WP Wortley Jottings

[sapper756]

Copied from Facebook 

Welcome to 2025 folks....here's more of WP Wortleys jottings on Dumfries....
Its a bit of a long yin.....but a good yin.

Alec Anderson
Within a recent composition I made reference to Alec Anderson who was a very able fancier and at different times competed in Dumfries Social Circle, Dumfries Flying Club and the Nith Valley Clubs.    The following is an extract from an article that I compiled on Alex some forty years ago following an interview with him after he and his good lady were 2nd Section 4th Open from the Inland National from Hastings.   
Alec Anderson kept pigeons from schoolboy years and joined Dumfries Social Circle in 1937.   At that time the ‘Social Circle was in its infancy, having just been formed.   Dumfries and Maxwelltown H.S. was in existence at the time but was in decline and was actually disbanded in 1938.   Alec’s pre-war memories of the pigeon fancy were more about the characters and personalities who coloured the pigeon scene rather than his personal pigeon experiences.   He joined the Forces in 1941 and during his time away from home his younger brother, Andy, cared for the pigeons.   Andy was at school but nevertheless built up an impressive loft of pigeons.   During various leaves from the Forces Alec had seen the pigeons and eagerly anticipated demob in 1948 to enable him to work the team.   Disappointment was to result, however, as the brothers experienced the first of three break-ins.   The loft was decimated as all but three of the birds were stolen.   They were traced by the police to a local poulterer and the culprit who stole them was fined £5.   During the War, Andy had moved the loft onto an allotment and it had only been there a year when the birds were stolen.   Alec told me, however, that the allotment was a grand place to house pigeons and although vulnerable to cats, the birds enjoyed relative contentment and space.   At that time Dumfries Social Circle was not a permanent member of the Solway Federation, having previously been a member and then withdrawn.   When they were not competing with the Solway Federation they had their birds convoyed by Ballochmyle Federation.   Alec told me that he could recollect batches of birds crossing Dumfries to make their way up the Nith Valley into Ayrshire and as they made their way over the town, birds dropped out to local fanciers.   He felt that racing with Ballochmyle Fed. encouraged the Dumfries birds to overfly.   I learned that Dumfries Social Circle was a member Club of the Solway Federation on several occasions and around 1951 joined once more and thereafter remained a member.   Reminiscing, Alec told me that in those days the Dumfries fanciers trained by bicycle, from Glencaple and Caerlaverock.   They then trained to Southerness on the bus and thereafter to Carlisle and Silloth by train.   Even in those days he and his brother had their sights set on channel racing but in retrospect he believed they lacked knowledge and experience on setting them up, giving them every inland  race.   The Federation Open race was flown from Guernsey and he could recollect bringing his clock to Annan to have it read and John Kirkpatrick striking it off with a chronometer.   As we talked he made reference to the fact that only a few Dumfries fanciers competed from the Nationals.   He said that “no more than six Dumfries fanciers competed from any National event and when a local fancier scored, however remote, it was a great occasion and everyone knew about it”.   He spoke admiringly about several of the fanciers who at that time, competed from the Classics into Dumfries including Moff Kirkpatrick, Geordie Kerr and Cairns Brothers & Sloan. 
During the 1940’s and early 1950’s the Social Circle was the only Club in Dumfries, attracting members from a wide catchment area.   In the early 1950’s there were rumblings of discontent in the Club due to some of the members believing they were flying to a disadvantage because of their loft location in such a big Club.   Alec Anderson and Sandy Walker believed, therefore, that the time was opportune to create a second Club in the town.   They discussed the matter with other like-minded fanciers and as a result, Dumfries Flying Club was formed, the members utilising a room below the Waverley Hotel as their Head Quarters.   The original Club had eleven members with Alec Anderson becoming President, a position he held for several years.   When Sandy Walker, the Club Secretary emigrated to Australia, Alec then assumed the responsibility of Secretary for some twelve years.   It should be noted also that he was additionally Clock Convenor for twelve years for the West Section of the Federation. 
In the initial set of Rules published when the Federation was formed it was stated that it be divided into East and West Sections by a boundary line drawn between Kirkconnel and Southerness.    In the early 1950’s Dumfries fanciers fought to have the line, dividing the East and West Sections moved or modified.   In 1954 the line was moved, whereby the Dumfries Clubs and all Clubs West of Dumfries were included in the West Section of the Federation.  
In the 1950’s the National pigeons were race marked at Glasgow and Edinburgh and Alec told me how inconvenient it was at the time, transporting the birds to Central Scotland.   He told me that he could recollect getting a car himself in 1953 and “what a difference it made to his personal situation”.   In 1953 also, Alec’s brother, Andy, emigrated to New Zealand and whilst Alex continued to compete under the loft title ‘Anderson Brothers, the name was changed to Mr. & Mrs. Anderson when he moved residence to Broomlands Drive in Dumfries.   Mrs. Anderson patiently accepted the pigeons at the new address and in time assisted at the loft.   Unfortunately in the late 1970’s, Mrs. Anderson suffered a heart attack in the loft, which restricted her participation but given time she was back amongst the birds carrying out simple tasks, for example assisting to exercise the team.   When I spoke to Alex he said “there’s nothing like a woman to quieten and control a loft of pigeons and the birds appeared always to respond”.   Broomlands Drive is on the Maxwelltown side of the River Nith and as a consequence, Mr. & Mrs. Anderson became the shortest measured and most Westerly loft in Dumfries Flying Club.   The highly successful Nith Valley Club was then formed in Dumfries attracting members from the West side of the River Nith and Alec and Mrs. Anderson joined the new Club, importantly retaining their membership of Dumfries F.C. 
