Keith Mott’s ‘Champions of Yester Year’ (Part 95) 

RON & JIM NEWELL

OF FELTHAM

Ron and Jim Newell are sons of the Feltham ‘ace’ fancier, Jack Newell and started their pigeon partnership in 1976 with late breds from their father and some stock from Jack Jackson of Southall. The brothers were novices until young bird racing in 1978 when they had four races in the Ashford SRFC and recorded: 1st club, 1st Three Borders Federation (1,456 birds) Weymouth, 1st club, 1st Three Borders Federation (1,091 birds) Exeter, 1st club, 1st Three Borders Federation, 1st open BTB Combine (2,656 birds) Plymouth and 6th club Weymouth. Brilliant young bird racing!

The first two Federation winners off the Newell and Jackson bloodlines, and the BTB Combine winner, ‘Johnny’, were bred from two gift birds from their friend, John Lister of Feltham. After three races, Ron and Jim stopped the main team with 1979 racing in mind and the 6th club was chalked up when sending a team of late breds flying their first race.

The brothers' three-section loft was 24ft long, with a low trapping system, and the 20 pairs of racers were raced on the natural system. All the old birds were paired up the second week in February and about 40 young birds were bred each year. Ron and Jim fed the birds on a good sound mixture and they were trained twice a week.

Ron told me his most thrilling experience in pigeons was in 1970, when his dad left him to clock his Pau single entry, a pied cock, and recorded it at 20.05hrs on the day, to be the second of only three birds clocked on the day in the London Metropolitan area. Jack was at the local club marking the birds for a Federation race and Ron said it was a great feeling when he went to the club and told his dad he had clocked the pied cock, as no birds were expected home on the day.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT.