THE RACING PIGEON 27 OCTOBER 2023
15
article on July 31st, the opening day of the biggest artillery barrage ever seen and 106 years on that word ‘Passchendaele’ still conjures in our minds, images of desolation, snapped trees and endless shell craters. The words “Did we send our men into that!” quoted by a senior British staff officer surveying the sodden battlefield for the first time are well known to us and although the words are likely apocryphal, they do seem- ingly capture the futility of the campaign where thousands disappeared in the waist high mud of the Ypres salient. The three month campaign yielded a five mile advance at a cost of a sobering 275 thousand allied casualties, tragically many remain in the fields of West Flanders, inscribed eternally at both the Menin Gate and Tyne Cot Cemetery as Missing in Action with no known grave. We will remember them. C L Elmes
previous club winner from Huntingdon, Jose Teixeira, in the Fed last week, splits Alan’s pair today with another fine performance from one of his own collection of various strains, words spoken from the man himself. Well done again Jose. Moving onto our old bird result where we were to have some success this week with Tony Brewster racing in partnership with his father as T & K Brewster. The pair have cracked it says John taking both 1st & 2nd positions with their strong, consistent and finest Staf Van Reets hailing from their established team. Well done again boys. Author John and wife Tina are just about hanging in there in 3rd place, once again timing in one of their ultra reliable blue Vandenabeele cocks bred from original Colin Mann of Hockley stock. Appreciate the kind words and best regards to you John. In addition to our Fed winners remarks today, coincidentally I began writing this
bronze, his first arrival of 33 sent, a Derek Nicholls Jelle Jellema chequer hen landing on the boards a minute earlier but two miles shorter, giving the Friday night BBQ chef 3rd with 1240. Well done and thank you Bernie, as well as you Steve as always. Onward to the capital of this fantastic county and my good friend and no nonsense contributor John Payne. Representing the strong Chelmsford City out in the wild west John writes, once again the young bird contingent struggled with poor returns with less than half reported home on the day. Fortunately, birds did continue to make it home later on into the weekend. There was a change in order this week with the YB race and it was the YB team of Alan (Mr & Mrs) Hills who would prevail. You will not keep a good man down for long adds John and our winners are shaping up nicely to take both 1st & 3rd with their team of Fred Harnett superstars. Our
Heremans-Ceusters which I purchased as a batch of six from Irelands Wayne Doonan of Cock Crow Lofts. This cock won many posi- tions for me when racing South Road with my nephew Martin in the Thames NEC. The dam is a Lambrecht x Van Reet bred by Pat from the McFadden cock, winner of 1st Open Combine Bergerac and the only day bird in the club when paired to a chequer pied hen called ‘Wasted Talent’, 2x5th Section MNFC and a double MNFC award winner bred and raced by Ian Wheatley racing as Heston & Wheatley. Runner up at the Ramsden Rabble is our underage drinker Mick Smith, sneaking in the bar once again to collect the club silver medal, the Wetherby Fed winner from the beginning of the month times in at 3 minutes past 11 with one of his Heremans-Ceusters doing so well for the fancier this season and today racing his 109 miles at 1254. Club 2 I/C and future successor Marcin Grzedowicz snatches
The next Racing Pigeon Pictorial International No 601 ONLY avaiLabLe FROM THe RP at www.racingpigeon.co.uk or phone 01206 250880
Racing Pigeon Pictorial international No 601 features… Stephen Reynaerts • Williams Brothers, Son & Burgham Well-Being of Racing Pigeons During Transport, Unloading and in the Home Loft John & Richard Turnell • Mariusz Sorokosz Chris Grima & John Camilleri
Subscription rates one year (4 copies) – including postage: • UK £25 • Europe £35 • Rest of the World £40
PRICE £6.95 INCLUDING P&P FROM THE RACING PIGEON – WWW.RACINGPIGEON.CO.UK Available on subscription from The RP, online edition also available as Apps for iPad and iPhone.
