“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.

50 years and still going strong! (Part 2).

In January 2022 I celebrated my 50^th year since I did my first article in the pigeon fancy press and in that time I had the great honour to visit some of the ‘legends’ of pigeon racing and showing. Over the next couple of weeks I’m going to do some ‘highlights’ articles to celebrate my 50 years as a pigeon scribe. This second article features some great legendary National winners I visited in the early days.

The Dax International. 

The 2003 Dax International marked the start of a new era in British pigeon racing, when two English fanciers were declared 1^st and 2^nd open International winners. The British contingent was very strong with the National Flying Club entering a very healthy 739 birds and its sister club, the British International Championship Club, sending a record birdage of 450 birds. My late friend, John Tyerman and I were on the NFC committee at that time and we were two of the party that travelled to Belgium the previous winter to negotiate our National taking part in the 2003 Dax International race. John Tyerman and I convoyed the N.F.C. birds to Belgium to meet up with the International train, which carried the record 19,400 birds to Dax. Colin Bates, the NFC convoyer travelled in the carriage with the British pigeons and liberated at 06.00hrs, English time, in no wind at the French site, getting up to north east en route. Only six game pigeons were recorded on the day of liberation in Britain and the first two were clocked by fanciers in the West Country.

Britain’s first ever 1^st open International Dax winner was recorded by the late Brian Sheppard of Trowbridge and on the Sunday morning after the race, I made the 130 mile drive down to Wiltshire to visit his loft and see his champion, now named “Legend”. This game blue chequer widowhood cock was paired up on 6^th December and after rearing a pair of youngsters, was put on the widowhood system when sitting six days on his second pair of eggs. Champion “Legend” had several channel races on his build up to his Dax International win, including training races from Picauville, two from Nantes and the Saintes National. This brilliant two year old cock has had lots of wonderful previous racing form. He recorded 2^nd section BBC Nantes and 2^nd section, 6^th open NFC Saintes in the 2003 season, and as a yearling 34^th open CSCFC Cholet. Brian sent 11 birds to the Dax International, clocking Champion “Legend” just after 19.00hrs on the day, flying 507 miles, and two next morning, with one arriving home when I was at the loft. On “Legend’s” dam side he is off Brian’s old Pau family, being bred down from his NFC Pau Merit Award winner, “Jingles”, and his sire was bred by Jos Thone of As in Belgium, from his champion cock, “Sumo”.

    

Brian has been in the sport 60 years and started up at the age of eight with a pair of tipplers. At the time of my visit, he raced 25 widowhood cocks to his very smart 20ft. brick built loft and paired his race team in December. All his pigeons had to perform, with yearlings going through to 400 miles and his old birds flying Pau (550 miles). The cocks were put on the widowhood system after rearing a pair of youngsters, only being trained prior to the first race, and flagged around the loft for regular exercise during the season. The New Wiltshire Continental Club had lots of early races from Picauville and Brian used these events to get the birds ready for the main National races. He liked all pigeons racing, long and short, but told me he got his biggest thrill out of the long distance events.

The very successful West Country partnership of Crowley & Green were 2^nd open Dax International and they clocked their champion blue chequer cock, “Brimstone”, at 19.40hrs, flying 514 miles. This ace five year old Van Loon / Janssen widowhood cock had been a brilliant racer in National and Classic events, having won 1^st open CSCFC Bergerac, 43^rd open NFC Saintes and 43^rd open BBC Bordeaux. He had several channel races on his preparation for the Dax race. The partners used the basic widowhood system, pairing up at Christmas and putting their 40 cocks on the system  on their second round of eggs. The racers were only lightly trained and were sometimes sent to the first race on eggs, before going on the system. The cocks were housed in two 24ft. lofts and they are never trained once racing has started. They are fed on a good widowhood mixture and were broken down three days a week during the season. The cocks were sometimes shown their hens or the nest bowl on marking night. Richard told me that their best season was in 2000 when they were: 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd open BBC Bordeaux, 2^nd.and 5^th open NFC Nantes, and 3^rd, 4^th and 8^th open CSCFC Bergerac. Brilliant pigeon flying!

