Jack Munroe (1877-1942) was a Canadian hero of the Great War. Here below is the story from Wooway1 of Jack Munroe and his beloved collie, Bobbie Burns.
Born near Cape Breton, Munroe led a hardscrabble life there and left Canada to prospect for gold in Montana. While there he entered a contest where a man could win $250.00 if he could last four rounds against the heavy weight champion Jack Jeffries. Munroe lasted the rounds and won the money. For several years he boxed and refought Jeffries in 1904 in a “world championship”. Jeffries battered Munroe this time. Munroe gained great wealth in prospecting but left the lucrative career to volunteer in the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in August 1914.
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| Jack Munroe and his beloved collie Bobbie Burns |
Munroe had his collie, Bobbie Burns, by now, and the dog was smuggled onto trains, the troop ship to England and through the English port quarantine on dogs. As the regimental mascot now, Bobbie travelled with Munroe and the regiment to France. The regiment suffered heavy losses in 1915, and Munroe was severely wounded and almost died. Bobbie travelled with him to the hospital where touched by his devotion to Munroe, the medical staff allowed Bobbie to remain in the hospital by Munroe. Munroe lost the use of his right arm and was sent back to Canada where he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.
Munroe and Bobbie travelled through Canada and later the United States to promote the war effort.
After the war, Munroe returned to Canada with Bobbie. Munroe wrote of his experiences in the trenches in “Mopping Up”. He wrote it from the view of Bobbie his dog. Later Munroe and Bobbie lived in a number of places in Canada. Once Bobbie mistakenly was left at a train station, and Munroe travelled two hundred miles away to another train station. Once there he realized Bobbie was missing. He believed he had lost the dog forever. However, ten days later Bobbie showed up having crossed rough terrain for two hundred miles to find Munroe. Bobbie remained with Jack Munroe for sixteen years and then disappeared. Munroe believed that Bobbie left to go into the woods to die. Munroe never owned another dog again. Munroe died in 1942 in Canada.
The regiment he had joined in 1914 along with 1098 other men had approximately 200 survive the war. Another member of the regiment in 1914 was Eric Knight. Knight created the beloved canine character of the collie named Lassie. Many believe he created Lassie based upon Bobbie Burns.
