Harkness and Ferguson Article by Steven Dalgliesh

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Newcastleton part 2
The partnership of Harkness & Ferguson comprised Dickie Harkness and George Ferguson.

George Ferguson
George had kept pigeons since 1929 and he and Dickie entered partnership in 1946 when Dickie was demobbed from the Forces.   The partners won from the outset and as the years rolled by, made a considerable impression in the Solway Federation.   With friendship abounding in the village, the pigeons that they gifted to the new partnership were bred from the best in the loft and the Chequer hen, which was incidentally rung ‘6500’, immediately showed character to identify her as ‘something different’.   In those days Jack Wylie worked on the railway and was a member of the Railway Fur and Feather Club, which enabled him to work the birds regularly from Shap or Appleby on the railway.   Willie John Little, to whom I previously referred, attended at the loft to watch the birds home and was so impressed with the hen as he observed her return that he confidently predicted she would score prominently with the National.   In 1964 she had four club races from Leyland, Newton le Willows, Cannock and Cheltenham before being entered from the channel.   The partners decided to send her to the S.N.F.C. Blue Riband event, which was flown from Rennes with a convoy of 5,537 birds being liberated at 5.35am into a N.E. wind, with the hen being timed at 7.24pm to win the National.   She recorded a velocity of 1,044ypm and was a clear winner of the race, in actual fact several North of England organisations competed from Rennes the same day and she was the only pigeon competing from the race point that day that recorded a velocity in excess of 1,000ypm.   The National winner was named ‘Blue Blitz’.
On the day following the race Jack Wylie had a visit from Jim Halliday from Brydekirk who congratulated him on his achievement, being the probable winner of the race.   More importantly Jim expressed concern that reports suggested that the clock had not arrived at the National clock station for checking. The clock had been sent to Glasgow by rail and Jack went to the local Station Master, who phoned Waverly Station Edinburgh to confirm that the clock had been received and had been re-routed to Glasgow.   The Station Master then checked with Glasgow, the clock was located and passed to the S.N.F.C. Officials for checking.   When Jim Halliday told me the story of his visit that day he said he was allowed to handle ‘Blue Blitz’, she was a lovely pigeon with a serrated eye and considering her performance only hours before, was in superb condition.   Importantly he also viewed the team of Harkness & Ferguson during the same visit and was greatly impressed indeed he said that the Sire of ‘Blue Blitz’ was the best pigeon he had ever seen.   In 1965 ‘Blue Blitz’ had three inland races and scored twice in the Fed.   She then competed again from Rennes with the convoy on this occasion being liberated at 6.15am and she was timed at 7.14pm.   In a close knit community there was much excitement in the village with a number of neighbours standing in the street to see her come.   This super pigeon came so very, very close to winning the event for a second time but after some deliberation was placed 2nd Open.   ‘Blue Blitz’ recorded velocity of 1073.94ypm and was beaten by ‘Sky Queen’ owned, by Billy Gardiner from Lockerbie, by 0.12 of a yard.   Following the 1965 National this marvellous pigeon was recognised as one of the all-time great pigeons and Mrs.Shillinglaw and Jack Wylie received several offers to sell her.   At the Solway Federation Show in 1965, Jack was approached by a representative of Louis Massarella, who offered the partners a ‘blank cheque’ to part with her.   They were not tempted, however and said that the pigeon would remain at Newcastleton for the rest of her life.
There is no doubting the wisdom of their decision because ‘Blue Blitz’ proved to be a truly magical stock pigeon and left countless winners.   Consider, for example, ‘Blue Booster’ that scored several times from the channel including being 1st Section, 1st Open Solway Federation and 1st South of Scotland Channel Club Avranches, 1972.   This cock was sired by a cock direct from ‘Blue Blitz’ and looked the part.   Dickie Graham was an acknowledged Eye Sign expert and said it had the best eye he had ever seen.   The success went on year after year with a procession of good performances from the line into the original loft.   In 1978 the partners recorded their second National win when they were 1st Open S.N.F.C. Falaise with Blue Chequer cock ‘Blue Boy’ that was bred by Joe Bainbridge from Carlisle.   Regrettably, however, Mrs. Shillinglaw died in 1979, which caused jack Wylie to move the loft into a fenced paddock immediately next to the loft of Harkness & Ferguson.
In 1982, Jack made history by becoming the first loft to win the Rennes National twice.   A convoy of 5,983 pigeons were liberated at 5.45am following a two day holdover.   The wind was light S.W., which grew stronger as the day progressed.   Jack Wylie timed at 5.06pm but was once more involved in a very close result as a pigeon had been timed into Selkirk that was calculated to be on the same yard as the Newcastleton pigeon and it was decided that the two lofts would be re-measured before a result was published.   It was eventually announced that Jack Wylie had won the National on 1269.38ypm beating a Mealy hen timed by R. Pringle, which recorded a velocity of 1269.35ypm.   Jack Wylie’s 1982 winner was 1980 Red Pied Cock ‘Liddle Supreme’.