That was very special week, with British pigeon racing history being achieved, with our first ever 1^st International winner. I met Crowley & Green at Brian Sheppard’s loft on the Sunday morning and we had good couple of hours together. I drove the 130 miles home and being the NFC Press office at that time, I had to do the articles for the fancy press that same day. No internet in those days, so I had to get the photos developed early on the Monday morning and then two motor bike couriers turned up at my house to take the articles up to the two pigeon papers for inclusion in the fancy press on the Friday. British racing pigeon history in the making and I’m proud I was involved from the start to the end!   

The 2004 Dax International was held in July and most fanciers thought the British success in the 2003 event was a “one off” and was unlikely to be repeated. But this wasn’t the case in the 2004 race, with two British fanciers storming home to win 1^st and 2^nd open Dax International again. The brilliant West Country ace, Brian Sheppard, came close to it a double of International winners, when he clocked his widowhood cock on the day, to record 2^nd open International. Fantastic pigeon flying by Brian, but it was someone else’s turn to win the International that year and the winning pigeon was clocked at the Berkshire loft of Mark and Geoff Gilbert. A wonderful Performance!

Jed and Joan Jackson of Worthing.

Unless you have recently joined the ranks of the pigeon fraternity it would be highly probable you would have heard of the late, great Jed Jackson of Worthing. Renowned for his truly wonderful articles he has composed over many years, giving immense pleasure to his army of readers. The blind man who won the Pau Grand National with his champion hen “Genista” in 1980. The man who flew an outstanding pigeon on the North Route before and after his great National win. He also clocked on the day out of Tarbes with the National Flying Club in 2005. The man who enthralled the people listening to his after dinner speeches at the countless functions he and his good lady wife Joan, were invited to. Invitations given out of respect and adulation for this great man.

There was another side to this wonderful gentleman that only his close friends were aware of is incredible strength. Even though he had reached his 90^th birthday, most days he still ran up and down his garden path using the handrail as his guide. He finished these exercises by running up and down the four steps leading up to his garage using the handrails on either side to maintain his balance. A friend of mine told me that on a visit to Jed’s he saw him kneeling down on a freshly dug piece of ground appearing to be searching for something. When he enquired what Jed was looking for, his reply “I am just planting out my early potatoes”. Upon closer observation my friend said he could make out Jed had a stick measuring  about 9ins, long which  he was using as a spacer  and a long piece of  string stretched between two pegs to keep a straight  line for his potatoes. What amazing determination. He had over the years given hope  and strength  to people who were going blind and naturally were extremely worried about their future. One such case was that of Mickey Moore of Swanley. After a visit to Jed’s he came away feeling confident  enough to carry on with his pigeons, so much so, he went on to represent his club at regional level. It’s no small wonder that he had a huge army of fans.

I cannot continue this article without mentioning the tremendous support given to Jed by his wonderful wife Joan. She will be in her 90’s now and still attends a fitness club on a weekly basis. A marvelous hostess, a great conservationist and a brilliant cook, a fact that any visitor would endorse.

When I look back over the many years of wonderful performances put up by National winners from Pau, Jed and Joan Jackson’s win 1980 must rate as one of the most remarkable. The race was hard enough to win by a sighted person, but for a blind fancier to win, it was fantastic. Although the great Jed Jackson is famous for being ‘the blind man who won the Pau National’, his great racing performances go much further back than that, as he’s won cups and averages in the Club and Federation for many years. His wonderful wife, Joan, was a great worker for his pigeons, doing bookwork, training and general loft management with Jed. I have been in the Jackson’s garden on race day and its brilliant watching Jed clocking in his own pigeons. Once the bird had trapped, Joan called out the nest box number that the racer had entered and Jed went straight to it and clocked in, with no time wasted.

