Often touted as London’s “only memorial to a Nazi”, have you ever spotted this tiny gravestone near The Mall?

It remembers ‘Giro’ the pet terrier to the German Ambassador Leopold von Hoesch, brought here in 1932.

Giro met an untimely end when he accidentally chewed through an electricity cable in the back garden of the embassy at 9 Carlton House Terrace and was buried there but later moved here due to building works. The stone reads;

“Ein Treuer Begleiter!” (“A Faithful Companion”)

Hosch himself died in 1936, accompanied by a funeral cortège draped in a swastika flag. However he wasn’t a Nazi and tried to foster good relationships as an ambassador. He was also well-liked within British aristocracy; The Times obituary claiming him “full of charm … and most importantly – extremely well dressed!”

It should also be noted that not a single member of the nazi party attended Hosch’s funeral back in Germany. I also don’t really think it’s fair to assume Giro’s political alliance – he was only a dog after all! 

You can find the grave on the corner of Waterloo Place and Carlton House Terrace, SW1Y.

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