Joe Glover (1990)
By Les J. Parkinson
Over 40 years at the top
I was recently with Joe Glover at a prize presentation and thought to myself I wonder how many years he has been winning. Without asking the question I dug out an old article and the girls typed it up for me for pages of years gone by. I did ask Joe about an up to date article but he did say maybe next year so we shall wait and see with that one. This is the article I wrote in March 1990 and as the heading say’s over 40yrs at the top so let’s make that “Over 60yrs at the top”
It’s over 20years since I started to race pigeons although I grew up with them as pets. At that time one of the first winning fanciers that I came across was Joe C Glover the fancier who lives overlooking the sawmills over at Wrinehill. Joe’s winning seasons have continued with 1989 being yet another successful year, which saw Joe, go through a winning streak of 13 straight wins in succession with Hankelow F C. When you compete in the Cheshire area the Mountville lofts are one of those to be reckoned with.
Joe not only wins with the pigeons but has also been one of the most efficient officials for local fanciers through his position as secretary of Wrinehill club for many years and also as an official to Mid Cheshire Fed. The club position has now gone but Joe still hold his position with the Fed, however if he is needed at club level he is always there to lend a hand. Joe must be put in the class of Mr Consistency for his out standing performances at all levels of competition during the last 40 years since he last flew pigeons with his father.
It all started when Joe was a young lad of 7 who used to listener to tales told to him by his late father who years earlier had been a fancier himself but left the sport when he got married. Joe’s interest came when he had a fantail from Mr Hughes of Betley a start, which started with racing pigeons. Getting involved with pigeons was one of the finest things that has ever happened in Joe’s life, because he has had so much pleasure from the sport with the highs far out weighing the lows. The fantail had quite an influence on Joe because he spent that much time playing around with it. He could almost do anything with it to the extent that when the old tin bath came out Joe the fantail also had to have a bath. With all this attention the bird became so tame that it would drop on anyone in the village.
One of Joe’s uncles was also a favorite with the fantail because this very tame bird used to call in at the cobblers shed where it would also go into the house. The timing of the fantail was incredible because not only would it follow Joe to school it would also return just as Joe came out at the end of his lessons and go home with him.
Joe’s first real interest in pigeon came about when a blue cock dropped in the garden with the fantail and they eventually paired together. With this fine blue cock settling Joe started to train it a few miles down the road training sessions that led to Joe getting the pigeon bug good an proper.
In the early 1950’s Joe became a good fried of Harry Moss and spent a great lot of time with Harry and his pigeons, but in the October 1951 Harry had a brain hemorrhage and died. With Joe being such a good friend resulted with the choice of this good team of pigeons he remembers picking out five four of which were blue chequer’s and a blue pied hen.
Wrinehill club came into existence in the start of the 1950s with Joe joining in 1952 since which time he had not looked back being premier prize winner more time than he cares to mention. The run of success has never left Joe because of his tremendous eagerness to win and stay at the top of the pigeon world. In 1953 Joe was not the most popular of fanciers owing to the fact that there was only one clock in the club so each fancier had to run in and with Joe having such an excellent run his pigeons were more than often there first. It was Joe who had to do the running after his father had taken the rubber off the pigeon. At this time Joe did not have the best bicycles as he would borrow one of his friends racing bikes and away he would go. Joe like any good winning fancier would eat drink and sleep pigeons he would dream about pigeons. One particular night Joe had a strong dream about a black cock that they had, dreamed that the pigeon arrived and would not trap at all. On the race day sure enough the black cock homed and as in the dream would not enter the loft. Time went by those vital seconds were ticking away and all the black cock would do was sit and look then eventually this head strong pigeon entered the loft. Father took the rubber ring off and stretched his arm through the hedge where young Joe was on the bike and ready to go. The problem did not end with the black cock not wanting to enter the loft because as soon as Joe took off his legs gave way and he went all of a heap on the path. With the amount of time already lost father was not amused with the latest incident to this what appeared to be a doomed race, he shouted to Joe to get up and go for all he is worth to the clock. By this time the expectancy of yet another win was slowly declining but to their surprise they still had enough time to win the race. We have all had our ups and downs in the pigeon world with Joe being no exception even to the extent of putting a pigeon in the wrong clock. At one race Joe really upset his father by clocking his favorite Rigby cock in the wrong clock, father was fuming when he found out. Even Joe did not know straight away what