Jed’s Pau National winner was his natural blue chequer hen, Champion ‘Genista’. She was bred in 1978 from a blue cock obtained from John Langstone of the West Midlands and the National at her first time at Pau, with 5,884 birds competing. John Langstone was a great fancier, winning 1^st open N.F.C. Pau and 1^st open N.F.C. Nantes, and presented the famous, ’Langstone Gold Cup’, to the National Flying Club. The sire of ‘Genista’ was a blue chequer down from Jed’s old long distance family. Champion ‘Genista’ died in 1982, being buried under the Genista tree next to the loft and Jed maintains that she died from the effort of winning the Pau National for him. A wonderful pigeon! Many present day winners are bred down from her including Jed’s good blue hen, which spent most of her time on his shoulder, talking in his ear, as ‘Genista’ used to. She was a granddaughter of the Pau National winner. This lovely blue hen arrived home from Thurso (550 miles) at 07.00hrs, landed on Jed’s shoulder and he clocked her to win the race. Jed races both North and South Road, with the same pigeons and an interesting fact is that ‘Genista’ flew Berwick five weeks before she won the Pau National.

His famous self-built loft was 12ft.x 6ft, having two sections and open window trapping. Jed said that when he built his loft, being blind, he would work after nightfall and worked so late he lost the goodwill of his neighbours! In later years his wonderful old loft front had shown some wood rot and had been recently rebuilt by some friends. The loft had nice big landing boards and was scraped out every day, with no litter used on the floor. Jed only raced natural and said useful pigeon racing does not start until the birds go over the 250 miles stage. He kept no more than 14 pairs of old birds and he knew every bird by handling them. He said his fingertips were his sight and knew when a stray bird was in the loft.

The birds were fed on farm beans, peas and maize. Jed bred 24 youngsters each season and these were raced to the perch. He paired up in March, with the long distance Nationals in mind, and liked his old birds to race through to 500 miles, North and South Road. The Jackson’s had a good blue cock, a few seasons ago, and he raced and scored from 500 miles north and south several times. A brilliant pigeon! He said winning the Pau National was wonderful, but his best memory in pigeons was when he was a young lad in the north-east of England and he had pigeons in four nest boxes in the coalhouse. He said in those days he was ankle deep in coal dust, when he won the Pau National he was ankle deep in stardust. A wonderful fancier!

Our Jed was 90 years of age on the 13^th March 2006 and was still racing his pigeons from the long distance with the National Flying Club until his death in 2007. In fact he clocked on the day of liberation from the N.F.C. Tarbes race in 2005. Brilliant stuff!

The late, great Cyril Medway of Southampton.

Next  we are going to feature my first article on BBC winning lofts that I visited years ago. I must say that this week’s article is extra special to me personally, as it features a brilliant fancier who I admired in my early days in the sport. The late great Cyril Medway of Southampton was my hero when I started up in pigeon racing, being the fancier who had superb long distance performances with a small team of pigeons. When I think about it, I realise I’ve tried to go down the same path as Cyril did in my 45 years in pigeon racing, having kept only a small team of birds and never having had a bigger loft than 15ft. long. Eric Cannon was a good friend of Cyril and in early 1977 he took me down to Southampton to meet the Hampshire champion.

Cyril’s record, despite the number of birds he sent to the long distance races, is second to none. He must be one of the most respected fancier within these four shores, staying consistently at the top in the major distance races every year. The Medway loft won 1st open British Barcelona Club Palamos in 1972 with the great pencil blue cock, Champion ‘Palamos Pathfinder’, who won the race by almost two days! After the event, Cyril had to take ‘Pathfinder’ in the kitchen every night for three weeks for safe keeping, but sometime after that he was sold to Japan, with two hens. ‘Pathfinder’ was bred from the dam of the loft, ‘Maureen’, when mated to a Hansenne cock from P.C. Morris of Andover and ‘Pathfinder’s’ performances were incredible, recording 2nd club Guernsey, 2nd club Exmouth, 1st club, 3rd Solent Federation Nantes, 58th, 161st, 135th open N.F.C. Pau, 1st sect, 1st open B.B.C. Palamos (658 miles) velocity 637ypm. A true champion!

