• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Swansea Museum

  • English
    • Cymraeg (Welsh)
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Visit Swansea Museum
    • Boats and ships on display
    • Swansea Museum Collections Centre
    • Tram Shed
    • Staff Contacts
    • Friends of Swansea Museum
    • Join our mailing list
  • Our collection
    • Art UK
    • Egyptian artefacts
    • Transport
    • Nautical objects
    • Finds from Swansea and Neath
    • War time Swansea
    • Donating an item to Swansea Museum
  • Swansea – a brief history
    • Archaeology
    • Industry
    • The Sea
    • Mumbles Train
    • World War Two
    • Old houses and places
  • What’s on
    • Exhibitions
    • Events
    • Past exhibitions
  • Museum shop
  • Learning
    • School Visits
    • Community Outreach
  • Blog
You are here: Home / Swansea – a brief history / The Sea / Swansea Jack

Swansea Jack

A plaque to commemorate Swansea Jack, a dog who rescued many peopleSwansea Jack was a black retriever born in 1930.  He lived in the North Dock / River Tawe area of Swansea with his master, William Thomas.

Jack would always respond to cries for help from the water. His first rescue, in June 1931, when he saved a 12 year old boy, went unreported. But a few weeks later, in front of a crowd, Jack rescued a swimmer from the docks. His photograph appeared in the local paper and the local council awarded him a silver collar.

Numerous awards followed including ‘Bravest Dog of the Year’ and a silver cup.  He is the ONLY dog awarded TWO bronze medals (the canine VC) by the National Canine Defence League.  Legend has it that Jack saved 27 people in his lifetime. Sadly, in 1937, he died after eating rat poison.

His publicly-funded memorial stands on the Promenade near St.Helen’s Rugby Ground. In 2000, Swansea Jack was named ‘Dog of the Century’ by NewFound Friends of Bristol who train domestic dogs in aquatic rescue techniques.

Jack may have lent his name to the nickname for local people – Swansea Jacks.

Find out more…

Discover more about Swansea’s history… Swansea – a brief history

Primary Sidebar

Search

Update for our customers

Change of Opening Times
It's no joke, from Friday April the 1st the museum will be returning to its usual opening times.

Find out more

Blog

  • `The Record’
  • YMCA Jubilee Campaign Poster 1919
  • Board Game, to raise awareness of issues facing Young Carers
  • Prisoner of War Diary
  • Swansea Blitz Photograph
 

In ‘Swansea – A photographer’s Dream’ Colin Riddle’s pictures of Swansea in the 1960s represent images of a lost age.

 

Though much of what he photographed still exists for the keen historian to seek out, much has also disappeared.

     

Buy your copy

Tweets by swanseamuseum

Footer

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

City and County of Swansea

Return to top of page

Copyright © 2022 · Swansea Museum, City and County of Swansea

  • enEnglish
  • cyCymraeg (Welsh)