Keith Mott writes...

John & Linda Tyerman

of Bracklesham Bay

John Tyerman and I have been good friends for many years and we have been through several pigeon campaigns together, including serving on the N.F.C. and L. &S.E.C.C. committees and convoying pigeons together. We roomed together when we travelled for the National Flying Club committee meetings and in 2003 we convoyed the International birds to the waiting train in Belgium, when Brian Sheppard of Trowbridge won the race with his wonderful blue chequer cock, Champion ‘Legend’. When the members of the N.F.C. sent their birds to their first International, no one really knew what an outstanding success it would be and that British racing history was in the making. That Dax International marked the start of a new era in British long distance pigeon racing and John and I were very proud to be a part of it. John was a founder member of the London & South East Classic Club and in the early days of the club, he was one of the main workers in making it a success, including convoying the Classic birds out to France on a lorry. In those days John and his wife, Linda, lived in Dorking and he was a member of the famous ‘Dorking Mafia’, a band of fancier in the Box Hill area, who supported and worked very hard for the Classic. John was a great committee worker for the L.& S.E.C.C. for many years until he moved to Bracklesham Bay and was the Classic’s President for three years.

John likes middle and long distance racing and has been very successful in National and Classic race for many years. The Tyerman red chequer Kirkpatrick pigeons have taken the ‘Classics’ by storm in recent seasons, winning in National races and shows with the same birds. His top pigeon in recent years was the Carmichael red chequer hen, ‘Rainbow Lady’, and she died only a few months ago of old age. This great hen was a champion racer and breeder, with her best nest condition for the 550 mile events being the old favourite, sitting 10 day old eggs. She won many premier positions including, 1st. open Bromley Anglo / French De Luz St. Gean (550 miles) Open Race, 1st. Sussex Federation Nantes, 12th. open B.I.C.C. Dax and scored from Pau and Saintes. ‘Rainbow Lady’ bred many top racers for John, including being dam of the mealy cock, winner of 43rd. open in the N.F.C. Dax International race and she was grand dam of a cock that won 7th. open B.I.C.C. Barcelona and 15th. open B.I.C.C. Perpignan. Another of John’s best was the blue hen, ‘Rainbow Blue Lady’, and she recorded 8th. section, 22nd. open Fountainhead Dax International, 42nd. open L.& S.E.C.C. Le Mans.

Since early childhood in Dumfries, Scotland, all John can remember is being associated with pigeons, but in those days it was fancy breeds that took his eye. His grandfather, the late John McKay, was a well established fancier who kept exhibition homers and these were shown with much success at the large shows throughout the country. Whilst accompanying his grandfather to the shows he was often given pigeons including tumblers, tipplers, rollers and fairy swallows. With fascination he would spend hours just watching the tipplers and rollers in the sky. Being a pigeon fancier, John’s grandfather was friendly with many of the Dumfries racing men, one of whom was Andy Wilson, in those days a young man with many National successes. John left Dumfries in 1965 to join the police in the Border country and for the next two years was stationed at Hawick, where he was unable to keep pigeons, but kept in touch by visiting local fanciers.

It was here in Hawick that John met George Jackson a fellow police officer whose father and uncle were top National pigeon racers in the Annan area. George and John became firm friends and in 1968 John moved to Earlston on marrying his wife, Linda, and it was not long before permission was sought to erect a pigeon loft in the garden of the county police station. To say the police authority were less than enthusiastic would be true, but what they did not know was that the police clerk of works was none other than John Robertson on Jedburgh, who was to make S.N.F.C. history by becoming a double winner of the S.N.F.C. with his Kirkpatrick champions, ‘Double Top’ and ‘Man Friday’. Fate was on John Tyerman’s side and John Robertson recommended his application for a loft alongside the police office. At that time John found that a local butcher at Gordon, was no other than Joe Newcombe, one of the famous Newcombe Brothers and the local baker at Lauder was the legendary John Carmichael. John Tyerman became good friends with Joe and John and when the loft was erected, he was given pigeons from the very best. That same year Joe won the S.N.F.C. Avranches race with ‘Tabby’, a strawberry mealy hen.

George Jackson soon followed John Tyerman to Earlston and between them they policed a large rural area in the heart of the Scottish borders. Soon the best pigeons from Annan also arrived at the loft, including a black hen from George Kean. Having pigeons from the Carmichael, Newcombe and Keen bloodlines it was not long before the pigeons started to win prizes for the Tyerman loft. John and George Jackson became pigeon partners. One of their first big races was the Vaux Usher race from Beauvais where 20,000 birds were liberated at 06.00hrs in a light wind. At 16.40hrs John clocked a black Newcombe hen and during the next hour another five Kirkpatrick pigeons were timed in from a distance of 480 miles. A great performance, with the first bird recording 2nd. section, 5th. open into Scotland. The following year three birds were sent to the S.N.F.C. Avranches race, which turned out to be a very bad race and after 13 hours on the wing the black Kean hen dropped on the loft in the rain. The partners clocked two of their three entries in two minutes to win 32nd. and 34th. open National. Many other good positions were won and over the next few years more pigeons were added from Joe Newcombe and John Carmichael. Sadly in 1973 John had to part with his pigeons when he was given an appointment with the police in Hong Kong. George kept them going but on his promotion he was moved and the pigeons were disposed of.

