Keith Mott’s ‘Champions of Yester Year’ (Part 91)

WALLY MEAD & SON

OF ISLEWORTH

The SMT Combine held its first race of the 1980 season from Vire in Northern France and entry was very good, with 3,667 birds being sent. The convoy was liberated on the appointed day in a North West wind and although the race was very hard, with only six birds recording over 900 ypm, the returns were very good.

The Middlesex loft of Wally Mead & son topped the Combine doing 903ypm, with their nice three year old Mealy hen named ‘Ellen’ and she was sent sitting seven day old eggs. The parents of this game little hen were obtained from J. Somerville by Mrs. Mead for a birthday present for Wally in 1975. The partners told me the hen hated being caught and previously won: 1978: 2nd club, 11th Federation, 64th Combine Laval, 1977: 6th club, 17th Federation Wadebridge. ‘Ellen’ was bred from the very best Sion bloodlines.

In 1980 the Meads had been in the fancy ten years and raced mainly the Sion and Janssen strains of pigeons. The partners maintained the Janssens were good inland racers and the Sions were better from France up to 250 miles. They paired up the second week in February and raced 12 pairs on the natural, plus 9 cocks on the widowhood system. They fed the natural racers and young birds the same, wheat and barley in the morning and a good sound mixture on the second feed, after which they got Red Band. The widowhood cocks got a low protein diet in the morning and high protein mixture for the evening feed. As a tit-bit the team were given Red Band and Hormoform.

The partner’s good friend Brian Goodwin trained the pigeons for them and these tosses were from all points down the M3 Motorway to Basingstoke. The old and young birds started the season at ten miles and then 25 miles ten times and then into the first race. The natural pigeons were trained right through the racing season and the widowhood birds got very little training, but exercised around the loft for an hour, twice a day. The Mead partners told me they paired the stock birds up on the eye sign from the 1977 season and then after the youngsters had never raced better or looked so good. They were hook on the theory of eye sign, but said it was only a part of the pigeons make up and still checked for the strength of bone structure and good balance when bringing in new stock birds. At that time the partners rated Kenny Harrison and George Burgess as the best local fanciers and said they win short and long distance races with the same birds.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.