The First World War saw millions of soldiers fight across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, but few service records are as remarkable as that of Jackie, a chacma baboon from South Africa.
Far from being a simple regimental mascot, Jackie wore a military uniform, marched with troops, stood guard in the trenches and survived some of the war's fiercest fighting.
Wounded in combat and later promoted for his service, he became one of the only known non-human soldiers to receive an official military rank and pension.
More than a century later, his story continues to fascinate historians because it blurs the line between mascot and comrade, revealing the unusual yet genuine role that animals sometimes played during wartime.Who was Jackie the baboon and how did he join the South African ArmyAccording to South African Military History, Jackie was an orphaned chacma baboon (Papio ursinus) adopted by Private Albert (Andrew) Marr, a farmer from Pretoria, South Africa.
Raised alongside Marr from a young age, Jackie became remarkably accustomed to human behaviour and developed such a close bond with his owner that the two were considered inseparable.When Marr enlisted in the 3rd South African Infantry Regiment in 1915 during the First World War, he reportedly refused to leave Jackie behind.