Cyril became interested in pigeons as a young boy and had his first pair in a box in the garden when he was 11 years of age. Three years later he joined the Southampton S.R.F.C. and was given a lot of help by Bill Yates of Southampton. Positions were few and far between, but won a Guernsey race in his first season. Cyril married Joan in April 1947 and they moved in to their Southampton address. I went down to visit Cyril in mid-February with Eric Cannon, a good friend of Cyril of many years standing. It was a great day! To hear these two great long distance fanciers talking was most interesting. On our arrival, Eric introduced us, and then it was all down the garden to the Medway’s small 10ft.x 6ft. loft, to see the birds. When I asked Cyril how many birds he kept, he said he was overstocked with 12 pairs at that time, as he usually housed just 10 pairs. The very neat loft was built by himself and sat about 4 feet off the ground to stop the cats problem that Cyril was always plagued with. Trapping was through bob wires and the birds bathed on top of the loft as he didn’t like them on the ground, because of the cats. The traps were wired up to a bell in the house and this was checked every time the bird went to a major race.

Cyril opened the door of the loft and the cocks were in the young bird section. He asked me if there was anything in there I fancied. The first cock I picked out was a handsome pencil blue, which had never been in a basket, as he was the last son of ‘Palamos Pathfinder’ before he was sold. This cock was very true to the family, being medium, apple bodied in the hand, with nice wide flights and strong back. Cyril said he didn’t go too much on the pigeon’s back as he had handled good pigeons with so called ‘weak backs’. I asked him if he had his great 1967 blue pied cock, ‘Palamos Kid’, winner of 1st section, 9th open B.B.C. Palamos in 1971, and he said the ‘Kid’ must be dead as he was the only pigeon not to return from his team that went to Avranches one year.

Next pigeon to hand was the great mealy pied cock, ‘Palamos Eric’, winner of, 1972: 1st club La Reole, 1974: 22nd open B.B.C. Palamos, 1976: 5th open B.B.C. Palamos, winning the B.B.C. Channel Average in 1976, with his daughter who won 4th open Rennes young birds. Joan timed ‘Palamos Eric’, in from Palamos, in fact, she did most of the clocking in as Cyril was at work more often than not when the birds came in from the Palamos National. The next gem we looked at was the dark chequer cock, ‘Palamos Ned’ winner of 3rd club La Reole, 218th open N.F.C. Pau. He was then sent to Palamos four times, recording, 1973: 17th open B.B.C. Palamos, 1974: 88th open B.B.C. Palamos, 1975: 10th open B.B.C. Palamos, 1976: 66th open B.B.C. Palamos. ‘Ned’ was the last son off ‘Maureen’ before she stopped laying at ten years old. He was a first cross from a cock loaned by the late Ned Hammond of Southampton. Next to hand was a blue cock whose sire was bred by Eric and Pat Cannon and whose performance was, 3rd club Nantes, 19th, 121st, 492nd open N.F.C. Pau and 74th. open B.B.C. Palamos. Great stuff!

We looked at the rest of the cocks and they were all outstanding, then we had a cup of tea and a chat on the lawn, where I was told that Cyril was the secretary of the Southampton pigeon club for many years and was a first class clock setter. He fed beans and wheat when rearing, beans and a lot of maize when racing and some seed when the birds went to the National races. The birds were usually paired up on 13th. March, although they were mated a bit earlier some years. The base of the family was Barker and every bird in the loft in 1977 was bred through ‘Maureen’, except for two Eric Cannon pigeons and a Dutch pigeon. Only two stock birds were kept and they were the nest pair bred from ‘Palamos Pathfinder’ before he was sold to Japan. Cyril said he hadn’t wanted to sell his great champion, but the risk of leaving him in the loft was to great and he was offered a good price. He said his modest transport was a push bike until he sold ‘Palamos Pathfinder’! 1972 was an incredible year for the Medway loft, which won 3rd club Nantes, 1st club Niort, 1st club La Reole, 218th open N.F.C. Nantes, 19th, 263rd, 269th open N.F.C. Pau and 1st open B.B.C. Palamos. A brilliant performance! Cyril didn’t show his birds, but he did a bit of judging now and again.

