The Joe Murphy Column

Well, the new season will soon be upon us and fanciers will now be training their birds prior to the first race of the season. If you wish your club or federation to be mentioned in my column, I require you to have these details by Tuesday as I send my column away on a Wednesday morning for the following weeks issue. If you have a photo of the winning pigeon or the fancier then please add this to your email or letter.

Remembering Good Pigeons

Last week I reported the passing of Wull Strang, as he and his brother Jock raced their wonderful chequer hen ‘California Star’ who won a Gold Award in the Scottish National Flying Club. You will see from the photo attached her winning positions, however the item that impressed me the most about this wonderful hen was she won 5 times from the following distances. 516 miles; 545 miles; 579 miles; 623 miles and 665 miles you must agree a truly wonderful pigeon. In fact, while writing this article; she reminded me of that other great true distance hen ‘Storm Queen’ raced by the Ritchie & White partnership of Fraserburgh. As a young bird ‘Storm Queen’ won 1^st Tynehead 134 miles velocity 992; 2^nd Longtown 189 miles velocity 787.

Willie Strang

As a yearling she won 2^nd Gorebridge 134 miles velocity 996; 5^th Longtown 189 miles velocity 1340; Worcester 380 miles on the day. Sent feeding a 3-day old youngster she won 1^st Cheltenham 400 miles by 15 minutes. As a two-year-old she had three races, 6^th Gorebridge velocity 1069 then Leyland 272 miles and Nantwich 325 miles timed on the day both races. As a three-year-old she was missing for three weeks from a very fast race from Longtown, homed flown down, but her race ring was intact. Given a rest, sent in her favourite condition feeding a two-day youngster to Christchurch 480 miles, she was timed in darkness at 11-05pm 17 ½ hours on the wing to win 9^th club 4^th Championship. Incidentally ‘Storm Queen’ is a very hard pigeon to get into condition as she simply refuses to take exercise with the other birds and when put out just takes a turn round and back into the loft. If forced she alights on the Gospel Hall, some distance from the loft. As a four-year-old in 1965, she was mated on the 13^th March and reared the first nest, she was allowed to sit the incubation period on the second nest, she was allowed to sit the incubation period on the second nest and then separated. She got five races to Christchurch, timed in every race but no prizes. It was not until the club old birds’ races were over that it was decided to send her to Beauvais a distance of 593 miles.  In preparation for this she was remated, and given two 70-mile tosses and sent feeding a two-day-old youngster. She cast her 4^th flights and her 3^rd flights were only have grown. Liberated at 06-00am after being held over for one day, only 27 birds reached home on the day; 17 in the south section, 7 in the east section and only 3 in the west section. ‘Storm Queen’ was timed at 11-06am the next morning to win 31^st east section 54^th open flying 593 miles and £40. As a 5-year-old in 1966, she was treated much the same as in 1965, mated 26^th March, she reared 2 youngsters in the first nest and was then separated. In the meantime, she has one race from Nantwich, a race spoiled by rain and she did not home until 1-10pm the second day. She was remated to have her in her favourite condition at basketing for Nantes. In the three weeks prior to basketing she got 4 tosses from 35 miles and one from 70 miles. She looked in perfect condition, bright of eye and tight of feather. She kept on building her nest, a thing she had never done before. At basketing she was feeding a two-day old youngster and had three-quarter grown her 2^nd flight. Liberated at 6am on the Saturday morning she was timed at 11-22am on the Sunday morning to win 1^st North section 2^nd open SNFC flying 727 miles, only yards short of being 100 miles further than the winner. ‘Storm Queen’ was in every way the product of testing distances required by birds racing to this top corner of Scotland. The thing about these birds is no matter whether it be in club or national racing these birds usually have to face these exhausting extra miles on their own. I’m in no doubt that the climate and racing condition to which these north pigeons are exposed very quickly weed out all but the very best. To race from Lillie 540 miles; Dol 623 miles; Rennes 660 miles; Nantes 727 miles proves the quality of these top distance pigeons. Great pigeons like ‘California Star’ and ‘Storm Queen’ names will live within the sport of pigeon racing in Scotland for ever.!!!!! Once everything is a bit more settled down, I will need to have a conversation with Jock Strang and get more information on his great hen to add to my column.

Dundee and Angus Federations

News from Charlie Cameron with some interesting information of the Dundee and Angus Federations had a joint presentation on Saturday 29^th March 2025. The winning bird rung SU21DF996 had previously won 5 x 1^st prizes for Danny Henderson of Dundee who raced the bird that had the best average in the Central and East of Scotland Amalgamation old bird races. Andy Miller travelled up to Forfar to present Danny with the Eddie Newcombe Memorial Trophy. The breeding of this winner is as follows; his Sire is a brother to 3 National winners; 2 for Billy Bilsland and 1 for the Sterio Brothers and it is from Billy’s good Geerinckx cock. His dam is from ‘Tayside Chieftain’ that was a full brother to Tam Blair’s 2^nd open national Maidstone winner and ‘Tayside Olympiad’ who was a full sister to Tam Blair’s 1^st Maidstone national winner. Hope that is of interest for your column Joe, best wishes Charlie. 

Andy Miller & Danny Henderson see text

Obituary Received a phone call from Alfie Lawrence informing me that Paddy Jones of Benview Terrace Drongan in Ayrshire had passed away aged 80 years. Paddy had been a fancier all his life and he was also president of Ayrshire North Road Federation. Alfie’s wife Margaret assisted Paddy with some household chores and collected shopping for him. To Young Patrick; Margaret & Alfie, out thoughts are with them all at the sad passing of dear Paddy.

Please continue to keep the news flowing; to Joe Murphy Mystical Rose Cottage 2 Flutorum Avenue Thornton by Kirkcaldy KY1 4BD or phone 01592 770331 or Email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. REMEMBER THE J IN THE MIDDLE or log onto www.elimarpigeons.com; www.pigeonbasics.com www.thecanadianpigeoninternational.com who wish my weekly contribution portfolio on pigeon topics from Scotland

© Compiled by Joe Murphy