Simon

Simon was a small black-and-white tom cat who was smuggled aboard HMS Amethyst as a kitten in 1948 by a seventeen-year-old sailor named George Hickinbottom, who hid him inside his cap. The ship's company adopted him as the official ship's cat, and he proved his worth as both a rat-catcher and a morale booster. Then, in April 1949, HMS Amethyst was ambushed by Chinese Communist artillery on the Yangtze River during what became known as the Yangtze Incident. The ship was trapped under sustained fire for three months; 25 British sailors were killed in the initial attack. Simon was found in the wreckage — badly burned, with his fur singed off and his whiskers gone — and was not expected to survive. He did. Once recovered, Simon resumed his patrol duties and began visiting the wounded sailors in the sick bay. His calm presence was credited by the medical officer with measurably improving crew morale during the long, deadly standoff. When HMS Amethyst finally escaped down the Yangtze in July 1949, Simon was on deck. He was formally listed as a casualty of the Yangtze Incident and given the rank of Able Seacat. On returning to Britain he was awarded the Dickin Medal — the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross — making him the only cat ever to receive it. Sadly, Simon died in quarantine in November 1949, likely from the lasting effects of his injuries. He was buried with full naval honours at the PDSA Animal Cemetery in Ilford, where his grave still receives flowers from visitors.