Keith Mott writes about winning fanciers past & present

The Champions of Yester Year (Part 24) 

WALLY DANN

OF COBHAM

When Wally Dann passed away, aged 91, a few years ago the sport of pigeon racing lost another of its great fanciers and characters. Wally was a natural flyer through and through and was a winner right up to the end, recording 1st. club, 13th. Federation, 18th. open Combine (3,281 birds) Fougeres, 1st. club, 7th. Federation, 11th. open Combine (2,746 birds) Messac and 1st. club, 3rd. Federation, 3rd. open Combine (2,498 birds) Messac in his last season

When you asked Wally what his best performance was, it was hard for him to answer, as in a life time in the sport he won just about everything in the Federation, Combine and Classic racing. He started racing in the early 1900s, when he raced with his father as W. Dann & son in the Wimbledon club. He always raced on the natural system, but tried widowhood for about five weeks; he hated the system and in spite of winning several races, went back to natural. His loft housed several strains of pigeons, but mostly Van Winckels which raced well for him, from the shortest to the longest race. When he was fit, he used to take the birds training most days and liked to toss at about 25 miles in the early morning. He liked any race, long or short distance, but he told me, you don’t stand much chance racing natural against the widowhood cocks in sprint races. Wally won his fair share in the sprints, but really excelled in the Channel events. . One of his best racers in recent years was, ‘Wally’s Girl’, a natural De Klak blue hen bred by his good friend, Vic Johnson of Kingston. She chalked up, 1st. club, 7th. Federation, 11th. open Combine Messac, 1st. club, 13th. Federation, 18th. open Combine Fougeres, 16th. open L.&S.E.C.C. Sennen Cove and 1st. club Weymouth.

One of Wally’s best seasons was in 1989, when he recorded 1st. Surrey Federation (2,005 birds) Tours, 1st. Surrey Federation (1,517 birds) Niort and chalked up 2nd. open S.M.T. Combine. The 1992 season saw him win nine races in the very strong Esher club, including Wadebridge (young birds), Tours and the longest old bird race from Bordeaux, with the only bird recorded on the day of liberation. His natural racers won ten firsts in the 1993 season, including the longest young bird race from Wadebridge. Wally Dann won the sprints through to the longest events, every season.

Wally was our local corn chandler and enjoyed a chat with the fanciers when they called at his Cobham home, to pick up their pigeon feed. He was a retired carpenter and did a lot of site work through the years, being general foreman on several big jobs. His smart loft set up was all self built and he favoured the old fashioned type drop hole trapping and doweled nest box fronts. Wally’s son, Tony Dann, is one of our premier local fanciers and his very smart widowhood loft at his Leatherhead home was also made by his dad. There you have it, Wally Dann, one of the Surrey area greats!

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.