About: Crimean Tom

Crimean Tom (also known as Tom or Sevastopol Tom) was a cat noted for his association with the British Army during the Crimean War. Found by Lieutenant William Gair in Sevastopol after a year-long siege, he is said to have led British forces to valuable caches of hidden supplies that helped ease starvation among the troops. Gair brought Tom back to England after the war but the cat died soon afterwards. He was stuffed and presented to the Royal United Services Institute. A stuffed cat bought in a flea market in the 1950s is in the collection of the National Army Museum and is sometimes described as being Tom, but there is no proof it is the same cat.