Next it was the turn of the hens to be inspected. Cyril said his cocks were even better than his hens, which were a smaller type of pigeon. One of the first we looked at was blue chequer pied hen NURP 58 Y 5014, the great ‘Maureen’. Although she was 18 years of age, this wonderful pigeon looked great. Her full performance on the road was, 1960: raced unpaired winning 1st club Bordeaux (over 15 hours on the wing), 1961: 13th open N.F.C. Nantes, 1962: 89th open N.F.C. Pau, 1963: 267th open N.F.C. Nantes, 41st open N.F.C. Pau, 1964: 26th open N.F.C. Pau, 1966: 62nd open N.F.C. Pau, 1967: 148th open N.F.C. Pau, then put to stock.. She won over £800 racing in the 1960’s and was the dam of the loft and of ‘Pathfinder’ and ‘Ned’, and grandma of the ‘Kid’. This great hen was solid gold!

We looked at a very nice 1976 blue pied hen bred from, ‘Palamos Eric’ and ‘Palamos Joan’ and she had 4th. open B.B.C. Rennes in the 1976 season, when there was only a handful of birds home in race time. Cyril said the birds wouldn’t fly around home when they were paired up so they got lots of training that season. The birds were trained from all over the place, but mainly from the west, down to Weymouth. Next to hand was the 1971 bred blue pied hen, ‘Palamos Joan’, and winner of, 1975: 9th open B.B.C. Palamos, 1976: 13th open B.B.C. Palamos. This hen was really nice in the hand and Eric Cannon really rated her highly. We looked at two hens which Eric Cannon bred for Cyril and their breeding was similar to Eric’s champion blue hen, ‘Culmer Blue Bird’. Cyril’s birds were very tame and he said they sat on his back when he was cleaning out! He also said he mob flew from Palamos in 1976, by sending five birds. Usually he only sent only two or three. Cyril’s wife, Joan, was a great help around the loft, feeding, timing in etc. and he told me, he could leave her in complete trust to time in , in fact, she even phones in the wing marks in the National races. He had hardly ever seen a Palamos pigeon come, as he used to work over the weekend, but did clock his great ‘Palamos Pathfinder’ when he won!

That was a great day out in February 1977. I think it’s incredible how Cyril Medway did so well at the highest level with only ten pairs of pigeons. Shortly after our visit, Cyril won 1st open B.B.C. Palamos for the second time. A brilliant fancier! What a good one it’s been this week! A very special article, on the late great Cyril Medway, a very special long distance champion.

The late, great John Lovell of Lincoln.

One loft that I had great pleasure in visiting was that of the late, great John Lovell, a fancier I had admired for many years. John must have been the greatest long distance north roader of all time, winning five times 1^st open and three times 2^nd open in the mighty North Road Championship Club. John won the N.R.C.C. “King’s Cup” from Lerwick three times, the last time in 1989 with his good blue chequer hen, “Shetland Ede”. This Albert Bennett / Van Bruaene hen was raced on the natural system and won £3,057 when she lifted the “King’s Cup” from Lerwick. John also won the N.R.C.C. from Perth (twice) and 2^nd open Lerwick (twice), plus 2^nd open Perth. He hadn’t really raced in the Federation since 1989, flying only in the N.R.C.C., but previous to that was top prize winner in the Peterborough Federation for nine years on the trot.

