Article by Steven Dalgliesh

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Newcastleton final part

Harkness & Ferguson, meanwhile, were 1st Open Y.B. National 1975 with Blue Chequer hen ‘Copshaw Lass’, the name being appropriate as the local name for Newcastleton is Copshaw Holm.   The Y.B. National winner was bred from a Red Hen and a Chequer cock.   The Red Hen contained the loft’s established bloodlines and the Chequer cock was bred from a Blue cock when coupled to a Black Hen.   The Blue cock was bred by Tom Pooley from Cockermouth whilst the Black Hen was bred from ‘Blue Blitz’ when coupled to her own Sire.   In 1975 also, Harkness & Ferguson were 9th Open SNFC Nantes with a hen bred from the same Black hen and were 9th Section 15th Open Rennes with another hen from the same line.   I was told that the family housed by Harkness and Ferguson had evolved from such well-known lines as Logan, Sharrock, Leishman Brothers, Cram of Dunblane, Bob Locke of Longtown, Charlie Ironside of Aberdeen and Tom Pooley from Cockermouth.   George Ferguson unfortunately died in 1984 and the loft title was changed to R.Harkness and Son.  Whilst Dickie’s son, Easton took an interest in the pigeons he resided in England and had no practical involvement.    In 1988 a convoy of 3,490 pigeons competed from Rennes with the convoy being liberated at 6.15am into a light N.E.wind.   The event proved difficult with nine pigeons only making home on the day of liberation.   ‘Lofty’ and Gordon Grant timed into Gretna at 8.28pm to win the National, closely followed by Dickie Harkness who timed into Newcastleton at 9.01pm to be 2nd Open on 975ypm.   The 2nd Open pigeon was a 1983 Blue hen that was bred from a Dark cock obtained from Tom Pooley when coupled to a Red hen, which was a grand-daughter of ‘Blue Blitz’.    I must add that the 2nd Open Rennes pigeon was 2nd Fed. as a youngster, was 3rd Section 9th Open Sartilly 1985, 21st Section 185th Open Sartilly 1986 and of course 2nd Open Rennes 1988.
We now move forward to 1998….   Dickie Harkness served in the Commandoes during the War and was unfortunately very badly injured when parachuting into Europe, suffering ankle fractures.   In the middle of a battlefield there was nothing for it but to get up and go on and as the years advanced he suffered dreadfully from his wartime injuries, walking with great difficulty.   The extent of his disability coupled with  failing health was such that he was not at the loft from November 1997 through to the pigeons going to the 1998 Rennes Classic and in his absence, over all these months, the birds were cared for by Jack Wylie.   A convoy of 3,019 birds competed from Rennes, being liberated by Convoyer Tom McEwan at 5.45am following a two day holdover.   The race proved to be very successful, indeed Doug Went suggested in his column in The RP that it was the most successful Classic race of the season.   Once more the village of Newcastleton was on everyone’s lips with the race being won by Dickie Harkness on 1,261ypm from 491miles.

Dickie Harkness ‘Jack’s Boy’ 1st Open Rennes National 1998
The National winner was a 3 y.o. Mealy cock that was across the channel for the first time.   He was unraced as a youngster, indeed he was lost off the loft roof when only a baby and returned the following March having been away for 9 months.   He was immediately put on the road and was in fact the first bird to the loft from his first race.   He thereafter raced through the programme to Worcester and to Cheltenham as a 2 y.o.   Prior to competing from Rennes in 1998 he had five Inland races from Leyland, Appleton, Stafford, Cheltenham and Frome.   He was thereafter set down for the Rennes National being basket trained from Little Corby on the Saturday and Sunday before basketing for the Classic.   He went to the National covering eight day eggs with his second flight one quarter grown.  Having explained the original composition of the loft, it should be noted that further lines had been introduced into the shed including the Kirkpatrick’s of John McGillivray and John Carmichael, these being obtained from Jimmy Millar from Earlston.   The Mealy cock contained the loft’s established bloodlines including an influence of the Kirkpatrick’s.    It should be further noted that the Mealy cock went to the race paired to his own g.g. Dam, which was the 2nd Open Rennes Hen.   The 1998 winner could therefore be traced right back to the immortal ‘Blue Blitz’ to continue the Magical line.    In appreciation of Jack Wylie’s assistance with the management of the pigeon it was named ‘Jack’s Boy’.   Having previously said that due to his injuries and failing health, Dickie had not been at the loft from November through to the pigeons going to the Rennes Classic, pleasingly he felt well enough to go to the back door of the family home and see the Mealy cock arrive home from Rennes.   He was subsequently in good enough health to attend the S.N.F.C. Prize Presentation and with immense pride saw his son, Easton, collect the famous Gold Cup and King George V Cup.

In time both Jack Wylie and Dickie Harkness parted with their pigeons due to predators in the hills around them and the community of Newcastleton became but a memory in our hobby.   On the night of the 1998 presentation I made comment to Jack Wylie that it was really kind of him to care for Dickie’s pigeons when he was unable to care for them himself.   Jack replied “that’s what friends are for” and these words encapsulate the friendship that abounded in the village of Copshaw Holm at that time.

Photos
Dickie Harkness' Jack's Boy
Dickie and Son Easton