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A TRIBUTE TO DICK CHITTY OF KINGS LANGLEY by Keith Mott

A TRIBUTE TO DICK CHITTY OF KINGS LANGLEY.

The Chitty Brothers partnership have premier pigeon racers in the London area for many years and I was very sad to get a phone call from my friend, Terry Haley, informing me that Dick Chitty had passed away on 15th January, aged 77 years old. He was a lovely man and always had a smile on his face, and his real name was Malcolm, but known as Dick to all. Dick was a winner all his pigeon racing life and started off in the sport in partnership with his father, Alf Chitty. He had a garage business for most of his working life, but in later life worked as a gardener and worked right up to a week before his passing. Dick loved sport and was a very good footballer and darts player when he was a young man. With the sad passing of Dick Chitty the sport of pigeon racing has lost another of it’s great champions!

Brian and Dick had been racing in their present Chitty Brothers partnership since 1986 and had been premier prize winners in the local club and Federation many times. They told me their best NFC position was 12th open; they had won the L&SECC twice and had won 1st open Combine eight times. The best pigeon in the loft in recent years was the dark widowhood cock, ‘Geraldine’s Lad’, and he had won over £2,000 in Nation races. Some of the Chitty Brother’s best racers in recent seasons have been: ‘Geraldine’s Lad’, winner of 2004: 1st club, 1st Federation Tours, 2005: 59th open NFC St. Nazaire (8696 birds), 2006: 125th open NFC Sennen Cove (5350 birds), 2007: 24th open NFC Alencon (6079 birds). This champion dark chequer cock won over £2,000 racing! ‘Rucklers Express’, winner of 1st club, 1st Federation, 1st open UBI Combine Lessay. ‘Pam’s Girl’, 2007: 38th open L&SECC Guernsey, 2008: 46th open NFC Alencon winning £1,444, 14th open NFC Angers winning £170. ‘Dick’s Choice’, 2008: 12th open NFC Alencon winning £980, 71st open NFC Angers winning £1,237, 348th open NFC Fougeres (9435 birds). ‘Brian’s Lad’, 2008: 65th open NFC Angers. ‘The Allport Cock’, 2006: 1st open L&SECC Exeter (1,154 birds).

The brothers were born in Hemel Hampstead, Hertfordshire, but lived most of their lives in Kings Langley and started their involvement with the pigeons in 1954, when Brian was 13 years old. At that time their father kept rabbits and a stray pigeon was found wandering around the hutches, and the brother caught it and started their pigeon racing story. They were helped in the beginning by a fancier who lived in their street by the name of Mick Hill and he gave them their first stock birds. Brian and Dick had good success in their first club, the Hemel Hempstead NR Club, and Dick told me if his memory serves him well, they won their first race from Dorchester in 1956, and it was bad day weather wise, but won the race by 20 minutes. Brian has always been interested in sport and when he was a young man competed in cross country running races and was very interested in Football and Boxing. Dick remembered that the brother’s first 12ft x 6ft loft was self-built from scrapes of wood and recycled chicken sheds and in the mid 1950’s the local fancy was dominated by two great pigeon racers named, Charlie Farnes and Cox Brothers. He recalled their biggest mistake in the early days was excepting gift birds from local fancier at the end of the year, which were their none performers that season and throw outs. But having said that Dick told me he was from a big family and money was very tight, so beggars could not be choosers when it came to obtaining their pigeons. One of the brother’s best racers was the old 1987 cock, ‘Mulle’, and he recorded some wonderful positions from Nantes, including 14th open NFC Nantes (10,308 birds), 52nd open NFC Nantes and won over £3,000. The brothers told me their most thrilling races were winning the two L&SECC young bird races and recording 52nd open NFC Nantes in their very first National event.  Brian is a retired milkman, serving 37 years in the job and Dick was a self-employed gardener, but for most of his working life had his own Garage business.

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The brilliant Hertfordshire partnership of Brian and Dick Chitty have enjoyed some outstanding seasons right up to 2023 racing in the Inter Counties Federation, including eight times 1st open Combine. Brian and Dick had yet another excellent racing season in 2019 winning several first including: 1st club, 4th Federation, 4th UBI Combine Le Mans, 5th, 18th section, 13th, 27th open NFC Cholet (winning £700), 4th section, 5th open BICC Falaise (2,546 birds), 21st, 46th section, 64th, 137th open NFC Coutances (3,246 young birds). A brilliant loft performance! I visited the brother’s loft in Kings Langley at the end of their very successful 2016 racing season and they had won many premier positions with their old and young birds. The day before my visit Brian and Dick had won 1st club, 2nd Inter Counties Federation, 3rd UBI Combine Honiton (1,404 birds) with a young blue cock driving to nest and had won the very strong Boxmoor club by about eight minutes. Dick Chitty RIP.

KEITH MOTT (17th January 2024)