Great Cat and Dog Massacre

A forgotten massacre of pets at the start of World War II is challenging the image of stoic Londoners accepting the conflict with a stiff upper lip.

Over four days in September 1939, 750,000 London cats and dogs were killed on their owners' instructions, visiting British historian Hilda Kean says.

"The popular memory is that at the start of war everybody was calm. But here you have people panicking and killing, essentially, a member of their family."

The Great British Cat and Dog Massacre of World War II hinted at the sense of foreboding in September 1939, Dr Kean said. "It was thought massive aerial and gas attacks were on the way."

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Dr Kean, who will give a public lecture on the pet massacre in Wellington tonight, said it had been hard finding people who remembered the animal annihilation, recorded in the archives of charities and in vets' files.

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That would have been so interesting... anyone that went to the lecture can comment here.