Services.

The Dickin Medal: Recognising Animal Bravery

In 1943, Maria Dickin, founder of the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), created the Dickin Medal, sometimes referred to as the “animal Victoria Cross”. Awarded to animals for “conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty while serving or associated with any branch of the Armed Forces or Civil Defence Units”, the medal became a way to formally acknowledge the indispensable role of animals in war.

Of the 54 Dickin Medals awarded between 1943 and 1949, 32 went to pigeons.

Notable recipients include:
•White Vision (1943): A pigeon who delivered a message that led to the rescue of a ditched aircraft crew in the North Sea during gale conditions.
•GI Joe (1943): Delivered a message that prevented the accidental bombing of an Italian village recently occupied by Allied forces, saving over 1,000 lives.
•Mary of Exeter: Served in dangerous missions over Europe, surviving numerous injuries and returning home each time, becoming a symbol of perseverance.

These stories are more than curiosities; they are reminders of the ingenuity and adaptability that defined the Allied war effort. When radio signals were jammed and enemy forces advanced, it was sometimes the quiet flutter of wings that turned the tide.

Beyond the Battlefield: Keepsakes and Memorials

The bond between pigeons and their handlers was deeply felt. Many soldiers spoke of their birds with affection and reverence, knowing that their lives—and the lives of their comrades—might rest on a single flight.

After the war, several means were used to honour these animals:
• Service badges were given to pigeon trainers, often depicting wings or dove imagery, now sought-after by collectors.
• Miniature pigeon medals, including replicas of the Dickin Medal, were displayed in military museums alongside human commendations.
• The Animals in War Memorial, unveiled in Hyde Park, London, in 2004, features the engraved words: “They had no choice.” Pigeons are among the species commemorated.

In a quiet corner of Ilford, Essex, the PDSA Animal Cemetery holds the remains of several awarded pigeons. Visitors come not only to pay respects, but to remember the broader, often overlooked contribution of animals to human conflict.

In Art, Language and Literature

Messenger pigeons have left their mark in the cultural and literary legacy of war. Their presence appears in war diaries, children’s literature, poetry and art that reminds us of their loyalty and quiet courage.

An example from a wartime school anthology reads:

“Feathered wings in silence swept,
Where men in shadowed silence wept.
No fanfare cried, no trumpet hailed—
Yet through the fire, their flight prevailed.”

These lines capture the emotional resonance of pigeons’ role in war. They were not warriors in the traditional sense, but neither were they passive observers. They acted when others could not, and they endured.

Changing Times: The End of the Pigeon Service

With the advent of digital communication, satellites, and radio encryption, the need for messenger pigeons declined sharply after the Second World War. The National Pigeon Service, which had supplied birds to the British government, was formally disbanded in 1945. Nevertheless, the legacy of these birds endures in military history, folklore, and memory. The Royal Pigeon Racing Association maintains records and exhibitions, ensuring that future generations understand the magnitude of the contribution made by these unassuming birds.

Reflections and Remembrance

As we look back upon the wars of the past, we rightly focus on the human cost—on the bravery, suffering, and sacrifice of millions. Yet within that story are countless supporting lives—medical workers, horses, dogs, and pigeons—who enabled the machinery of hope to function under pressure.

The story of the messenger pigeon is not one of glory, but of duty. They did not know politics, nor ambition. They served because they were trained to do so, and in their service, they gave thousands a chance to live. In remembering them, we are reminded of all the unseen labours that contribute to the preservation of life amidst conflict. The flight of a pigeon may seem small compared to the thunder of battle, but for those waiting in fear, it was a flight that carried the hope of survival.