Modest and courageous heroine Faith (9 photos)

On that usually gray and overcast day at the London Church of St. Augustine, dozens of parishioners gathered to honor memory and to see the honorary citizen on her last journey. which was not man.





And she was just an ordinary tabby cat, what nondescript shadows flicker in every yard. But she became famous, and the story of Faith known to the whole world. It began in 1936, when on the threshold of one of local churches, a clearly homeless and exhausted thin cat appeared.



Faith

The pastor took pity and left the animal with him. Why Faith (Vera), as she was called, paid good for good according to her modest feline strength: she fought hard with mice, and during sermons quietly sat at the feet of the savior.





Faith and Panda

Faith gave birth to the only kitten, which, due to the resemblance in color with a bamboo bear was called Panda. September 6, 1940 the cat began to get nervous, to fuss, to follow Henry's father with its tail. With a loud meow, she forced him to open the cellar door and dragged him there. kitten. The parishioners tried to move the baby back to a warm couch, but the tailed stubbornness dragged the kitten back again and again.



Bombing of London 1940

And it soon became clear why she did it. That same night The German Air Force launched a powerful air strike on the British capital, which went down in history as the London Blitz.



The Germans made another raid on September 9th. Under which The church of St. Augustine was also included. There were no people inside: the pastor and parishioners already knew what threatened them, and after the air raid signals hurried to hide in a bomb shelter. After clearing the rubble, firefighters asked Henry's father if anyone might have been left inside by accident. For what he replied that only Faith and Panda were parish cats. One of the men only sympathetically spread his hands: “No one could have survived there. Afraid, sir, you lost your cats..."



But he could not believe in the death of his pets and went down to basement. To loud cries, he heard a weak "meow" in response. Faith was alive, lying in a corner, covering her child with her body from smoldering firebrands. When the pastor took the unfortunates and carried them out into the street, the remains of the beams collapsed like once to the place where the animals were hiding. And the cat purred so loudly and so touching that it was nothing more than gratitude for the salvation, coming from the very depths of a small heart.

A few days later, Henry's father took a photo of his pet, hung it on the door of a dilapidated building and provided a note:



Faith

Our dear little church cat of St. Augustine and St. Faith.

The bravest cat in the world.

On Monday, September 9, 1940, she experienced horrors and dangers that are difficult to put into words.

Hiding her kitten in the basement of the house (she chose the place three days before the tragedy occurred), she had sat through all the terrible night bombing and shelling while guarding your little kitten.

The roof and masonry exploded. The whole house was on fire. Four floors crashed right next to her. Fire, water and ruins surrounded her.

However, she remained cool and persistent and expected help.

We rescued her early in the morning while it was still on fire and by the grace of the Lord Almighty, she and her kitten were not only saved, but also didn't get hurt.

Let us praise and thank the Lord for His kindness and mercy towards our dear little animal.



The restored church today

This is how the parishioners learned about the story, and then it spread outside of London. The church was gradually restored. services in it continued. Panda became a big and beautiful cat, and Vera, who, like now it became clear, it deservedly received its name, returned to his post - the post of a small church cat.



A few years later, the story reached Maria Deakin. Maria - public actiontel, philanthropist, animal welfare activist established for them the highest military award. Among those awarded in various time there were horses, dogs, even pigeons. Tag church cat she came in person. The story was widely covered in the press. Although strictly speaking, Faith was a civilian, did not perform military exploits and saved only your baby. But the Londoners were so impressed dedication and some kind of mystical intuition that for a cat made an exception.

Three years after the award of the medal, Faith's time has come. The cat's age is short, and she quietly left on her favorite rug next to her beloved owner. Remaining in history as an example of selfless courage, which does not depend on who you are - a person or a simple cat, which everyone loved.