Feature: Most unlikely hero of WWII in the Far East, a dog called Judy

As commemorations approach to mark the 70th anniversary of VJ Day, Britain's Ministry of Defence has urged people to remember a special group of war heroes.

The death-defying story of one such hero of the war in the Far East reads like an action-packed adventure.

A citation, as the highest medal for bravery was presented read: "For magnificent courage and endurance in Japanese prison camps, which helped maintain morale among fellow prisoners and also saving many lives through intelligence and watchfulness."

The winner of that medal for heroism was a dog called Judy.

The liver and white pointer, survived being shot, attacked by crocodiles, escape from a torpedoed ship, facing execution and becoming a Japanese prisoner of war.

Said an MOD spokesman: "Judy saved countless lives, survived sinking ships and spent years in internment camps. She became one of the most unlikely heroes of the war."

Judy joined the Royal Navy's defence fleet in the Far East just before the war and was soon alerting sailors to river pirates and using her superior sense of hearing to warn of approaching Japanese aircraft.

In 1942 she was aboard HMS Grasshopper when it was attacked by Japanese warplanes, forcing survivors to abandon ship and head to an island in the South China Sea.

With no fresh water supply the situation looked grim, but Judy's instincts saved their lives.

Crew member from Grasshopper, Leonard Walter Williams, told the Imperial War Museum: "Judy was lost one day so we went to search for her. She had found a patch where she dug a big hole and found fresh water for the survivors."

Judy and the men trekked hundreds of kilometers in a bid to reach Padang in Sumatra, but missed the last evacuation ship.

The survivors, including Judy, became Japanese prisoners and at their PoW camp in North Sumatra, a young British aircraftman, Frank Williams, shared his meagre rice ration with Judy, and from that moment she never left his side.

Judy helped the PoWs by distracting the camp guards when they were dealing out punishment to their captives.

Later, the prisoners were told they would be heading to Singapore but the Japanese ordered Judy to be left behind.

One of the prisoners recalled: "We weren't going to have that happen. We trained Judy to hop into a sack at a given signal and carried her on board."

The next day the ship was torpedoed by a British submarine, unaware it was transporting Allied troops. Of the 700 prisoners on board, 500 died, but amid the fires and wreckage, Judy survived.

In the water many of the men owed their lives to Judy as she steered pieces of wood towards those who couldn't swim.

When the Japanese saw the dog they ordered her execution, but instead she was listed as an official Prisoner of War.

Judy survived gunshot wounds, alligator bites and attacks from wild dogs before the Japanese surrender.

She died in peacetime of old age, with her faithful companion at her side, the RAF man who shared his rice in the Japanese PoW camp.

Almost 100 animals, dogs, pigeons, horses and cats, have received the Dickin Medal since it was introduced in 1943 by the animal charity PDSA. Endit