Pickles - The Dog That Brought Football Home

The Goodest of the Good Boys

Gordon Banks, Jack Charlton, Bobby Moore, Sir Geoff Hurst, Jimmy Greaves and Sir Bobby Charlton might be who you think of when someone mentions the heroes of England's 1st, and only, World Cup win in 1966. And you'd be right to think that, all twenty-two of those England players, the coach Sir Alf Ramsey and the backroom staff are national heroes for achieving, to date, the England Men's only piece of major international silverware. 

But what if I told you there was an unsung four-legged hero that played a crucial role in helping football come home? 

Meet Pickles: The collie dog who found the World Cup Trophy. 

(Credit: Mirror Pix)

In March of 1966, four months before the tournament, the Jules Rimet Trophy, or World Cup Trophy, was placed on display during the Stanley Gibbons' Stampex exhibition in the Westminster Central Hall, London. The trophy was protected by two uniformed guards with a backup of two plainclothes guards patrolling the area. 

On the 20th of March, the trophy was reported missing after thieves had managed to open the display case and leave through the rear doors of the building unnoticed. The following day, Scotland Yard began their search for two suspects, with their only information being brief potential descriptions from the four guards and two maintenance workers. 

The same day, the situation gained momentum via a phone call made to Joe Mears, Chairman of the FA, by an anonymous caller going by the alias 'Jackson'. Jackson told Mears that the next day, a package would be left at Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea FC, containing a 15,000-pound ransom demand, and the removable lining from the top of the trophy to prove the legitimacy of the ransom. Jackson also informed Mears that if he were to go to the police with this package, the trophy would be melted down.

Regardless of the threat, Mears took the package to the Metropolitan Police, who arranged to meet with Jackson. Upon arresting 'Jackson', the officers found that he was in fact Edward Betchley, a petty thief and used car dealer, who had been working as a middleman known as 'The Pole'. Betchley claimed to have no understanding of who 'The Pole' was or where the trophy had been taken to. 

Despite pleading his innocence of the theft, Betchley was convicted of demanding money with menace and sentenced to two years in prison. No one else was ever arrested or convicted in connection to the crime. 

By Sunday the 27th of March, the trophy was still missing and the Metropolitan Police were beginning to panic, with thoughts being that the trophy had indeed been melted down as per the threat from Betchley. 

Later that day, a man by the name of David Corbett and his four-year-old dog Pickles stepped out of Corbett's house in Beulah Hill, southeast London, for a short walk so Corbett could call his brother. Before Corbett was able to put Pickles' collar on, the collie dashed towards the hedge at the front of Corbett's house and started sniffing under it. Corbett went to investigate and found a makeshift parcel made from old newspapers and tied with string. 

Corbett was apparently initially sceptical about the parcel but gently pulled some of the paper away, revealing the dark base of the trophy. Still unsure of what the parcel contained, Corbett carried on opening the package until he saw 'Brazil 1962' etched into a golden silhouette. 

Corbett, along with Pickles, immediately went to Cannon Row police station with the trophy, where it was then identified by Harold Mayes. Corbett was apparently then questioned to determine if he had any relation to the crime. When interviewed the next day by the BBC, Corbett revealed that the Police "asked me if I had any connection with the taking of the cup, to which I obviously said no".

The theft of the Jules Rimet trophy had been front-page news for the week in which it went missing, and the resolution being a detective dog, made for great headlines. Pickles became a national hero overnight and was invited, along with Corbett, to the England players' celebration dinner after their World Cup Victory. 

Corbett was awarded nearly 5,000 pounds for the retrieval of the trophy, which is the equivalent of 1118,000 pounds today. Pickles was awarded the silver medal of the National Canine Defence League and was named 'Dog of the Year' by Spillers, receiving a year's supply of dog food. 

Pickles also briefly became a movie and television star, appearing in 'The Spy with a Cold Nose' and a number of shows such as Blue Peter.

Unfortunately, in 1967 Pickles passed away after accidentally strangling himself with his own collar whilst chasing a cat. But his legacy lives on. Pickles has his own plaque originally installed in 2018 near where he found the Trophy which reads, "Pickles the Dog, Found the Jules Rimet Trophy here in 1966" and is buried in Corbett's back garden in Surrey under a gravestone reading "Pickles, Finder of the World Cup 1966".

An English footballing hero. Rest in peace Pickles.