The workers of the Australian War Memorial noticed that the poppies on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Canberra began to disappear. They began to worry where all the poppies were disappearing, who was stealing them. And one day the thief was caught. Passing people saw a bunch of poppies on the window on the memorial.  Soon the thief-pigeon returned, holding another theft in her mouth.

The workers of the memorial were surprised and at the same time delighted that the pigeon turned out to be the thief. The bird made a nest of poppies on the window thereby protecting herself and future chicks from the wire on the window sill.

A pigeon is considered to be a symbol of peace, while poppies symbolize endurance for soldiers. “Pigeons played a vital role in some historical events, especially in World War I and World War II. Pigeons served as a means of transmitting letters from one place to another. In particularly difficult situations, only pigeons could come to the rescue”, historian Dr. Meleah Hampton explained.

After the World War II 32 pigeons were honored with PDSA Dickin Medals. These medals are awarded to trained animals that have performed some heroic deeds.

We cannot say whether it was a coincidence or not, but a wounded soldier was illustrated on the window where the pigeon made her nest. Maybe the pigeon somehow wanted to convey some secret messages with this combination of symbols.