On John return to the U.K. in 1977 he settled in Dorking, Surrey, some 25 miles from London and 40 miles from the south coast. A loft was soon erected, and pigeons obtained from good friends Andy Wilson of Dumfries, John Peterson and Kirkpatricks from John Carmichael. In the early 1980’s the Carmichael / Kirkpatricks put up some tremendous performances into Scotland in National racing and the Tyerman’s found that the family excelled in long distance events on hard days. John Tyerman’s pigeons are a family perfected by the late John Carmichael and he says many fanciers owe their success to this great Scottish champion. The Tyerman loft housed many direct Kirkpatricks from John Carmichael and one of the main direct stock birds was the red chequer cock, ‘Lauderdale John II’. This handsome cock was the sire of many top performers and was a son of Carmichael’s ‘Lauderdale John’, which was four times in the first 100 open in the S.N.F.C. results.

John’s management is quite simple with no fads, and most of his birds are raced on the natural system, with a small number of the cocks on widowhood. He pairs performance birds together and quite often selects one or two that he feels would do justice in the show pen. The John Carmichael pigeons are a wonderful type, with brilliant feather quality and the Tyerman loft has won firsts at all the premier U.K. shows with them. His feeding consists mainly of a good protein mixture, with vitamins and Aviform used in the water. He maintains the droppings are a sign of the bird’s health, and if all is not well, that’s where he looks first. Antibiotics are used, but not on a regular basis, as used too often the birds do not build up natural resistance. There you have it, my ol’ mucker, John Tyerman, an officer and a gentleman!

2007 B.H.W. Blackpool Show Charity Auction

I was photographing some pigeons this week for forth coming ‘ON THE ROAD’ articles and I snapped the late bred hen that we have donated to the 2007 Blackpool Charity Auction. I’ve included her photo in this week’s article just for a bit of interest and at the time of taking the picture she had two flights to go, so might be fully moulted by January.

This late bred blue hen is bred from the very best of Eric Cannon’s Pau National bloodlines, being bred from a son of Champion ‘Culmer Channel Queen’, when mated to a daughter of Champion ‘Culmer Bess’, the two N.F.C. Pau merit award winners. The hen’s parents are our Number 1. Eric Cannon stock pair, ‘Culmer Superstar’ and ‘Culmer Lane’, and are one of the premier Eric Cannon stock pairs in the world today. This Blue hen will found the purchaser a wonderful family of long distance pigeons. If my late friend, Eric Cannon, was here today he would be very proud of the fact that his pigeons have produced in recent seasons: 1st. open N.F.C. Saintes, 1st. open N.F.C. Saintes / Pau, 6th. open N.F.C. Dax, 4th. open N.F.C. Saintes / Pau, 23rd,29th,37th,43rd,69th. open L.&S.E.C.C. San Sebastian, 32nd. open L.&S.E.C.C. Dax and 18th. open B.I.C.C., plus many other top long distance performers for fanciers in the U.K. Two premier pigeons bred from these lines, that scored well in the 2006 season were: ‘Mott’s Muppett’, bred by us and raced by Wasey & Lloyd, 65th open L&SECC Cholet, 85th. open NFC Bordeaux Grand National (only three races in his life) and Peter Taylor’s, ‘Selina’s Express’, 4th. open L&SECC Bergerac. 

SIRE: ‘CULMER SUPERSTAR’ BLUE COCK  BRED BY M/M. CANNON.

Sire of winners and is a son of ‘Culmer White Flight’, winner of many positions in the N.F.C., including 1st. Section A. 14TH. open N.F.C. Pau, when mated to Champion ‘Culmer Channel Queen’, winner of 23rd,29th,98th. and 183rd. open N.F.C. Pau and winner of the N.F.C. Pau merit award, also 346th. open Young Bird National. This wonderful hen is a daughter of the champion stock cock ‘Culmer Producer’, who is a son of ‘Culmer Pat’, winner of 27th,80th,104th. open N.F.C. Pau and dam of 1st. open N.F.C. Pau for G. Stovin. ‘Culmer Superstar’ is a full brother to’80993’, highest priced young bird at Eric Cannon’s dispersal sales, being sold for £520.

DAM: ‘CULMER LANE’  BLUE W.F. HEN  BRED BY M/M. CANNON.

Dam of winners. A daughter of the stock cock, ‘93177’, a half brother to Champion ‘Culmer Channel Queen’. The parents of ‘93177’, are the champion stock cock ‘Culmer Producer’ when mated to a direct daughter of ‘Culmer Expected’, winner of 22nd,27th,103rd. and 231st. open N.F.C. Pau. The dam of ‘Culmer Lane’ is Champion ‘Culmer Bess’, winner of 6th,26th. and 170th. open N.F.C. Pau (540 miles), 47th. open N.F.C. Pau / Saintes, winning the N.F.C. Pau merit award. This brilliant hen was top priced pigeon at Eric Cannon’s dispersal sales, sold for £2,300. Champion ‘Culmer Bess’ is a daughter of the premier Mike Spencer stock cock, when mated to ‘Culmer Joan’, winner of 1st. section A. 12th. open N.F.C. Pau, who is a daughter of ‘Culmer Rose’ winner of 30th,56th,131st,389th. and 541st. open N.F.C. Pau. ‘Culmer Lane’ is a full sister to the dam of Champion ‘Night Flight’, winner of 1st. open Saintes / Pau Grand National in 2003, for Mark Gilbert.

That’s our ‘ON THE ROAD’ article for this week! Any comments please ring me on: 01372 463480. See yer!

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.

15/11/06