Keith Mott Writes...

JACK & JOHN NEWELL

OF FELTHAM

The 1991 Pau Grand National was the highlight of Feltham’s, Jack and John Newell’s successful 60 year racing pigeon career. They won the greatest prize in British pigeon racing, with nearly 5,000 birds taking part, recording 1st., 4th. and 36th. open. A fantastic performance! Their Pau National winner was their Marriott dark chequer hen, Champion ‘Betty’s Choice’, so named because Jack’s wife, Betty, picked her out for the national. This hen was on her second time at Pau and was sent to win, feeding an 8 day old youngster. Jack and John’s second bird was clocked over one hour later to record 4th. open and was a Marriott blue chequer hen called, ‘Carrie Ann’. This was this hen’s sixth time at the Pau National, sent sitting 14 day old eggs and had previously won 1st. club Nantes. In recent seasons the Newell loft has recorded many positions from the N.F.C. Pau race including, 112th., 148th., 160th., 180th. and 199th. open.

 The Newells race natural and widowhood, with the main ‘H’ shaped racing loft housing stock birds, young birds and the natural racers. This loft has a slate pitched roof and open door trapping. Their widowhood loft is built on top of the garage and this houses 18 cocks, with most of these being Janssen based, and fly the card through to Bergerac (450 miles). They are fed a standard widowhood mixture and are broken down. The cocks rear two babies each, being paired up at the end of January, and fly out one hour morning and evening. The loft has won it’s best positions from the Pau National with natural hens, sent sitting about 10 day old eggs and small youngsters. In it’s long and highly successful racing career the Newell loft has won 1st. federation countless times and 1st. open combine from France several times. One of the all time great lofts!

GEORGE BURGESS

OF WRAYSBURY

George Burgess lives in the royal county of Berkshire and he won the Pau Grand National in 1988 with his, Champion ‘ Rosemead Abbygale’. George has been a fancier for over 50 years and when he lived in Hounslow, he was a major force in the West Middlesex Federation. Nowadays he puts all his efforts into long distance events, with pigeons from Peter Titmus, Fear Brothers, Mr.& Mrs. Venner and George’s old white hen family. George loves racing from Palamos (682 miles) with the British Barcelona Club and in the 2002 season won two ‘Spanish Diplomas’, with ‘Rosemead Janine’, winner of 60th., 80th. and 59th. open Palamos, and ‘Rosemead Mike’, winner of 48th., 143rd. and 51st. open Palamos. True champion long distance racers!  George won the Pau National with his champion dark chequer hen, ‘Rosemead Abbygale’, with just under 5,000 birds in the race and she was clocked on the day at 19.20hrs, recording a velocity of 1244 y.p.m. She was sent sitting 12 day old eggs, being a natural hen, and George says she looked a million dollars when she came in from Pau. Since her Pau National win, ‘Rosemead Abbygale’ has been at stock and has proved to be an ‘ace’ breeder. She has bred several pigeons to fly and score from Pau (550 miles), with a grandson winning, in 1995: 1st. club, 1st. federation, 3rd. open Lancs. Combine Niort (530 miles) on the day of liberation and a granddaughter winning, also in 1995, 1st. club, 8th. open Bergerac (450 miles) on the day. One of George’s premier racers in recent years is the red chequer hen, ‘Rosemead Lady’, which, in 1995 won 70th. open N.F.C. Pau, lifting the trophy for the first pigeon into Berkshire. This great hen flew and recorded 56th. open in the 1994 national race. Another of the Burgess champions is the blue chequer hen, ‘Rosemead Ann’, which is a full sister to the Pau National winner. This game hen liked to race to a small baby and flew Pau five times, recording, in 1987: 1st. section, 3rd. open N.F.C. Pau, in 1988: 30th. open N.F.C. Pau and in 1990: 170th. open N.F.C. Pau. George is a member of the London & South East Classic Club and in the classic’s 1998 Pau race the Wraysbury loft recorded two day pigeons, to take, 2nd. and 5th. open. His first bird on the clock from the Pau classic was a blue chequer hen sent feeding a small youngster. She has the Ron Wasey and Peter Titmus bloodlines in her, with her dam being George’s ‘Rosemead Lucie’. A fantastic family of long distance racing pigeons and wonderful fancier! 

JOHN McGEE

OF WORTHING

John McGee won the 1990 Pau Grand National with a Janssen blue hen on the widowhood system and in 1998 he won 1st. open London & South East Classic Club from Alencon with another blue widowhood hen bred down from the same lines. The 1990 season was one of his best, winning 1st. open Pau National, 33 times 1st. club and several times 1st. Federation. A brilliant season! John has recorded some outstanding performance in the N.F.C. in recent seasons including: 1st. section A, 67th. open Pau, 19th. section A, 84TH. open Sennen Cove, 4th. section A, 89th. open San Sebastian, 2nd. section A, 102nd. open Guernsey, 7th. section A, 102nd. open San Sebastian and 8th. section A, 216th. open Guernsey.  

John started up in the sport in 1975 and has enjoyed outstanding success every season, racing from all distances. The McGee loft has won the federation countless times through the years and John says he enjoys any race, from 60 through to 600 miles. He races mainly cocks and hens on the roundabout system, with a few cocks on the widowhood, all of which are paired up in mid-February. The sexes are trained separately, but are often sent to the same race, with no real problem with trapping if the cocks and hens arrive home together. John has two smart racing lofts and both are closed in for the roundabout system. The old birds loft has a pan tile roof, three sections, and the old birds are trapped in a corridor and through open doors. The young birds loft has sputnik traps and the inmates are raced on the light system. His wonderful team of youngsters are on the light 20 hours every day and follow John around the garden, like a flock of sheep, looking for their peanuts. John’s pigeons are 90% Janssen, with a few Jan Aarden and are bred down from Belgium Gold Wing champion bloodlines. He has the ‘Houdini’ bloodlines and says his best racers including his Pau National winner are from these lines. His 16 pairs of stock birds are housed in a nice big stock loft, with a wire flight. One of John’s stock birds, which I looked at on my visit to his Worthing lofts, was a handsome blue chequer cock, a retired champion racer which had won 20 times 1st. on the road and he was half brother to the Pau National winner. His full brother was the sire of the 1998 London & South East Classic Club Alencon winner. A wonderful family of pigeons!