Remembrance honour for Bing, the hero dog who parachuted into Normandy on D-Day

SCULPTURE NOW STANDS PROUDLY NEAR TOWN'S WAR MEMORIAL

- By STAFF REPORTER

A DOG which was parachuted into Normandy in the 1944 D-Day landings and later awarded the equivalent of the Victoria Cross has been honoured with a statue.

A metal representation of Bing, an alsatian/collie cross who was trained as a patrol and guard dog, now stands proudly in Queen's Park, Loughborough.

Bing, also known as Brian, was attached to a Parachute Battalion of the 13th Battalion Airborne Division.

He landed in Normandy with them and, having done the requisite number of jumps, became a fully-qualified paratrooper.

After serving in France, he was also parachuted into Germany in 1945 as the Allies crossed the Rhine and was awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal in 1947 for bravery in service - the animal equivalent to the VC.