‘Milly’ The first Yorkshire NFC Certificate of Merit.

by

John Clements

When pigeon racing first started the controlling idea was to develop a species of pigeon that gradually extended its range while at the same time improve its reliability. This was an intellectual pursuit that intrigued many of all classes including royalty at the time pigeon racing was in its early days.

In modern times this long term intellectual pursuit has given way to the short-term pursuit of winning, and selling stock so the pigeon, as a reliable homing species has given way to an unreliable species that competes only to win.  The old idea of extending range and improving reliability has taken so much of a back step that when awards such as the 'NFC Certificate of Merit’ comes into the conversation and receives a small amount of publicity the majority of fanciers ignore the topic completely. They ignore it simply because they have now gradually been conditioned, not for reliability and long distance but for speed and winning from every distance.

The sport, because of this gradual change in attitude, has suffered almost beyond recovery.  The Intellectual dynamic of early years has given way to a competitive dynamic of today and with it the sins of competition have emerged including on a less sinful way, a club strategy of securing a good spot in the Fed. To, at the other end of the scale, downright cheating against anyone and everyone.

The one indisputable clean part of our sport that is left are ideas such as the ’NFC Certificate of Merit’ This award is for a pigeon that has proved reliability over three years in the NFC’s longest race.  All pigeons that fly over 600 miles and manage to be in the first 200 places for three years qualify- there are few that do.

One of the awards of this year is for an absolutely outstanding reliable pigeon who flew 727 miles from Tarbes in the Pyrenees to Selby in North Yorkshire three times. Selby is a small town 14 miles South of York known for its Norman Abby and ship building. This award is a big thing in Selby.

This pigeon and its demonstration of reliability is the furthest distance a ‘Certificate of Merit’ Award has ever been awarded and the first ever won into Yorkshire so it makes this Award doubly special. This Award winner is a hen called ‘Milly’, a simple name but one of profound importance for its owner Nicholas Adshead - also for the town of Selby and for pigeon racing in general for it has set a distance reliability not reached before.

‘Milly’ herself

The performances of ‘Milly’ that earned her the ‘Award ‘are as follows:-

2115          1st Section K                16th Open (Tarbes)

2116               3rd Sect K                   9th Open (Tarbes)

2116              7th Sect K                  111 Open   (Tarbes)

These are the Raw plain statistics but, of course impressive as they are, there is a whole story behind them that has to be told to reveal a greater truth - the hardship and what it takes to produce a ‘Work of Art in Action’ for make no mistake all ‘Certificate of merit winner are ‘Works of Art’ that is why they go down in history and why purely mechanical speed pigeon racing does it’s best not to mention them.

The sire of Milly was bred by Dutch fancier Mark van den Berg of Ijsselmuiden.  He was very inbred to this famous ‘De Brive’ (1st National Brive) being a direct son of his super breeding cock ‘Brive1’ when paired to his own half-sister, ‘Brive 3’.  ‘Brive 1’ was the sire of 1st International Bergerac wining pigeon called ‘Sanne’.  The mother of ‘Milly’ is Nic’s best breeding hen called ‘Ulrike’ she was bred from his good friends from Germany, ‘Menne and Daughters’.  ‘Ulrike’ in turn was bred from their super breeder ‘Paul’ the sire of Caroline 1st International Bergerac and grandsire to ‘Christine’ 1st International hens from Pau.

Ulrike - the sire of Milly.

From these facts it is easy to see why ‘Milly was bred for this kind of racing but as we all know racing into the UK with a sea crossing three quarters of the way into the course, requires something very special. Something special she turned out to be.

Many people thought Nicholas Adshead mad for sending 'Milly' back to Tarbes in 2016 after her triumph the previous year, nevertheless Nic is a strong believer in sending his best pigeons to win big events but still Milly’s preparation was not ideal. For unknown reasons that all Long-Distance fanciers experience from time to time Nicholas was unable to get ‘Milly’ right that year so she had little or no training races prior to Tarbes.  Only one single flight across the channel from Failaise with the local club was possible.. Doubts came into it as they always do with special pigeons during their preparation but eventually casting doubts aside, she was sent sitting 12 days on eggs.  Once again, she stepped up to the mark and recorded 3rd North East 700 Mile Club, 3rd Section K and 9th Open National Flying Club Tarbes.  This was a super achievement as her race preparation was sparse but as we all know really good pigeons always seem to manage the impossible and appear to do it with ease despite unideal preparation.

The next year - 2117 - arrived. Despite reservations by many and huge local pressure, ‘Milly’ was earmarked for the NFC Tarbes once again. This time her preparation went well and when she was basketed Nicholas felt she was in as good a condition as she had ever been. The race turned out to be hard and difficult with few returns over the whole country.   Yet despite all the odds against her - ‘Milly’ triumphed once again flying through rain and wind to be 7th in her section and 111th in the Open result.  This was her third trip in the NFC’s longest race flying over 700 miles each time. Her distance was an overall Award record and a Yorkshire record in the ‘Certificate of Merit’ that will be hard to beat.

Not many pigeons ever achieve three times 700 miles in the entire result never mind the high open positions ‘Milly’ achieved.  A pigeon such as ‘Milly’ is unique in this regard. The owner must take some credit but the real acclaim must be to ‘Milly’ herself for without determination - without navigation - without the necessary grit and tenacity - three times 727 miles is not possible. Here we have the complete pigeon in one small bundle of feathers. Such a pigeon does not have to explain itself or boast - the message is clear for everyone who aspires to give a bit of dignity to pigeon racing by achieving something so special it will be remembered long after pigeon racing is no more.  It may be that modern man can no longer find the time or inclination to feed and prepare a bird to fly such long distances.   If this happens modern young men will have missed an experience from which they may now never know anything about but be poorer because of it.