    

John was in the sport for over 60 years, only breaking for five years to do air crew duty in the R.A.F. and always raced North Road. He raced only the natural system and liked hens for the long distance races. His 48ft. racing loft was set on a hillside overlooking the wonderful city of Lincoln and had seven sections, four for old birds and three for youngsters. John kept 40 natural racing pairs and paired them up on 26^th February, to ensure that his birds were on their first set of eggs for Perth and the second set for the “King’s Cup” event from Lerwick. He fed his own mixture and increased the maize content just before Lerwick. The old birds had only one training toss per week, but flew well around the loft, which had open hole trapping, and sand on the floors. John’s stock loft was 18ft.x 6ft. with a wire flight, and the nest boxes inside were the size of race crates. This small loft housed six pairs of stock birds, which were mostly outstanding retired racers. John’s main families were Albert Bennett / Van Bruaene and Geoff Kirkland, which were crossed together with phenomenal success. He paired his birds on the eyesign method and had his first insight into the method from his friends, Jack Humphrey and Hugh Ambler. He kept about 40 young birds each season and started training at ten miles, going through stages up to the Humber, 33 miles, before the first race. All the youngsters raced through to the N.R.C.C. Berwick race, which was a flight of 186 miles to the Lincoln loft. John Lovell, one of our greatest fanciers!

The late, great Jim Biss of Norwich.

A few years ago I was very sad hear the bad news of Jim Biss' passing, I think the sport of pigeon racing has lost one of it's greatest fanciers! I met him at his “Hillside” lofts in the mid 1990's when we were making a “Many Miles with Mott” video on fanciers in Norfolk and found him to be a perfect gentleman. I think Jim Biss was a “man's man” and was a great man to talk too about long distance pigeon racing, having a brilliant life time record, which was second to none. Jim was an original member of the British International Championship Club and gave it his full support in the 27 years, since it was formed in 1978. I think I'm right in stating he won the BICC twenty times, including 15 times 1^st open Marseille and lifted the 2 bird average several times. He won 1^st open NFC Pau Grand National and in partnership with Tony Waite, they won 1^st open British Barcelona Club Palamos and 1^st open NFC Saintes. A wonderful record put up by one of our greatest champions!

    

It was the weekend before the 1996 Pau Grand National when I visited the Jim's fantastic pigeon set up, at his home in Brundall near Norwich . His racing record in National, Classic and Federation events has been well documented through his 70 years in the sport, winning 1st. open countless times. Jim started up in 1936 and the best performance that came to mind, he said was the 1993 Pau N.F.C. race, when he was 1^st, 2^nd and 7^th open, plus several other useful positions. The 1993 Pau National had 5,427 birds entered and Jim's 1^st open winner was the blue widowhood cock, “Vend”, which had also flown the 646 miles from Pau the previous season, which was a very bad race. A few minutes after clocking “Vend”, Jim recorded the dark chequer cock “Turban” to take 2^nd open Pau, and this great pigeon's previous form in distance Nationals was outstanding. We handled these two great champions when we looked at Jim's team of breeders in his wonderful stock lofts, which housed 70 pairs. All Jim's old birds were paired up on 13^th January and picked out breeders on their winning bloodlines, saying good pigeons are normally a good type. After 70 years in the sport he raced his own family of pigeons, based on his old English family of 1936 with different introductions through the years. A lot of his champion racers were bred down from a hen he had in 1939 and several generations of National winners have come down from her.

Jim raced 90 cocks on the Widowhood system and was only interested in long distance racing. The racers were not broken down, but got a light feed in the morning and a heavy mixture at the evening feed. The birds got a few tosses before the first race, after which they flew out around the loft for one hour morning and evening. The hens were never shown to the cocks on marking nights, but the pairs were left together for about an hour on the cock's arrival from the race. Jim never flagged the cocks around the loft, as it kills their keenness, and he maintained you need fitness and keenness to win at the long distance. The Hillside loft bred 100 young birds each season to race and replace old widowhood hens. They were raced through to 160 miles and some cocks were stopped and set aside for the widowhood system. The babies were well trained up to 40 miles before their first race, but after that no training was given. Jim took no notice of young bird performances and considered these races for learning.