he had done but a little later when he walked passed the loft the looked at the clocks and realized that he had put the rubber into the wrong clock. You can imagine the reaction from his father because this was his favorite Rigby cock there for it was even worse, dad hit the roof and walked away as it happened they had a cracking race ended up 1,2,3, Rennes, they would also have been 1st and 2nd Crewe open but for putting them into the wrong clock. That is not the only time that Joe has done this because one day he did the very same thing then as soon as he had realized he threw the clock up the garden and went off to watch Stoke City play and too this day he does not know how he would have fared in the race. Things like this are all part and parcel of the game of pigeon racing and with this in mind the new starter should not loose heart when things go wrong. There have been many things written about Joe and his methods, but not a great deal about the pigeons that he has housed over the years, But the one family that have really shone through are those based on the August Adent pigeons from Dinant, Belgium. I believe these pigeons were originally based on pigeons from Maurice Henrotin with whom he was a prisoner of war. To these there were a few other additions which made the family that flew so well in the 1960s.Anyway this is how Joe first obtained the pigeons and stuck to them In Joe’s own words “it was 1964 when I paid a visit to the peoples show and was fortunate enough to purchase a pigeon at the continental gift bird sale, a blue cock which was presented by August Adnet. This cock bred a winner in 1965. Then in 1969 we again visited the people’s show and were lucky enough to purchase a pied hen, which was mated, to the previous blue cock we had from the same loft. This was the start on the dynasty of winning pigeons at fed, open, and 2 bird racing winners from 50 to 500 miles. In 1969 P Denton of London wanted to go to the peoples show and purchase 2 more gift birds donated by the same fancier one of these was a blue cock Belg69-8063050 which had been a gold mine at stock and in 1989 at 20 years old bred a cock and hen which won 2nd and 5th club. I purchased 4 more birds from the gift birds sales from Adent and all were good produces the last one I obtained was in 1978 a Cheq hen Belg78-8012866 a wonderful stock hen producing many fed winners. To remember the number of winning birds that had been bred over the last 25 years from the above mentioned birds would be a near impossible task. At Nantes, 400 miles, these birds appeared to dominate with now less than 12 firsts since being introduced with one red hen winning from the race point for 3 consecutive years for which she was rewarded with the Nantes cup from Crewe 2 bird. A Cheq cock won the prestigious Middlewich 2B two years in succession and was also 1st Nantes. When Bill Carney came and looked at these Adent pigeons he was amazed at the wonderful eyes that they had the richness, quality and depth are all there to be see. The success I have enjoyed over the last 25 years with the August Adent pigeons have been years to remember. I say thank you to the late Maurice Henrotin and Colin Osman for bringing these birds over and making it possible for such as myself to purchase these fantastic pigeons “these are the pigeon: Blue cock Belg69-8063050 bred by August Adnet purchased for Joe by P Denton of London at the Old Comrades show in 1969.This cock bred a 1st prize winner in 1988 and two more in 1989 at 20 years old. What a constitution for a pigeon of this age Joe is 100% sure that he is the sire because he is always in a pen on his own and therefore no other cock could tread the hen. Over the years he had bred many club fed 2bird and open race winners, far too many to write down. This fine cock has given 21 years of wonderful sport and pleasure and has been a please to have in the loft. Cheq hen Belg78-8012866 bred by August Adnet purchased from the Old Comrades show another great stock hen which had bred 6 x 1st fed winners and is in turn responsible for many club and two bird winners. Blue hen pure Adnet 1st class racing hen clocked on many occasions including 1st Middlewich 2bird open Sartilly, 2nd club, 17th fed Dorchester 2nd club 19th fed Dorchester 3rd Weymouth twice 4th Weymouth plus many more minor prizes. Since 1984 she has also being used as a widowhood hen. She is from the old blue cock Belg69-8063050 when paired to Cheq hen Belg78-012866, red cock 82J69331 75% Adnet, a very consistent racing cock which would have won many first’s but for the fact he has been beaten by loft mates. Wins include 1st open Crewe West End Swainswick 1st club 10th Fed Rennes 1st Club 2nd Fed Cheltenham 2nd Rennes Crewe 2 bird2nd club 3rd Fed Mangotsfield 2nd Nantes 2nd Niort 3rd Club 17th Fed Wincanton 3rd Gloucester 3rd club 4th Fed Mangotsfield 3rd Rennes 3rd Wincanton 4th Club 4th Fed Mangotsfield 4th Niort 4th Cheltenham 5th Dorchester 7th Rennes Middlewich 2 bird. Other photos included with this article are not of the great Adnet family that Joe had built up; Never the less they are still outstanding in there own right. Pigeons like the exceptional breeding cock fridge bred by the Ponderosa Holland 74-1165727 which is sire of 25 known different 1st prize winners and in turn responsible for over 100 first prize winners. This cock is of Vanhee lines which is also a very good family that Joe has at Mountville, a family that has produced such good pigeons Mountville leader out of 813101828 a Vanhee Janssen when paired to a daughter of Jean-Pierre, a splendid line 63959 is a pigeon one dreams about being clocked from nearly every race he goes to, wins include 12 x 1sts 8 x 2nds 5 x 3rds 2 x 4th 8 x 5ths 4 x 6th in the club 2x1sts open races 3rd open 3x1st Mid Cheshire Fed 2x2nd Fed 3rd Fed 2x4ths Fed 4x5ths Fed plus taking 5 other positions in the first 20 of Mid Cheshire Fed making a total of 55 prizes. Another of the top racers is Mountville Queen pied hen out of the 1980 bred Bucharest stock cock, which is sire to 5x1st prizewinners in 1989 while dam is a Vanhee. The cross has worked well will Queen winning 2nd club 2nd Fed Truro 2nd club Rennes 1st club 1st fed 1st championship Niort 2nd club 5th fed Niort since which time she has not been raced. Not forgetting the Geeloger blue cock 813101828 bred by Vanhee this is a fantastic stud cock breeding 9x1st prize winners in his first 2 years at stock and has continued to breed pigeons to win to 500 miles,. His total 1st prize winners is 21 including fed winners such as the 59 cock sire of 28 is a son of the famous Witoger while the dam is of the famous Geeloger pure Janssen. The other two photographs are a pied cock 80D27216 a super stock cock bred by E Marsden of Yorkshire a pure Busschaert being responsible for many winners including 83230 previously mentioned plus many other winners. Then there is 81237 which only had 5 races before going on to be a widowhood hen, wins include 1st Dorchester, 1st Worcester, 1st Cheltenham, 3rd Worchester beaten by two loft mates 2nd Worcester beaten by loft mates. Could have been five out of five for this hen who knows what a good future she could have had? I suppose this is the problem when u have such a good team, some have to stay at home.
Joe’s 1989 performances include with Hankelow FC 16x1sts 12x2nds, 13x3rds 11x4ths 10x5ths 10x6ths which included 13 red cards in succession also Joe won the following trophies OB Inland Av, OB Combine, YB Av, Old and Young bird Combine Av Channel points cup Y/B KO Sartilly Trophy best single Y/B performance Sartilly medal runner up Channel Av while with the Mid Cheshire fed Grand Combine Av and Y/B Av Market Drayton 2B Y/B Trophy for the best 2 Bird Av.
While I was at Joe’s we were looking through some results from 1957-1958, which highlighted the fact that the Mountville Lofts were at the top of the tree all those years ago. Since all those early results Joe’s performances have got better and better. Joe has reigned supreme along with such ace fanciers as the evergreen George Stubbs and Denis Gleave who have also dominated their respective clubs for many years.
Joe has some very interesting ideas on how he should manage pigeons and says “If I was full time and could be with the pigeons all day long then I would change my ways we manage our birds to suit our job. Our work comes first and without work we cannot keep our pigeons so therefore we have to work so we have to make the pigeons second to our job. If I could race pigeons as I want to I would train more but as the price of petrol and motoring today eliminates this. We have widowhood cocks racing I have only been racing this system these last three years in 1984 we had a fantastic season with 21x1sts 27x2nds etc 2nd Open Championship of Cheshire from Rennes only beaten by one yard we were also 2nd in Crewe 2B the same day. The championship ave was won with 4 hens at the different channel races where were the widowhood cocks in those races? There must have been hundreds of widowhood cocks in those races but our hens beat them. So if I had the time and racing right I would never go all widowhood, I would defiantly fly some hens because I am convinced that if you can manage and fly both systems you are going to get the best of both worlds. If it is not a widowhood cocks day it is going to suit the hens and vice versa so would expect to be thereabouts all the time. At the moment I am trying to do it all but I just haven’t got the time to do it as it should be done but we do crack along and shall be fighting at the end of the day. I have also been very fortunate to know some very good pigeon men like Horace Townrow from the George Webb Lofts John Massarella whom I have had some very good pigeons from. Without doubt Horace was one of the best racing men you could wish to meet as his success and achievements that he did were second to none from such places as Lerwick. He once told me that the Governors as he used to call them would say to him “now Horace when you get these pigeons tomorrow don’t clock anything in until the other lofts have timed in down the road. Horace was telling me that one day he had four thimbles ready to clock in and was waiting to get a phone call to say that they had timed in down in Wellingborough so he could time hi in. You could go to Frank George and more or less any pigeon in the loft for £40, as he didn’t ask for anything else. But now you can go to these sales and get all the Belgium pigeons completely flooding the market yet half of them are worthless. They cannot be all good, its impossible, it’s the same as a loft that breeds 40 youngsters and in your own mind you look an think now if I could take my pick of them I would probably take ten out of the 40 and sometimes you can be completely wrong as y/bs can develop and be entirely different pigeons but you know after two years if you are lucky there will be 5 out of the original 40. When you think about the amount of pigeons coming into this country and are being bred solely for selling to me that just doesn’t make sense.
Coming back to racing widowhood men will knock me for this, but I have my own beliefs which I feel it necessary to race hens. If you don’t race hens for a period of 10 years how are u going to know what class of hen you have got? If I can race hens up to three years old and get some good results with my particular hens those hens are then good enough to go in the stock pen and rear off. It’s all right for certain men to come along and say this will do that and that’s all right for that and that no good. They are probably right in their own way and if they cull those they think are no good then there is nothing to prove them wrong. There is only one proof in pigeon racing and that’s the basket, which will tell us whether that pigeon is good or bad. I went to vaccinate some pigeons earlier this year and this gentleman said Before you vaccinate Joe will you put all those pigeons in the basket that you think are no good and all the good ones in that. I told him that if I could possibly do that then I would not keep more than 6 pigeons.
Back to the management, I turn to widowhood about May 1st when I will put these cocks into training very hard and then stop training after the 2nd race. They will be exercised for 40 minutes in a morning turned out doors shut and those cocks will fly until I go and open the door. Then they will drop into a little bit of seed and if I think they want something a bit heavier I shall give them a touch of depurative mixture. At night I mix my own mixture I have used Dufky and Versele-Laga but I tend to think that it contains too much maize for the early races. For the long races I bring more New Zealand maples in and mix 50% maple to 50% of the sport plate of the Dufky mix by doing this I increase the protein and put more body into it.
Back to the exercise at night the cocks are turned out and they do their 40 minutes no training whatsoever is done after the 3rd race for the Widowhood cocks unless I think 1 or 2 are a bit sluggish and they want livening up but if they are flying strongly at night, really raking the skies then I don’t think there is any need for training by doing this system saves money with the price of petrol as it is we just cannot afford to go every night with the cocks. You know full well that if you have got the national hens sitting when you go to work in the morning so they don’t come off, you get home at about 6pm and they have just go on again. There is no-one home in the day therefore the hens do not get any exercise and if you are getting the hens ready for a race you have got to train 2 or 3 times a week for those particular hens, unless you are lucky enough to have a wife who can go down at lunchtime to turn them out to do their 40 minutes in the middle of each day if you can do this it is the only way to race natural. Alas I cannot do this therefore I have to put a little bit more into my hens and train them wither 2 or 3 times per week when I am getting them up for a channel race there’s no doubt about it. The hens can compete with the cocks as they are proving when you pick your RP up during the winter months. You will find that they have put up some fantastic performances for different fanciers so for the man who wants to achieve the best in both worlds then he wants a few hens and he wants his Widowhood cocks.
I would like to say thank-you to all the people who have helped me in the pigeon world as I have had a lot of help from some fantastic fanciers and I am always willing to learn if someone says why don’t you try this it might work but basically I will stick to my own principles which have always paid off for me as I have never had a bad season since I started pigeon racing. When you are racing in 2 bird clubs and can only send 2 pigeons I think our record is as good as any in the Mid-Cheshire area so it is not numbers in the club I send about 18-20 each week which is not mob flying by some standards but it is quite a number of birds but when it comes down to picking 2 birds we are still there and we compete against all the top fanciers in the Mid-Cheshire area.
There is not much more I can tell you about pigeon racing you can read about colour feeding etc. and all sorts of tonics in the water which they don’t need, probably vitamins in the water once a week. Years ago we had the old Epson salts but now we have got the herbal tea which is quite useful. A good bath may be once a week, I personally don’t think that they need 1 every week but if the pigeon wants 1 then they can get in but they certainly don’t need it more than once a week. What they do need is a good clean corn, minerals maybe once or twice a week in the water and no more, that’s about it. If pigeons can’t perform on that then here is something wrong with their constitution. For sickly youngsters in the nest which you think are set back, there is only 1 solution, call them straight away because you are going to struggle with that pigeon. I think if a bird gets a knock, i.e. wires, then ok but if it’s inwardly got trouble right from the start it’s never going to make the grade.
Pigeons have been my life, sometimes I think that I could do with a 3 year break from it, just to see how I would go on, but when you have a good team of pigeons and think that you are going to break it up for 3 years it breaks your heart because it could take you a good many years to get back to the standard you achieved. Probably I will give it a break in the next 5 or 6 years to see how things turn out. With that I would like to wish everyone all the success that they can possibly get out of the pigeon racing and I hope that it gives them as much pleasure and happiness that it has given to me for the last 30 odd years.