These pigeons being used to stock mobile and static lofts with suitable pigeons that were deployed across every State of the Nation particularly along Australia’s coastline, allowing to help protect vital strategic military bases and much of the country’s important infrastructure in case of any impending invasion or disruption and/or failure to landline wireless was to occur.

If such an event was to occur delivering important messages quickly and secretly from military outposts along much of Australia’s vast coastline was vital and homing pigeons were seen as having an important part to play.
Many pigeons were also deployed to overseas campaigns, not just in Papua Guinea but also in the Middle East in 1941 during the Syrian Campaign.

This award does not just recognise the service of homing pigeons that served on the mainland, many a time having to adapt to the harsh Australian conditions, but to all those pigeons that served overseas with distinction, with two of them being awarded the Dickin Medal.

Due to Australian quarantine restrictions, sadly all those pigeons that remained on foreign shores after the wars end had to be euthanized.

To all those pigeons that served with distinction and did not have the option to return home we say thank you. This award recognises your service in saving many lives and by contributing to help shorten the years of world conflict.