The Great Dane whose need for the toilet saved her master's life: Dog defused WWII bomb by urinating on it after it fell through family's roof during the Blitz

Juliana extinguished flame on bomb when it fell into house in 1941

Three years later alerted customers to fire in her owner's shoe shop

Auctioneers find medal and portrait during Bristol house clearance

Do was killed by poison posted through owner's letterbox in 1946



Heroics: Juliana, a Great Dane, leapt into action after the device fell through the roof of her owner's house

Bombs rained down and flames roared through the streets as the Luftwaffe launched wave after wave of attacks.

It was 1941, and the house where Juliana the Great Dane lived with her owner was one of the unlucky ones.

An incendiary bomb ripped through the roof, and would have destroyed everything – if it hadn’t been, it seems, for Juliana’s well-timed need to spend a penny.

She is thought to have relieved herself over the bomb, defusing it and saving the house. Her actions in the middle of the Blitz earned her a Blue Cross Medal.



But that was only the first time Juliana demonstrated her firefighting skills during the Second World War.

Three years later, she received a second Blue Cross Medal – awarded for animal bravery – when she alerted customers to a fire tearing through her owner’s shoe shop.

Her story was only revealed when auctioneers conducted a house clearance at a property in Bristol and discovered the second medal, along with a portrait of Juliana.

A plaque attached to the portrait reads: ‘Juliana – awarded a medal for extinguishing an incendiary bomb April 1941. Awarded another for alerting the occupants of her master’s burning shop November 1944.’

The medal and portrait sold at auction for £1,100, more than 18 times the pre-sale estimate.



Philip Taubenheim, auctioneer at Wotton Auction Rooms in Gloucestershire, said: ‘We are constantly finding treasures during house clearouts, many with fascinating stories behind them. This medal and portrait are a perfect example.

‘They were found at two different stages of a house clearance at a property in Bristol that belonged to a relative of Juliana’s owner.

‘We united the two and were able to lift the lid on an incredible story.

Interesting: Her fascinating story was only revealed when auctioneers conducted a house clearance in Bristol

Wreckage: King George VI inspects bomb damage in Bristol on a visit in December 1940. Earlier in the month the city had been hit by two major attacks during the Second World War

BLITZ: INTENSE BOMBING CAMPAIGN

The Blitz (from the German word, 'lightning') was the most intense bombing campaign Britain has ever seen. Between September 1940 and May 1941 there were major raids with more than 100 tonnes of high explosives dropped on 16 British cities. London was attacked 71 times and bombed by the Luftwaffe for 57 consecutive nights.

Birmingham, Liverpool and Plymouth were also hit eight times, Bristol six, Glasgow five, Southampton four, Portsmouth three, and there was also at least one large raid on another eight cities.

‘The inscription on the Blue Cross Medal states it was presented to Juliana, a Great Dane, after she warned her master of a fire that was tearing through his shop in 1944.

‘As if that wasn’t amazing enough, the plaque on the framed portrait of Juliana revealed she had been awarded another Blue Cross award previously in 1941. That time she was given the award for putting out an incendiary bomb that had crashed through the roof of her owner’s house.

‘I’ve never heard of a dog being able to extinguish a bomb before – one can only assume this was a Great Dane with a great bladder.’

He added: ‘These items tell a fantastic story and highlight the often-forgotten role that animals played in the war.’