Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England London Ilford Animal Cemetery
AO Edited

Ilford Animal Cemetery

3,000 family pets and military animals are buried in this London graveyard.

London, England

Added By
Aaron Netsky
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Grave marker of Able Seacat Simon   Acabashi/CC BY SA 3.0
Grave marker of carrier pigeon Mary of Exeter   Acabashi/CC BY SA 4.0
Grave marker of Crumstone Irma, a messenger dog, search and rescue dog, and Dickin Medal recipient   Acabashi/CC BY SA 3.0
Rip, a Dickin Medal recipient and search and rescue dog buried at Ilford Animal Cemetery   Ministry of Information Photo Division Photographer/Public Domain
The PDSA Dickin Medal   Andrew6/Public Domain
  Steve 55 / Atlas Obscura User
  royhinchliffe / Atlas Obscura User
  royhinchliffe / Atlas Obscura User
  royhinchliffe / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

At the Ilford Animal Cemetery in London you'll find the graves of war heroes who are less well known—those that killed rats on ships, sniffed out wounded casualties of air raids, and flew messages back and forth across the English Channel. Many of them have medals in recognition of their service.

The cemetery was founded in the 1920s as a final resting place for family pets and military animals. More than 3,000 animals were buried there between the 1920s and 1960s. After that, for nearly half a century, it sat neglected and became overgrown, many of the graves breaking over time.

The cemetery was restored in 2007 and reopened with a grand ceremony that included a pigeon fly-past (which did not go as planned) and a performance of “Last Post,” a bugle call used by various branches of the British military.

The military animals buried at Ilford include Mary of Exeter, a World War II carrier pigeon, Rip, a stray dog who became the first search and rescue dog in the service of England, and Simon, a stray cat who ended up serving aboard the HMS Amethyst in the late 1940s.

Simon was something of a celebrity. An accomplished killer of rats, Simon was wounded on the Yangtze River, in China, when gunfire penetrated the Amethyst’s captain’s cabin, killing the commanding officer. Simon was not expected to survive, but was soon able to return to killing rats aboard the ship. He received the Blue Cross, the Yangtze Campaign Medal, and the PDSA Dickin Medal, an award for war animals established during World War II. It includes the words “We Also Serve.”

Simon was so famous (he was promoted to “Able Seacat”), that an officer on the ship was made “cat officer” and put in charge of answering Simon’s fan mail (this man, Lieutenant Commander Stewart Hett, attended the reopening of the cemetery). Simon died of a virus while in a mandatory quarantine upon entering the United Kingdom, and was buried in Ilford.

Bob Flowerdew, a celebrity organic gardener in England, designed a Pet Tribute Garden based on the Dickin Medal. Thirteen of the animals at Ilford, including Rip and Mary of Exeter, are Dickin Medal recipients, but the cemetery also has a marker for “The Strays and All Ill-Treated Creatures.”

Related Tags

Animals Cemeteries Military History Dogs War History Pet Cemeteries Military

Know Before You Go

The cemetery is situated behind a PDSA veterinary clinic on Roding Lane.

Community Contributors

Added By

AaronNetsky

Edited By

MagnumPI, Steve 55, royhinchliffe

  • MagnumPI
  • Steve 55
  • royhinchliffe

Published

April 17, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dickin_Medal
  • https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/London/35+Woodford+Bridge+Rd,+Woodford,+Ilford+IG4+5LL/@51.5468174,-0.0978392,14577m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x47d8a00baf21de75:0x52963a5addd52a99!2m2!1d-0.1277583!2d51.5073509!1m5!1m1!1s0x47d8a6d96cdd482d:0x642c3614cf55b34b!2m2!1d0.0465949!2d51.5871321?hl=en
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilford_Animal_Cemetery
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_(cat)
  • http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7137229.stm
  • http://waythroughwithyou.blogspot.com/2012/01/ilford-animal-cemetery.html
  • https://www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do/what-makes-us-special/a-history-of-caring
  • http://www.purr-n-fur.org.uk/featuring/war04.html
Ilford Animal Cemetery
242 Roding Ln S
Ilford
London, England, IG4 5PR
United Kingdom
51.587812, 0.045372
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Hitchcock Gallery

London, England

miles away

God's Own Junkyard

London, England

miles away

The Ancient House

London, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of London

London

England

Places 536
Stories 108

Nearby Places

The Hitchcock Gallery

London, England

miles away

God's Own Junkyard

London, England

miles away

The Ancient House

London, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of London

London

England

Places 536
Stories 108

Related Stories and Lists

England's Forgotten Pet Massacre of 1939

animals

By Abbey Perreault

Related Places

  • Michigan War Dog Memorial.

    South Lyon, Michigan

    Michigan War Dog Memorial

    This quaint stretch of road is the final resting place for hundreds of America's four-legged veterans.

  • Sinbad’s Coast Guard portrait

    Barnegat Light, New Jersey

    Grave of Sinbad the Dog

    A granite monument honors a beloved World War II canine mascot.

  • Alresford, England

    Grave of Hambone Jr.

    This grave remembers the beloved canine companion of soldiers far from home.

  • Mabalacat, Philippines

    K-9 Cemetery

    A memorial for military police dogs in the former U.S. air base.

  • Mexico City, Mexico

    Mexico City National Cemetery

    Though the name might suggest otherwise, this is an American cemetery.

  • The gravestone.

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Grave of 'The Great Lafayette'

    A magician and his beloved, pampered canine were buried together, within days of each other, due to a tragic twist of fate.

  • Just Nuisance statue.

    Cape Town, South Africa

    Just Nuisance Statue

    A memorial to the only dog ever officially enlisted in the Royal Navy.

  • Sting’s grave.

    Larne, Northern Ireland

    Grave of Sting the Dog

    A beloved pet is buried in among the many old and famous residents of a Northern Ireland cemetery.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.