Talk:All Alone (pigeon)

Military history: Aviation / World War II

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Birds Low‑importance

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Surrey Low‑importance

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Picture

May we use this picture? Please help as I've tried repeatedly to upload pictures to Wikipedia and never can get it right.

Relevance to WP:SURREY

Why is this relevant/important to research on Surrey, as opposed to its importance to one moment of useful espionage in the history of nation states, war and conflict? Guidance/policy is at Wikipedia:WikiProject_Council/Guide#Article_tagging. In particular I would be wary of overtagging. - Adam37 Talk 16:55, 21 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

All Alone was bred, born, raised, and trained in Staines, Surrey, by J.W. Paulger, landlord of the Blue Anchor Inn which still stands in the town’s high street. Her arrival in Staines from France was vital to the French Resistance, because it informed them and the Allied Powers of the Milice and their plans to destroy them, so they could take evasive maneuvers or counter-attack. All Alone, needless to say, knew nothing of that, but wanted one thing only: to be home to The Blue Anchor and Paulger. Stainesmen may rightly be proud that great love (strong topophilia in an animal, a longing to be somewhere which is special for one, such as "home", the place that you were born) for Staines (not exactly the best loved place in England, to put it mildly, as you may know) could impart to a creature as lowly and stupid as a pigeon such single-minded determination to achieve an heroic and pivotal act in history, to become a hero to people. So this article has importance to Surrey. Frenchmen and Francophiles may rightly be grateful to All Alone for what she did for, and meant to, France, in her dark hours, and consider what might have happened if she had not succeeded. So this article is important to Frenchmen, Francophiles, and France. Chrisrus (talk) 05:23, 22 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose then or support, let's start:

Support then the Surrey category. However this would set a precedent on your very clear grounds for a few war pigeons, which I clearly respect (perhaps too much) is this something you have discussed with the other war pigeon editors? I am just reluctant to think the WP:SURREY category becomes easier game to add as a tag than other counties would allow. - Adam37 Talk 17:53, 22 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I have never understood giving medals to birds for doing what birds do. It's not as if they volunteered for it. Pigeons usually fly home because they have been separated from their mate rather than from heroism or patriotic duty. As the unfortunate animal lived in Surrey however it can be included in WPSurrey.--Charles (talk) 18:34, 22 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your support. I do think that other such articles should be reviewed with an eye to whether adding a geo- or demo-graphic wikiproject or two would be appropriate. Some already have UK, US...Beach Comber is Canada's bird.

Perhaps they do it to give us some pause to appreciate all we owe to our animals. Also, this was no ordinary pigeon. The natural homing instinct of the ordinary pigeon was greatly enhanced by many generations of intense artificial selection: conducting trials and mating the best with the best, resulting in individuals with extreme athleticism and single-mindedness to the task. Finally, I'm not so sure "unfortunate" would describe All Alone very well: she would have been very well fed and treated, allowed out to do what she was born for, and most of her offspring would have survived to reproduce. On the other hand, you are right, many suffered and died during the war. Chrisrus (talk) 06:34, 23 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Staines

Should Staines-upon-Thames perhaps be piped to Staines? It didn't have the silly name when the pigeon lived there (and, eg, one would refer to the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire as Constantinople, not Istanbul). Pinkbeast (talk) 06:02, 30 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed.

Done Chrisrus (talk) 07:37, 30 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

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