KEN ARNOLD TRIBUTE

It is with great sadness that must inform the fancy of the passing of Ken Arnold, who died in hospital on Sunday 3rd April, after suffering a major stroke two weeks previously. Ken was the father of Leamington Spa sprint champion Keith Arnold and was a member of a highly successful racing pigeon Arnold family who were based around the Croydon and Sutton areas in Surrey. He was uncle to one of our local ‘aces’, Paul Arnold of North Cheam, who is still keeping the winning Arnold ways going in Surrey today. Although Ken was retired from pigeon racing it was in his blood and he still enjoyed reading the fancy press regularly, and visiting shows. I last met up with Ken at the RPRA Southern Region Show last November when he popped in for a chat and look around the show pens.

I first met Keith’s mother and father, Ken and Jean, when I visited their home in High Wycombe a few years ago. Keith’s home in Leamington Spa is about 100 miles up the M40 Motorway from my home in Surrey and quite often Keith and I meet up in High Wycombe, which is half way, when exchanging youngsters. Ken was one of the pigeon racing Arnold Brothers of South London and had a wonderful big bird room in his back garden, and specialised in Norwich and Red Canaries. When I met Ken we had a good couple of hours talking pigeons and looking around his wonderful Canary room.

Ken started in pigeons back in 1940 when he looked after his brothers pigeons while he was away in the war. When Fil came out of the army the partnership of Arnold Brothers was formed and they flew in the Clapham and Battersea Club and the Fulham Club in South West London. The Arnolds were a real pigeon family because three other brothers George, Fred and Alec also kept pigeons at various times which is not surprising because there father flew the short distance pigeons, milers, before them, so you could say that it was in their blood. In the early fifties Ken decided to fly on his own and built his loft a few doors away from the old partnerships loft which were in Fils garden. Ken's family of pigeons were built around the J. L. Baker, Harry Branch and the Champion ‘L29’ strain and in those days the pigeons were marked on Wandsworth Station. The full race baskets were put on to a train and were sent up to Waterloo where they were then transferred on to the race train, which was bound for the race point for liberation next day. Around the early sixties the homes in Wandsworth were up for demolition and Ken and his wife Jean along with the young Keith moved into a new high rise flat in Wimbledon so the pigeons had to go, but they eventually moved on to Carshalton in Surrey where most of the other brothers were now living and before long a pigeon loft was erected in the garden and the K. Arnold & Son partnership was formed flying with the Mitcham Common flying Club.

Ken was also very much interested in canaries and at this time built his own bird room and joined the Merton and Morden bird club and when Keith got married and moved all the pigeons to his home, Ken decided that cage birds were is man interest and has kept them ever since. Keith moved up to Leamington Spa and his parents relocated to Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire where Ken pursued his passion for canaries and has become a very successful breeder and showman with his Norwich and Red canaries. Many major prizes have been won both in the local and region shows including winning at the large Thame Show which are the just rewards for the many hours that Ken spends tending to his birds. Ken had been a member of the Princes Risborough Cage Bird Society for many years and was the Show Manager and Chairman of the club. Condolences from Betty and me, to Ken’s wife Jean, and his family, Keith, Sue, Alison, Claire and baby Ella. 

KEITH MOTT.