I explained that in 1947, Anderson Brothers team was decimated because of a loft break-in.   The partners re-stocked with birds from two lofts; they procured stock from Mr. Jackson from Bridgewater, a retired civil servant and Mr. Reid from York.   The bloodlines were Hansenne x Barker and the two families blended well together.   They performed with distinction Inland and also scored prominently in the Fed. from Guernsey and Dol but Alec felt they could be improved to achieve greater success from the Nationals.   He therefore contemplated a further introduction and in 1959 bought three pigeons from George Jackson from Annan.   Alec actually bought a direct son of George’s noted ‘Wee Geordie’ and on purchasing him, Alex was cautioned not to take it as while ‘Wee Geordie’ was a fabulous racer, George Jackson  felt that he was not ‘producing the goods’ at stock.   Alec felt, however, that the line would produce winners in subsequent generations.   The other two pigeons introduced from George Jackson were sisters of a hen that was subsequently 2nd Open S.N.F.C. Nantes.   At the time, also, Alec introduced stock from S.B. Cooper from Snaith, for which, he never received any breeding details.   The Jackson and Cooper pigeons ‘clicked’ immediately, however and won right out to the Nationals.   Alec also visited Percy Moore, brother in law of John Kirkpatrick and bought Red Cock SURP 64 103214, g.g.son of ‘Galabank Supreme’ and half-brother of ‘Golden Girl’ 4th Section 22nd Open Nantes, having been bred by Percy Moore and raced by Dick Lupton.   ‘103214’ proved to be an absolute Goldmine, it was Sire of ‘7092’ 2nd Section 6th Open Nantes, ‘5053’ 73rd Open Avranches, ‘7000’ 3rd Section 4th Open Fed. Avranches, ‘4439’ 77th Open Avranches, ‘6306’ 29th Open Avranches and ‘57658’ 4th Section 6th Open Fed. Avranches.   ‘103214’ was the grandsire of ‘7108’ 18th Open Avranches, ‘4789’ 261st Open Rennes and 23rd Open Rennes.   ‘7108’, grand-daughter of ‘103214’ was Dam of ‘5161’ 36th Section Avranches and 1st West Section, 1st Open Solway Fed. and 1st West Section 1st Open South of Scotland Channel Club Avranches.   ‘7108’ was also the Dam of ‘986’, which was 21st Section Avranches and 29th Open Falaise all these positions gained with the S.N.F.C.   To ensure the vigour of the family, Alex continued to introduce proven 500 mile bloodlines.  In 1970, for example, he introduced a hen from Matt Jamieson from Annan, direct from ‘Border Star’ the 1969 S.N.F.C. Nantes winner.   This hen left a number of winning pigeons including a hen, which in 1982 was 1st West Section 2nd Open Solway Fed., 1st South of Scotland Channel Club Sartilly.   In 1978 Mr. & Mrs. Anderson also introduced two birds from Thomson Brothers from Annan closely related to their great Kirkpatrick cock ‘Cloggie’s Choice’.
When I spoke to Alec, all those year ago, he told me that one of the best pigeons that he ever owned was a 1947 Janssen x Barker Pied Hen, which apparently had a real ‘keeker’ of an eye.   She won the Club from Guernsey by 2 hours.   On that occasion the birds were convoyed with Ballochmyle, being released at 7am and Alec timed the hen at 6.20pm.   Only one further pigeon was along with it, which was timed into Cumnock at 7.30pm.   On the same day the Solway Fed. competed from the same race-point, being liberated at 9.30am and there were no arrivals on the day.   Several years later a direct daughter of the Pied hen won the Fed. from Dol by 45 minutes and her son was the only bird into Dumfries from Dol and was 4th Open Fed.   A further son won Dumfries F.C. from Dol in 1957.
On entering into the piece concerning Alec Anderson, I explained that he and Mrs. Andeson were 2nd Section 4th Open from the Inland National from Hastings in 1984.   The winning pigeon on that occasion was a 3 y.o. Chequer Pied cock that was 1st West Section Fed. from Appleton by 15 minutes as a youngster.   In 1983 he gained six positions in two Clubs including being 2nd Cheltenham three weeks after he broke his leg.   The Dam was home bred and was a good pigeon in its own right, being 3rd Section Fed. Avranches in 1980 and homing on the day from Nantes in 1984.  It was a Kirkpatrick containing Alec’s original bloodlines x Thomson Brothers.   Sire of the Pied cock was bred by Thomson Brothers and contained the lines of ‘Cloggie’s Choice’.    
Having emigrated to New Zealand in 1953, Alec’s brother, Andy, came back to Scotland for a short time, before emigrating again.   When he was back in Dumfries he re-entered the fancy and working with pigeons obtained from Alec, didn’t half make them ‘go’.   He truly won out of turn in local and National competition and in 1971 scored from every National with his best position being 4th Open S.N.F.C. Nantes.  
Inspired by fanciers such as Andy Wilson, Roy Seaton, ‘Piddy’ Hume and Alec Anderson, Dumfries fanciers in time developed an appetite for National competition with a number of very talented fanciers and quality pigeons having emerged, winning at the highest level. 
Two photographs are included to complement the composition.   The black and white photograph was gifted to me by the late Joe Jackson who told me it was taken at a Dumfries Social Circle Presentation; Alec Anderson is second from the left in the front row and is photographed with silverware won.   The coloured photograph was taken at a Dumfries Flying Club Presentation and Alex and Mrs Anderson are included in the photo with trophies won.