A Tribute to John Marsden
John’s interest in pigeons began at the age of five and like many other ‘war children’ (born in 1941), did not see his father until that age as his dad had been away on active war service. His father had, apparently been a reasonably successful fancier prior to the war winning his first race in 1921 and being instrumental in forming the local Parbold HS. His friend and mentor during that pre-war period had been Will Sharrock of Mawdesley, Will, racing the major bloodlines of that time was successful at the extreme distance of Marennes, Bordeaux and San Sebastian. The birds doing well for him being ‘Dol King’ ‘Ragtime’ and ‘Everytime’. Will was a basket maker by trade and one of the few fanciers to produce a Stud List in the 1920’s.
John’s grandfather had attempted to hold the fort during John’s farther absence during the war, however, this was not possible as the provisions of food and loft maintenance was difficult. Consequently, his father was faced with starting from scratch following the conclusion of hostilities. John’s early recollections are of being extremely cold and passing nails and wood to his father who painstakingly built a suitable loft to house their proposed stock. His dad had fixed ideas on where he was going to obtain his stock and very soon had a ‘family trip’ to Alderley Edge to visit Bob Dunn who had promised to set him up with birds on his return from military service. Bob was a member of the Lancashire Social Circle. Bob Dunn previously of Wigan was a legend with exceptional performances and in the Manchester FC. He had blended his own strain of birds based mainly on the Havenith, Hansennes and Sion bloodlines. Bob also had excellent gift birds from Dr Anderson, the celebrated Scottish fancier one of these being the dam of one of his favourites, the ‘Picture Cock’. John’s Mother was not overly impressed by his dad spending his Army Gratuity of £45 in this manner but nevertheless she was 100% behind the venture and John concluded, ‘we were on our way’.
Very soon the Marsden & Son partnership were tasting some success in that one of their first bred from the Dunn birds became a feature on the result sheets at Club, Amal, Combine and Two Bird level. They called this bird ‘The North West Nantes Cock’ largely due to his winning 9th, 19th and 27th North West Nantes Club in successive seasons. This was when Combine racing was strong in the area, The North West Nantes Two Bird Club was at the time, the premier provider of the race of the season. The race was always held midweek and most working-class fanciers would take the day off for marking day and another for the race itself, those two days being part of their annual holiday entitlement, such was the attraction of this Nantes event. The birds were race marked at Liverpool Lime Street Station, and with private transport limited or none existent it was literally a day's outing and provided a great opportunity to chat with other fanciers from many parts of the country.
Then, as now, discourse and comradeship was an essential part of pigeon racing and a typical Sunday morning after church would mean a trip out by John and his dad either on their bikes or in a borrowed van, to visit neighbouring lofts. John in particular recalled visiting Hugh Cropper of Banks, son Jack and Hugh’s brother Richard of Hesketh Bank who, incidentally, was later to buy Bob Dunn’s loft and his remaining stock. Other lofts visited included Dan Southworth of Tarleton, Tommy Orritt of Longton, Fred Price of Burscough, Dick Gaskell of Up-Holland, Gilbert Cobham of Mawdesley together with Gilbert’s daughter Betty. Finally, there was Jack Baxter of Hesketh Bank and whose son John remains one of John’s best pals. All characters in their own right and all extremely successful fanciers.
In the 1950’s and indeed beyond, the Parbold club was a very homely affair, with its HQ at the Railway Hotel in the centre of the village with the landlord Tommy Welch and his son were good pigeon fanciers, along with Tommy’s wife Ada made everyone welcome providing all facilities free of charge. The winner of the previous weeks race always paid for a round of drinks on marking night and three wins in a row meant the victor provided a Hot-Pot supper for all the members. There was no doubt in the club who the top fancier was, of course it was the legendary Dr Tom Rigg or ‘The Flying Doctor’ as he was affectionately known. Once again Dr Rigg was a member of The Lancashire Social Circle for many years with his name on a number of the trophies. John places on record his pleasure and privilege in being the doctor’s neighbouring loft. A good friend and rival for some 40 years until ill health and advancing years forced the doctor most reluctantly to give up his beloved pigeons a couple of years prior to his death. John always felt the doctor was a fancier ahead of his time flying Belgian style to the upper storey of a stone barn situated next to his bungalow, and was the first fancier John knew to fly the Widowhood system. John also remembers the doctor’s five original Widowhood cocks later to increased to nine exercising like fighter planes over his loft.