On leaving Jim's Norfolk home in 1996, I shook his hand and wished him good luck in the Pau National the following weekend. Little did we know that he was going to win the race, with his partner, Tony Waite, at their loft in Whitchurch? Because of adverse weather at Pau the National convoy was brought back and liberated at Saintes on the Tuesday morning. Jim Biss recorded 14 birds in the open result at the Brundall loft and took 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th Section H. A fantastic performance! The Sunday morning after the Pau / Saintes National saw me drive the 150 miles round trip to Coal Henley, a quiet little village, just outside Whitchurch in wonderful Hampshire to visit the latest N.F.C. winners, Jim Biss and Tony Waite. Jim bred all the Biss & Waite pigeons and Tony raced them to his home, which was set in the Hampshire countryside. From the Saintes National, Tony Waite clocked 27 birds at the Whitchurch loft to get into the open result and chalked up 15 birds in the first 50 open, including 1^st, 4^th, 15^th, 17^th, 21^st, 22^nd, 23^rd, 33^rd, 35^th, 36^th, 39^th, 42^nd, 44^th, 48^th and 49^th open, with 4,976 birds competing. A fantastic performance!

Jim and Tony Waite formed their very successful partnership in the early 1990's and won several National races in Hampshire. Jim bred all the birds from his champions in Norwich, and although the birds won the Federation in sprint races, the main aim each season was the National and long distance events. Their ultimate win being their British Barcelona Club Palamos winner in 1998. The partners raced both widowhood and natural, with the main team being 72 widowhood cocks. Yearling cocks were raced natural and not put on the widowhood until they were two years old. The 60 ft. widowhood loft had a pantiled roof and open door trapping, with six sections, four for the racing cocks and two for their hens. The nest box fronts were the same as Jim's at his Norwich lofts and the lofts had grille floors. Tony started to pair up in mid- March and paired one section each week, so that the birds' condition was staggered through the racing season. The natural old birds and young birds were housed in a second loft, with pantiled roof and “super” trapping. Biss & Waite had 20 natural pairs and Tony told me, he liked hens sitting for the long distance events. This loft had a wire flight in front, as Tony maintained fresh air was most important, and I must say the partners pigeon looked in brilliant condition on my visit to the loft, the weekend after the National win.

Gerry Francis – Footballer and Pigeon Fancier!

Many years ago I visited the lofts of Gerry Francis and at that time he was at the very top in English football, playing for Crystal Palace. Of course Gerry went on to become a very successful manager with Q.P.R. and Tottenham Hotspurs, and this is an account of my visit to his Berkshire home in 1979.

Whenever one read of Gerry Francis, one always read 'Gerry Francis, Crystal Palace and England football ace, winner of many major awards including 13 International caps for England', but you never read of Gerry Francis the pigeon fancier, and how good a fancier he was despite the pressure on his time from his many footballing commitments. There are times when Gerry doesn't see his pigeons for days on end. He had been in the sport on and off since 1959, he said his first loft measured 2ft x 4ft and it was something of an innovation as it was mobile, yes, mobile. It was built and attached to pram wheels so that it could be moved in great haste when the rent man called as Gerry was not supposed to keep pigeons where he lived then. Gerry is from a pigeon racing family, his late father Roy, and two uncles, Fred Harrington and George Francis were all active fanciers. He has a very high regard for his uncle Fred, who, he said, taught him a lot about pigeons. Gerry became interested in pigeons when he was about eight years old and raced with his father in the City Arms H.S. at Hammersmith. His first pigeons were from George Harrowell of Shepherds Bush; these birds were carefully broken to their new loft by Gerry. After he had successfully broken them, the local council promptly ordered him to get rid of them.

It was my friend Mick Worsfold who took me down to deepest Berkshire to visit Gerry Francis' 'Thornlea Lofts' and for a change we had some sunshine on the lofts for the photographs. This was a standing joke as it always rained on my loft visits with Micky Worsfold, and on the way down we were driving through thick fog, and I reckoned that the Worsfold curse was running true to form.