SUSSEX NORTH ROAD FEDERATION
his pigeons come from Louella and this one was from his good Jan Hooymans pair. Third Alan Still, this white hen bird has previously won 1st Club 1st Southampton NR Fed and is a Dirk Van Den Bulck x Reynaert ‘Figo’ lines x ‘Pitbull’. Last in from Eastbourne , that’s because I was at the Amex watching the football. First in was Doug Grant, 2nd M & J Stewart, 3rd Husband and wife team of John & Barbara Denison, 4th Colin & Darren Harding, 5th Mick & John Stewart, 6th Bill Gardiner & Family. Come on Eastbourne, if you don’t let me know any details, I can’t publish them can I. Early Fed result: 1st Doug Grant, Pevensey Bay 1448.981; 2nd M & J Stewart, Hastings 1442.884; 3rd J & B Denison, Pevensey Bay 1408.356; 4th Andy Richardson, Bishopstone 1399.550; 5th C J Harding & Son, Guestling 1398.039; 6th M & J Stewart, Hastings 1394.084; 7th W Gardiner & Family, Seaford 1393.371; 8th W Gardiner & Family, Seaford 1393.371; 9th Andy Richardson, Bishopstone 1392.788; 10th Sullivan Bros & Bigwood, Brighton 1391.882. Well done all. Don’t forget to get those details and photos to me as soon as possible, so that I can get them into the paper at the earliest chance, to jonkwalls@gmail.com. Keep flying. Wallsy!
Upper Heyford 26/8/23 Been a good week down here on the South Coast, the sunshine coast as it is affection- ately known, although you wouldn’t think so when the rain comes, there seems no happy medium in the weather these days, so make hay whilst the sun shines, as they say. The birds are at one of our favourite race points this week, Upper Heyford, we like it because of the vast open spaces on this disused airfield, there are no obstacles in the birds way when they are liberated. ith a light west wind and a seemingly clear flight home, the birds were up nice and early at 8,45am, and a fast pace was expected. First in with their result was Andy from Newhaven . First Andy Richardson with a white grizzle hen, lost her cock from last week’s race whilst they were sitting eggs. So came off them midweek. Maybe she was hoping he would be home when she returned. Bred by Tony Jeffrey who sadly is not flying youngsters this year. Second Andy Richardson with a blue hen bred by Bob Kirby of Somerset through a good friend Wesley Selway. Also winning the pool money. Thrid Andy Richardson with another lovely blue hen bred again by Bob Kirby 4th
Third Ian Fleet on 1334 with a Bill Gardner blue cock. Fourth Lee & Kieran Norris on 1322 with a blue chequer ‘Kittle’ cock bred by Justin Cheeseman. Fifth Frazier & Kirby on 1312 with a Bill Gardner mealy hen. Sixth Frazier & Kirby on 1300 with a Bill Gardner mealy cock. First to let me know their result was Terry from Shoreham . In 1st place was our Fed Chairman Roy Underdown, Roy’s blue cock bird was home in less than two and a half hours. The next five places all went to Terry Pay. Second Van Loon grizzle, 3rd a blue out of John Weldon’s Ceusters crossed with a pigeon Terry purchased from Who Dares Wins, 4th a chequer cock out of a Dave Bridger of Littlehampton hen, 5th is a chequer w/f hen out of another one Terry purchased from Who Dares Wins auctions x Ceusters, 6th is a grizzle cock out of Terry’s grizzle Van Loons x Ceusters. Next in is Dave Bridger from Littlehampton RPC . Danny Porter 1st, 5th & 6th, finally got the young bird win after being 2nd every week, 1st, 5th & 6th were direct YBs off Darren May and are all direct May Pigeon family lines. Second was Martin (Toddy) Slade, with a blue bar cock. A lot of
Doug Grant, Upper Heyford winner.
Andy Richardson blue hen of Andys own stock. Next in was Barry from Brighton & District . First Brian & Kath Chapman on 1370 with a blue chequer Janssen hen. Second Lee & Kieran Norris on 1348 with a Formula 1 Frans Zwols blue chequer cock.
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator