A Tribute to Derek Human of Petersfield.

I was very saddened to hear of the passing of my good friend Derek Human at 2.30pm on Monday 10th September. I last saw Derek at the ‘Lion Brewery’ Open Show last Christmas and he told me of his illness, and said he hoped to race his pigeons for the last full season. He had suffered bad health for about a year and being the great pigeon man he was, he managed to race his birds right up to the end with his usual outstanding success. Derek was a great fellow and one of the legends of pigeon racing in the Hampshire area. Condolences to Derek’s family at this very sad time from Betty and myself.

Derek and I go back many years, starting in the early 1980’s when he had his wins in the Central Southern Classic Flying Club and he came to my home in Claygate to have his young bird champions photographed, and I covered his successes in the fancy press. Derek was a very likable guy, who had always got a smile on his face and along with his pigeon racing son, Adrian, was always up for a laugh. I for one was over the moon to hear the great news that he had won the greatest prize in long distance pigeon racing in the 2007 season, 1st open NFC Tarbes Grand National and did it in fantastic style. His wonderful champion, ‘Any Distance’, won 1st open Tarbes (540 miles) with 3,477 birds competing and won the strong Section B. by 133 y.p.m. clear. A brilliant performance at the highest level! This game five year old Cattrysse blue chequer hen was sent to Tarbes feeding a nine day old youngster and has won a NFC Certificate of Merit Award, previously winning: 8th section, 70th open NFC Bordeaux and 11th section, 71st open NFC Pau. Champion ‘Any Distance’ has had a brilliant racing career, winning other premier positions including: 1st. section, 16th. open NFC Chale, 15th section, 251st open NFC Fougeres and 19th setion, 369th open NFC Sennon Cove. A champion racer in the truest sence of the word, winning at at the very highest level and as her name surgesses, at any distance! Derek said she was sent to Tarbes in her favourite nest condition, feeding a baby, and the squeaker she was feeding when she won the National was donated to the NFC Young Bird Auction and raised £470 for the club. In the early part of the season she was seperated from her mate to hold her moult and then was sent to the very hard Central Southern Classic Flying Club Cholet race, where she scored in the first few in the open result, and then was repaired so she had a youngster for the Tarbes National.

Derek started up with pigeons at the age of 13 and his first loft was an old chicken shed. His first club was the old Alton club and won his first race from Guernsey, which he thought was a good performance because he beat the great Frank Jarvis of Selbourne. Derek had been in the sport of pigeon racing over 60 years and told me his ambishion had always been to win the NFC Grand National. Many years ago he was a great friend of the NFC Pau winner, Les Davenport, and he got Derek going in pigeons with advice and six gift young birds. Those six birds were the base of the Human loft today! In those days Derek ran the NFC clock station at the ‘King’s Head’ public house in Alton and he told me the clock station had five National winners there when it was running. Several generations of the Human family have raced pigeons with outstanding success in the Hampshire arera for many years. My ol’ friend, Derek, must have one of the best racing records in Classic and National in the south of England, including 1st open NFC Tarbes. His son, Adrian, has had brilliant success racing pigeons at his own address and of course raced his famous champion, ‘Ransdean Reliance’, to his loft in Petersfield. Derek Human RIP.

KEITH MOTT (SEPTEMBER 2018).