Gerry started racing from that address in 1977 with seven Harrington latebreds from his father. One of the stars of the loft was a pigeon known as 'Thornlea Lucky Stumpy’; he was one of those original latebreds and acquired the name 'Lucky Stumpy' because he returned home from a race minus three toes and suffering numerous other injuries. After recovering from those injuries this gallant blue chequer pied cock went back on the road and won in 1979: 50^th section E, 83^rd open NFC Nantes (10,367 birds), 4^th club Bergerac (453 miles) with only seven pigeons recorded in the club in two days, he had also won 15^th Federation Weymouth (1,847 birds) and 4^th Hansur Open Weymouth. 'Lucky Stumpy' was also proving his worth as a breeder, he was sire of a chequer pied cock 'Garth' who had only had four races and taken four positions, including 23^rd Federation with 1,330 birds competing. Another of the Harrington pigeons to do well for Gerry was a blue chequer cock known as 'Thornlea Bourne End', he recorded 2^nd club, 14^th Federation, 26^th open BTB Combine Niort (3,750 birds).

On the subject of eyesign, Gerry said he didn't know enough about it to base his pairings on it, but he did admit to having a liking for a pearl eye. The lofts housed various strains, the Harrington pigeons were of the Logan­ / Savage Barker / Osman lines, there were also Dordins from Paul Smith, Cattrysse from Les Davenport and pigeons from F Wiltshire of Oxford. We got onto the subject of young bird racing and Gerry said that he didn't believe in pushing youngsters hard, in fact he had found that his best pigeons in later life were those that were only trained as youngsters and not raced. He also said that he disliked sending yearlings across the Channel.

The lofts consisted of a three section racing loft with corridor trapping, plus two stock lofts joined by a nice spacious aviary. There were 10 pairs of stock birds and around 15 pairs of racers, it was usual for him to breed around 25 youngsters a year. Floor dressing consisted of a sand and lime mixture which was changed every few months. The birds had an open loft, but even so, were kept under control. All birds were raced on the natural system, always trying to get to know each pigeon as an individual, this way Gerry thought you discover each bird's best racing condition. When it came to training, the birds were not trained on a specific line, but in any directions, to all points of the compass, thus giving the birds a good sound education and at the same time making them think. On the subject of food, Gerry thought maize was a much underrated food and fed a lot of it with peas and beans added.

On this visit we spent a lot of time in the stock loft, which housed some excellent pigeons including direct children of National winners. Inbreeding and line breeding were practised to create a family, although the occasional introduction was made, if it would do the family good. Although a great many fanciers do not like latebreds, Gerry was the opposite and really liked a few of them as he reckoned if they were schooled well in early life they would be as good as a youngster bred at the normal time. The one thing that he didn’t like were wild pigeons, they all had to be quiet and good natured in the Francis loft.

At that time Gerry's pigeon activities were overshadowed by his commitments to football, as had been the case really since he left school. His football career started as a lad when he played for a social club in a Sunday league, this was his only chance to play, as his school was rugby orientated. The opportunity eventually arose for him to be able to train at Queens Park Rangers on a Tuesday evening each week. These training sessions eventually led to him signing as an apprentice. When he was 16 he made his first team debut for the club against Liverpool in the first division, since that time he had won 13 international caps. However, professional football did not give him much time for his pigeons and he said that it was only thanks to several good­hearted local fanciers who helped him by often taking his clocks and his birds that he was able to race at all. However, I am sure, that now that football demands less of Gerry's time, he is now more, Gerry Francis the pigeon fancier. I hope my readers have enjoyed this special walk down memory lane! Gerry is still racing his pigeons with outstanding success and is a great worker for the sport of pigeon racing.

Well that’s it for this week and I must say I’ve really enjoyed that little walk down ‘memory Lane’. If you win and want a write up in this space, contact me on telephone number: 01372 463480 or email me on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT (www.keithmott.com)