THE RACING PIGEON 29 MARCH 2024
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LINCOLNSHIRE LONDONER Freddie & Keith Dawkins Stratford (East London North Road) and Plaistow
you had to get the rubber off your bird and run to the club to get it timed in. Back then there were many more fanciers than today and as such, when you left the house you would encounter many other pigeon men all running like the clappers in the same direc- tion. The thought of that made me think that must have all been part of the excitement
Back in 2021 and still living in Chingford, I had the great pleasure of interviewing Freddie and Keith Dawkins and it was very sad to read on the London North Road WhatsApp group that on 19th March, Freddie had passed away. Freddie was a true gentleman and a cockney boy through and through. He welcomed me into his home
A young Keith with dad Freddie from yesteryear.
the garden he did at one time keep Fantails. Freddie tells me that he would come home from work sometimes on a Saturday ready for when the race birds would be due home and Keith’s Fantails would be strutting round the garden. I asked him if he swore and a look out of the corner of his eye at Keith and a wry smile answers that question for me! Freddie and Keith’s successes over the years has not just been consistent, it has been consistently phenomenal. The only place to start unpicking their vast catalogue of results would really have to be with a pigeon that Freddie has pointed out as being his favourite, 1998 Hall of Fame winner, ‘Marathon Lady’. I have included a picture of ‘Marathon Lady’ who not only appeared on the front cover of the Racing Pigeon
the panier. They would then be loaded onto the train and taken out to Bishop Stortford for a training toss. No easy thing for a young lad but clearly, it was in his blood and the commitment to carry on his father’s legacy
The John Bull in Roman Road.
and fun and even if your bird had arrived home in good time I can only suppose that if you couldn’t run like a greyhound than it didn’t really count for much on the day. Thank god with the radiuses we have now we don’t have to do that as I am definitely no Mo Farah! Sadly, when Freddie was 12 years old, Mr Dawkins senior passed away and the loft management and everything else that goes with sport was handed lock stock and barrel to a young Freddie to look after and take care of. This would have been back around the mid 1940’s when Freddie recalls that he would ride his bike to the overground train station at either Bow or Stratford with a basket of pigeons strapped behind him on
and made me feel incredibly at home on that day not ever having met me previously. My lack of knowledge in many areas of the sport back then did not deter him from openly talking to me, neither did it stop him from sharing with me his most memorable and special achievements in the sport. I was truly privileged and humbled by him and upon hearing the sad news of his passing felt it only fitting to have my interview with Fred and racing partner son Keith told again. To a great man: The father and son Dawkins duo have been described to me by a number of pigeon lovers as the best all round flyers in this region and after speaking with them and going through their history of racing over the years, I can well understand why! The following article will hopefully also give you an insight into why that is and by the end, I think you will pretty much agree that it is a well-deserved reputation. Their remarkable record from club level up to NRCC level is more than worthy of acknowl- edgement and a trophy cabinet that is an enviable one. Born into pigeon racing in London’s East End, Freddie’s dad raced in the Bow club that would meet in the John Bull pub in the Roman Road. Run by the Taylor and Walker Brewery back then it is now described on the web as one of London’s historical public houses and was built around 1848. Sadly, like so many pubs and pigeon clubs now, it has closed its doors and, although the building still stands, no longer serves the ales and beers of yesteryear. Mr Dawkins senior started out with a team of Stassart pigeons that he bought from the late great Alf Baker and as I sit and listen to Freddie talk about the old times, I can’t help but picture the scene. He tells me about there only being one clock that was kept at the club and when your birds arrived home
‘Grange Pride’.
has certainly paid off since then over the years. In 1960, Freddie moved to Plaistow where he continued to race his pigeons. This is the same address he races to today with his son Keith. Keith tells me that even though he, like his dad, was born with racing pigeons in
International Pictorial for the achievements that are listed but she also went on to win the London North Road (LNR) Thurso Combine and the Essex, Kent and London North Road Amalgamation Thurzo Combine. In addition to this, she continued to win multiple club and Federation races. A lovely grizzle hen with the Alf Baker Stassart bloodline running through her incredible veins. Another bird that holds a pride of place position in the Dawkins loft is ‘Alfie’. ‘Alfie’ is a chequer cock which is an (Alf Baker) Stassart cross (Jutler Brothers) Leo Hereman. As a baby he didn’t shine in the results but more than made up for it as a yearling by taking a 6th Open Combine posi- tion from Kelso in 2015 as well as winning the Essex and London Amalgamation out of Freddie sharing his champagne with ‘Grange Pride’ in 1976 to celebrate his LNR Morpeth Combine win from 8,000 birds.
A blast from the past newspaper cutting kept by Freddie and Keith. From left: Peter Robinson, Micky Connolly (4th Combine), Pat Sweeney and the successful partnership of Keith & Freddie Dawkins.
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