He was a fanatical believer in forced exercise for his Natural race team and while John was studying and therefore penniless as most students were, he was most grateful the pocket money Dr Rigg regularly provided if he was willing to assist in stopping the birds alighting in the adjacent fields. Whilst a highly competitive racing man the doctor was most generous and thoughtful of others and at club level would only ever clock his first bird even though most members knew he often had a dozen or more to beat them week on week. John also remembers the doctor winning the previously mentioned North West Nantes Club in the mid 1950’s and taking every Parbold club member along with their families by coach to the prize presentation and dinner all at his own expense. The doctor also acted as unpaid veterinary consultant to fanciers from miles around in his lower barn area on a Saturday morning looking literally like a doctor’s surgery with fanciers queuing patiently to have the great man diagnose their ailing birds.
On the other hand, and to highlight the doctor’s competitive side, John recalls to mind the little story of the day he managed to slip his two Nantes entries into the clock in two minutes. Being young and enthusiastic dashed to the doctor’s loft to see what time he had clocked. Unfortunately, the doctor was still waiting his first arrival and told John in no uncertain terms that if he ever did that to him again, he would shoot him. John always like to think he had a twinkle in his eye as he said it but to this day John cannot be sure.
For whatever reason the 1960’s proved a fairly barren period in result terms for the Marsden & Son partnership, however then came a chance meeting, again at the NW Nantes Clubs marking, with a veteran local fancier which was to change John’s pigeon racing life in quite dramatic style. He refers of course to the late Tom Blackstone of Croston who over the years had perfected his beloved Croston Barker strain. He invited John to see the birds and from that very first visit he was made most welcome and then, in the following years, until his death in 1971, John almost became a part of Tom’s family. He found Tom to be a most gentle charming man who lived for his pigeons and whose generosity was extreme. Within a couple of seasons of meeting Tom and mainly by the gift of eggs from his champion stock birds the Marsden team had acquired a really fine team of birds.
These top pigeons could compete with the best, yes! Even their friend, neighbour and rival, the doctor! At this point career highlights came thick and fast, 1st Preston Two Bird Club, 2nd NW Nantes Club, 1st NW Nantes Club, 1st West Coast 700-mile Club, 34th Open Nantes National, plus numerous Club and Amal successes but the pinnacle had to be 1st North West Combine Niort, 512 miles with ‘Blackstone Boy’ so named in honour of their good friend Tom Blackstone. This blue cock, as a 2y old was typical of the barkers being a tough and consistant worker having covered approximately 4,000 miles in actual racing and hardly ever showing signs of distress of tiredness. He raced to the coast, 200 miles, as a youngster, and as a yearling he flew Avranches 345 miles and Rennes 382 miles. In 1972 season he raced seven consecutive weeks up to 345 miles before being prepared for the Nantes race. But on the night of basketing it was noticed he had casted two flights in each wing so was not entered. The only other candidate prepared was his hen, his full sister. This hen was no mean performer herself having topped the Amal earlier in the season from Lymington in a tough head wind. This situation caused a problem for the partners as ‘Blackstone Boy’ was deprived of his hen. The problem became worse when the Nantes birds had not been liberated when the Niort pigeon were to be basketed a week later. In the absence of his hen, he was persuaded to stay on his eggs for several days and when he showed signs of leaving them, he was given a week-old youngster. He took to that youngster showing great devotion and keenness, hardly leaving it for more than a few seconds at a time. He went to Niort in this condition as part of an entry of 801 birds, the liberation taking place at 0520hrs in a light north west wind. After 13hr 15 minutes he arrived home to win 1st Club 1st Amal and 1st Combine with a velocity of 1131. This performance won the Western Region Award and John’s second bird in the clock a 6y old hen having her final race was also 13th Combine with a velocity of 1099.
