U.S. Army Headquarters, Bad Nauheim, Germany.
Photographer: U.S. Army.
In what now has become an iconic and widely acclaimed photo, revealing with clarity the emotional bond that through the ages has tied canines to soldiers, and humanity in general. Willie, the English Bull Terrier, lies morose next to the personal belongings of U.S. General George S. Patton – a few days after Patton’s road accident and death from severe cervical trauma in December 1945.
Named after a starving young boy, the three-star U.S. commander had once brought in and fed at his barbecue during the Depression of 1929. Willie was known to many as William the Conqueror.
Willie’s former owner.
The Bull Terrier had been initially known as Punch and had belonged to a Royal Air Force Pilot but after whose disappearance during a bombing run over Germany, he had been put up for adoption by his widow and subsequently acquired by the Third Army for the General. Who at the time far from home and family had yearned for the love of a canine. And is known to have personally requested the wife of British army general, Oliver Leese, to help him find a suitable companion.
George S. Patton and Willie Greetings Cards by Farbound.Net
Actual Dimension: 1200 x 1203 pixels.
Purchased on the 4th of March 1944 and introduced to the General the very next day. The bond between the two had been instantaneous. A sentiment Patton had later revealed in a letter addressed to his wife Beatrice, dated 6th of March 1944. Beaming with undisguised pride over how the year-old pup had taken to him like a duck does to water.
Though their friendship had lasted for only a few months over a year. It nevertheless had been one of happiness for both. While Willie with the true heart of a canine had focused all his love and devotion on George Patton. Happy to have found a new home, and with canine attachment followed him around everywhere.
For the famous general who often found himself humiliated and overlooked for his controversial statements in public, in spite of his brilliant victories. The pup had provided the comfort he longed for. As an ardent animal lover with a particular fondness for English Terriers, Patton too had spared no effort in pampering his newfound best friend as best he could.
Patton, the Legend: A Farbound.Net Wallpaper.
Birthday party for Willie.
Shortly after his arrival, Patton had not only arranged for a belated birthday party for his furry friend and gradually taken to fatten up the undernourished pup by feeding him from the army mess hall and his own plate. But, later, had also gone to the extent of having the metal-rimmed stairs of his armoured van encased with wood so as to not hurt the terrier’s paws.
As George Patton’s second in command, Willie had enjoyed unrestricted access at Third Army Headquarters. He had strolled in and out of high-level conferences and been privy to top-secret plans. He had also been issued his own U.S. army dog tags, which an August Edition of Life Magazine dated 1944 revealed in an article titled: The Coming Battle for Germany.
The pup had greeted guests sitting on a couch next to Patton. Shared his bed, farted and snored much to the amusement of the General. The only occasion he had been grounded was when he had picked a fight with Eisenhower’s dog underneath the dining table. Eisenhower was Patton’s commanding officer and out of respect for the chain of command, the General had sent Willie out of the room.
Willie’s separation anxiety.
After Patton’s sudden death in 1945. The devoted Willie, naturally, had suffered from a few days of separation anxiety. He had eventually been transported along with the General’s belongings back home to his family and widow Beatrice. To live out the rest of life as a member of the Patton family.
Both George and Beatrice Patton were devoted animal lovers. Their home had harboured seventeen canines of different breeds. Horses, white mice, kittens, and rabbits. Fish, turtles and even a duck named Lemoyne. Whose escapade on a stormy night had led the couple to abandon entertaining guests at a dinner party to go on a search and rescue mission in the pouring rain. The Pattons’ motto was that pets were no good unless treated like family.
This poignant photo of Willie is archived by the National Archives and Record Administration. Its caption reads: A Faithful friend mourns American hero. Along with the many millions to mourn the passing of American hero, General George S. Patton, Jr., is his dog “Willie,” the late general’s pet bull terrier. Bad Nauheim, Germany. International News Photos, 1/1946.
Willie’s year of birth is recorded to be 1942. He died at the age of 13 in 1955, outliving both George and his wife Beatrice Patton. Willie and the General were so close, that they are said to have resembled each other in countenance and gaze.
