Sgt. Major George S. Macdonell (b. 1922) was a Canadian military officer and politician, serving as the Deputy Prime Minister of the province of Ontario (1980 - 1985). Sue Beard is a Canadian graphic designer and publisher.
This brief book (40 pages) was privately published in 2017, but is available on Amazon. Click the front cover image at right to open the Amazon page for this work in a new tab/window.
This book provides an overview of the life and military service of Gander, a Newfoundland dog (original name "Pal"; his name was changed to reflect the town of his birth, in the Canadian province of Newfoundland) who served as the mascot of the Royal Canadian Rifles during World War II. He was killed when, during the Battle of Hong Kong (which happened on the same day as the attack on Pearl Harbor), a Japanese hand grenade was lobbed at his unit; Gander picked the grenade up and ran toward the Japanese when the grenade detonated.
Gander was posthumously awarded the Dickin Medal, an award given in Britain and the British Commonwealth to animals that have displayed "conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty while serving or associated with any branch of the Armed Forces or Civil Defence Units". His name also appears on a memorial wall in Ottawa, Canada, along with those of other veterans of that battle. You can read this article in the British daily The Independent about Gander receiving the Dickin Award for gallantry.
