A GREENOCK father and son will appear on TV at an event honouring the bravery of a wartime donkey.

Sam and Alistair Morrell travelled to Peterborough to join fellow members of the Cameronians Scottish Rifles Regimental Association and schoolchildren in honouring Jimmy, a battle-scarred donkey who helped to save lives in the First World War.

War historian Sam first highlighted brave Jimmy’s achievements after seeing the 2011 Steven Spielberg WW1 movie War Horse, and mounted a display to the donkey in the Cameronians’ museum in Hamilton.

Youngsters from Peterborough’s Southfields Primary attend a remembrance service every year at Jimmy’s burial place in the town’s Central Park, where there is a memorial which they help to maintain.

Jimmy’s story will now be told in a TV film featuring Sam, 74, and Alistair, 48, presenting trophies, pictured, to the children to thank them for their interest in the donkey, which was born in 1916 in a trench on the battlefield of the Somme.

He was adopted by the Cameronians — many of whom were from the Inverclyde area — and wounded three times by shellfire as he carried ammunition and wounded soldiers. Jimmy accompanied the Cameronians to Peterborough after the war.

He was cared for by a local woman and took part in fundraising activities for many charities, including the RSPCA, and died of natural causes in 1943.

Sam said: “The Cameronians Regiment name is on the trophies we gave to the school to use as they please — in sports competitions, for example — to recognise their great interest in Jimmy.

“They lay flowers at Jimmy’s memorial on Remembrance Sunday to pay tribute to his incredible bravery.

“Jimmy received the Dickin Medal, an animal award for bravery, and he was made an honorary sergeant with three stripes on his bridle.” Sam added: “All of the children and adults at the presentation joined in singing the old Roy Rogers’ song ‘A Four-Legged Friend’. It was a great day for everyone, and there was even a donkey there to see the youngsters.” The TV programme will be shown on Anglia ITV, but Inverclyde viewers should be able to see it on the internet.

No final date has been set yet for its screening.