Sergeant Bill

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Sergeant Bill was a Canadian goat from Saskatchewan who served as the mascot of the 5th Infantry Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, in World War I. He could hear and warn soldiers about incoming shell explosions, once pushing three men into a trench just before a shell landed. He also helped corner three enemy guardsmen and assisted in guarding prisoners. Bill survived being wounded and gassed several times, and for his actions he received the 1914 Star, the General Service Medal, and the Victory Medal. He faced two courts martial—once for eating his battalion’s personnel roll and once for an altercation with another sergeant. He lived the rest of his life in Winnipeg. Today, Sgt. Bill is at Broadview Historical Museum in Saskatchewan. A children’s book, Sergeant Billy—the true story of the goat who went to war by Mireille Messier (illustrated by Kass Reich), is based on his life.