‘Liddle Supreme’
Whilst the Sire was introduced from T.Blackburn and J.Thomas from Dearham, near Maryport, the Dam was from the loft’s established family and was an outstanding competitor.   She was a Blue Chequer hen that was 10th South of Scotland Channel Club Lymington, 22nd Section 129th Open Rennes, 3rd Section 12th Open Rennes and 1st Section 8th Open Rennes.   The Chequer hen was sired by a direct son of ‘Blue Blitz’ with the consequence that the 1982 winner was indeed a great grandson of the 1964 winner.   On build up to the race the Red Pied cock was the fifth bird to the loft from Bamber Bridge, first pigeon to the loft from Appleton, second pigeon to the loft from Stafford and first pigeon to the loft from Cheltenham gaining 1st Club 1st Federation.   His eggs hatched on the day of basketing for the Classic and he went to the race with his second flight fully grown.   There is a further story to tell because on the day of the race Jack sat with George Ferguson awaiting arrivals and around 5pm he and George decided to go for a walk down to the river.   As they walked George enquired if Jack had the Red cock away as he had just seen a Red pigeon drop at the loft.   Jack hurried back to the paddock and timed the pigeon and the rest is history.   At the ensuing Prize Presentation he was presented with the famous trophies associated with the race including the Gold Cup and King George V Cup.   In former years the Constitution of the S.N.F.C. was so worded that any fancier winning the Gold Cup twice would be allowed to keep it.   At that time, several fanciers had come ever so close to winning the Cup twice including Shllinglaw and Wylie who were 1st and 2nd Open, beaten on the second occasion by a decimal point.   The Constitution was subsequently modified, however, whereby the Cup would become a perpetual trophy and would for all time remain the property of the Club.   When Jack Wylie won the Rennes Classic for second time, the S.N.F.C.  Committee agreed that Jack should receive a special prize in recognition of his achievement and further agreed that he would be consulted to establish what prize he preferred.   On April 24th 1983, a Young Bird Sale was held in Brydekirk Village Hall to raise money for the S.N.F.C. Medical Research Fund with the objective of purchasing a Morgan Data Tec Computer.   S.N.F.C. President, Percy Cameron, auctioned the pigeons following which he called Jack Wylie forward and presented to him an inscribed Gold Wrist Watch in recognition of him being the first fancier to win the S.N.F.C. Gold Cup race twice.

Jack Wylie (left) and Keith Mott
Some weeks after ‘Liddle Supreme’ won the National I took a phone call from a fancier in England enquiring if I would ask Jack Wylie’s if he would sell him a pair of youngsters.   I said that I’d pass the message on but cautioned the fancier that Jack didn’t sell pigeons.   Nonetheless I spoke to Jack and some weeks later he called me to say that the fancier from South of the Border had visited his home that day.   Jack said that he’d taken the pair of youngsters from below the National winner and handed them to the visitor.   The man responded “wait a minute, how much are you wanting for them”.   Jack replied, “I’m gifting them to you, I’ve never sold a pigeon in my life and I’ve no intention of starting now, take them and I hope they do you some good”.   I never reported the story at the time because if I had, he would have been the softest touch in the country but to those who knew him, it was typical of him, as he was a real gentleman.
Over the ensuing years the success story continued unabated … consider 1982 Blue Cock ‘4320’ that was 5th Section 35th Open Rennes 1985, 5th Section 6th Open Nantes 1986, 12th Section 23rd Open Nantes 1987 and 5th Section 12th Open Nantes 1988.   He was again entered from Rennes in 1989 but arrived home very badly injured having been hit by a hawk and was thereafter retired to stock.   The Sire of ‘4320’ was a g.g.s. on ‘Blue Booster’, whilst the Dam was a grand-daughter of the good Chequer hen the Dam of the 1982 Rennes winner.   Another example was  a 2 y.o. Blue Chequer hen that was 2nd Open Sartilly National 1990, she was bred from another Chequer hen that was 4th Section 13th Open Sartilly, the Sire of which was a grandson of ‘Blue Booster’ and a grandson also of the good Chequer hen, that bred ‘Liddle Supreme’ the 1982 Rennes winner.   The Sire of the 2nd Open Sartilly was in turn sired by 1982 Blue cock ‘4320’, to which I referred.
Photos

George Ferguson
Jack Wylie and Keith Mott
Shillinglaw and Wylie BlueBlitz 
and Jack Wylies Red Pied Liddle Supreme-Sounds Moffat