While John was in dreamland with these results and not sure whether it could be true, came a letter from Colin Osman from the Racing Pigeon which began “I would like you to write an article fort the Squills Year Book”. Even though by then he could drive and had a vehicle standing available John was so excited it did not occur to him to get into it and he just ran or rather stumbled the mile or so to his dad’s place of work to tell him. He titled the article ‘It can happen to you’. Little was he to know that just two years later and whilst still in his early thirties John would write a sequel, ‘It can happen again’ as their own ‘Blackstone Prince’ repeated the Combine win. The story behind this, another of their Blackstone Barker family, ‘Blackstone Prince’ was a chequer cock which the partners could only dream that one day this cock would also top the North West Combine from Niort, for he was the week-old youngster that was given to ‘Blackstone Boy’ in his preparation for Niort! We must note that he was not his son. You may have gathered ‘Blackstone Prince’ was a late-bred in July 1972 and although he was too late for training, he was kept busy as a yearling flying six consecutive races up to 200 miles. Showing a good deal of promise he was not sent over the channel but was allowed to grow and mature in his own good time. In 1974 he was destined to go to the distance and following four land races he went on to make a good job of the race from Avranches. At this time the youngsters were flying well for long periods and Prince and his hen were put in with the youngsters to settle them down. From this time, he had no training but enjoyed 40 minutes flying morning and night with the youngsters. When he was entered for the Niort race, he was in supreme condition and showing perfect health. This caught the attention of a fellow fancier at the marking. For this race the Combine had an entry of 866 birds, liberation taking place after a one-day holdover at 0550hrs in a light west wind. On the day the Marsden’s had another race on and the weekend jobs had to be carried out so little time was available to dwell on the Niort race, although they had high hopes for a good result. Little did they know what lay in store for them. At about 7 00pm with the birds already on the wing 13 hours John decided to replenish the drinkers and feed before settling down to wait. This wait was short lived for as John crossed the platform with a drinker in his hand his father drew his attention to a batch of youngsters obviously in training coming straight at them. These birds were really moving and the partners were amazed to see one pull out of the batch and head straight for the loft. Two circles and he was on the platform, ‘Blackstone Prince’ had completed his task. Considering the competition at the time in the North West Combine the partners were justifiably proud of timing their second 500 mile Combine winner in the space of three years.
A few days following this race the Prince had John and his father on tenterhooks with his flying expeditions and one day in particular he flew on his own for several hours swooping and sailing across the skies as if to tell the world how he felt. Looking through the race results for these races there are many names of legendary fanciers of the past: Doctor Rigg, Hugh Cropper, Tom Ryding, Bill Kilshaw & Son Les and many more, all the above being members of The Lancashire Social Circle.
There was in fact a further sequel to these remarkable performances, for amongst a number of other speaking engagements John was invited to give a talk on pigeons to the members of the Athenaeum Club, which is quite an ‘uppercrust’ establishment in Liverpool. In chatting to the President during the preceding dinner arrangements John learnt that his talk was sandwiched between The Master of the QE2 and the first man to fly Concord.
Joyous years indeed for John, but looking back he realises that far more important than the wins and achievements have been, are the many lasting friendships he has made within the sport. In his early years he relied on his father’s many friends and contacts, but gradually through race marking and broadening competition he has come to enjoy the friendship of so many people. Not least of all, those made at The Lancashire Social Circle. On his first visit to the Circle in 1972 he was seated next to the great Willie McAlpine of Armadale and from which point they became firm friends that lasted right up to Willie’s death. This is just one example of the friendships made, there have been so many more too many to mention.
John’s father passed away in 1990 after a lifetime of dedication to the sport, and shortly afterwards John also decided to retire from active participation in the sport, this coincided with his retirement from work in Banking to move and live in Nottinghamshire. But John adds he will always identify with the sport however and even after all these years still has an eye which tilts automatically skywards especially on a race day. Following John’s retirement and move to Worksop, under normal circumstances would have seen John resigning from the LSC but members were not prepared to let him go and made him an Honorary Life Member. The pleasure John had derived from his membership over the years with both members and guests he considered to be rather special. It was for this reason he presented a rather large sum of money, to be invested to provide an income for an annual Award for both the breeder and racer in the Breeders Exchange Race. Over the years John was looked upon as the Managing Director of the Circle who kept a constant review on the workings of the Circle, in particularly its financial management.
In recent years John has missed the last few Gathering with failing health problems, but not one of these have passed without his name being mentioned, as his guidance has been called upon to ensure the smooth running of the Circle even in his absence.
Brian Dearn Tel. 01254 772515.