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ML3 6BJ - Cameronian Museum, Low Parks, Hamilton

The story of Jimmy the Donkey is something of a mystery.

In 1920, at the Peterborough Cattle Market, Jimmy was sold to the RSPCA by a horse dealer called George Walding. And over the next 20 years Jimmy was used in and around Peterborough to raise funds for the charity. But Jimmy had something of a colourful back story. It was claimed that this little black donkey had been at the Somme and had become the mascot of the 1st Battalion of the Cameronian Scottish Rifles.

鈥淛immy was born in No-Man鈥檚 Land, and the Cameronians brought him back to the British lines, gave him tinned milk and looked after him,鈥� says Sam Morrell, member of the Cameronian Scottish Rifle Association. 鈥淛immy carried food, ammunition and injured men 鈥� everything connected with regimental supplies.鈥�

鈥淭hey gave him three stripes and made Jimmy a sergeant and he used to lift his hoof and salute an officer. He was quite well known for this,鈥� Sam adds.

In 1920, an ex-soldier named Private Dudley lent weight to Jimmy鈥檚 story by saying he recognised Jimmy as his old regimental mascot, but that at the time the donkey had actually been known as Neddy.

Neil Mitchell, a local historian, based in Peterborough, explains: 鈥淧rivate Dudley was with the medical corps and attached to the Scottish Rifles. Private Dudley expanded on the story of the donkey being the regimental mascot. He also told the newspapers of the day that the donkey鈥檚 name was Neddy and not Jimmy as the dealer had stated.鈥�

And even with the change of name, Private Dudley鈥檚 testimony might have put the donkey鈥檚 war record beyond doubt.

But in the 1970鈥檚, horse dealer George Walding鈥檚 son made a spectacular admission: Jimmy鈥檚 story had been a hoax.

Neil Mitchell says:

鈥淭he story was that the George Walding had been to a horse-sale in Southampton. Unfortunately there were a lot of London dealers there and the prices of horses shot up. Not wanting to have a wasted trip, he boughta donkey from a group of gypsies camped close by to the sale. After sending the donkey by rail to Peterborough he tried to sell it to Sanger鈥檚 Circus. They didn鈥檛 want him, so George Walding took him to the Peterborough Cattle Market and tried to sell him with an elaborate story attached about the donkey being born on the Western Front. Hearing this story, a local RSPCA inspector agreed to buy Jimmy for 拢20.鈥�

But Sam Morrell is unconvinced: 鈥淚 find that unbelievable. That was the Somme donkey at Peterborough and I鈥檝e seen the documentation there. That and the fact that were services at Peterborough after the war with Cameronians involved, and the fact that Jimmy was a nationwide hero, says it all.鈥�

After many years fund-raising for the RSPCA, Jimmy died in 1943 and was buried in Peterborough鈥檚 Central Park. Whether he did serve at the Front is something we鈥檒l probably never know for sure, but regardless, Neil Mitchell says that we should remember Jimmy for his fund-raising if nothing else: 鈥淗e deserves to be buried in the park, as a reminder for what he did for the animals that suffer - and why the RSPCA was formed in the first place.鈥�
Image Copyright: HE Media

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