George Jackson of Annan

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George Jackson was a very able, highly regarded fancier and administrator who competed into Annan in the mid part of the last century.   He only kept twelve pairs of pigeons but had a fantastic  record extending over many years with the highlights being 4th Open Rennes 1951 and 2nd Open Nantes 1960.    He was described as ‘the best  small team fancier in Scotland’ and in 1962 ‘Clydonian’ wrote “such was George Jackson’s reputation in cross channel racing that if he won either or both of the Scottish National races, no one would be surprised, he has been so near often enough to deserve winning”.   Following his success from Nantes in 1960 he penned an article for the Squills Annual from which I quote “my fascination for pigeons started at a very early age.   Fantails were my first interest and with brother, John I spent many hours just watching them.   I joined Annan Homing Club in the late 1920’s and have got to say that my entry into the pigeon club did not break any records as I had to wait a number of years for my first success; winning from Stafford with a young Blue Cock by 5 minutes.   I thought I had arrived and success would follow, but alas my troubles had just started, when I examined the win I could find no reason for it so I came to the conclusion it was just a bit of luck”.   He continued “Annan Club has produced a number of good fanciers who earned a name for themselves and the Club in the pages of history of National racing, with the two most prominent individual fanciers being John Kirkpatrick and Will Robertson.   I believe that the standard of any Club’s racing must be measured by the best racers in the Club and one must be suitably prepared to compete against these fanciers or perish.   With this in mind I bought my first pigeon for £1 from the late James Compton from Bradford on Avon.   This young Chequer hen proved to be a good buy and put my foot on the first rung of the ladder of proceeding to build a team to enable me to take my place among the better fancies.   In the 1940’s I obtained further pigeons from Harry Hoad from Horsham containing the bloodlines of Champion ‘Greta’ and several of his other champions.   I could see the quality of the team improving and believed that through these introductions I had firmly set my feet on the ladder of fame.    In later years it was noted that all my best pigeons went back to these original Osmans.   Still searching for knowledge and a keen desire to further improve the family, however I introduced a Red cock from Charlie Patterson of Denton, Manchester, who had proved himself a great racer in the Manchester area.   The Red cock, ‘6156’, mated to an Osman Red hen ‘4980’proved to be the perfect stock pair. (The Red cock was Bricoux x Sion with a big slice of the famous ‘L29’).   From this pair I produced many of my best 500 milers including ‘783’ the Red hen that was 4th Open Rennes National 1951 and ‘The Owl’, a further Red hen which scored from all distances.   A chance meeting with John Davidson from Tarbolton added more class to the team through the medium of a Chequer hen; the strain being Edmondson Barker, which seemed to dove-tail into my ever improving family.   Year by year I could see the quality of the family improving,   Every major trophy in Annan Club has come my way and over the years I have won a 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Club from Lancaster to Dol.   I have won every honour in Open Solway Federation races and the Solway Continental Club, which was founded in 1956.   I have won this race three times against the cream of Solway Channel racers.   The South of Scotland Channel Club was formed in 1959 and I won the first race from Dol.   I have been a member of the S.N.F.C. since 1931 and have scored prominently and consistently over the years from all race points but have not yet won a National with my best positions being 4th Open Rennes and 2nd Open Nantes.  The 1960 Nantes National was flown on 16th July with a convoy of 1,354 birds being liberated at 6.20am into a light N.W. wind.   F. Trzebniak from Dunbar timed at 10.04pm to win the Classic on 1,135ypm.   George Jackson timed at 8.54pm to be 2nd Open on 1,093ypm.   George’s pigeon was Blue Chequer hen ‘2809’, it flew Dol in 1959, was 174th Open Rennes in 1960 and was doubled back into Nantes to be 2nd Open.”    George also raced a fine Red cock named ‘Wee Geordie’ that scored with the National on several occasions with his best position being 11th Open Rennes.   It should be understood also that it was George Jackson who sold Grizzle cock ‘Galabank Producer’ to Louis Massarella.   John Kirkpatrick suffered from a terminal illness and in his final years, Willie Graham assisted him to care for his pigeons.   Through the friendship, Willie obtained a number of birds from him including a Grizzle cock that was bred from the Grizzle hen obtained from Arthur Hill when she was coupled to ‘Galabank Duke’.   In time Willie passed the Grizzle to his close friend, George Jackson.   One day George had a visit from Arthur Cogman, Louis Massarella’s loft manager, who enquired if he had any direct Kirkpatrick pigeons for sale.   George let him see the Grizzle cock and he agreed to purchase it.   Whilst it had not produced anything of note at that point in time, the following season George won the Federation from Dol with a direct son.   In the hands of Louis Massarella the Grizzle cock was coupled to top quality hens and produced a number of winners indeed such was his ability as a breeder he became known as ‘Galabank Producer’.   George was a former Secretary of the Solway Federation and also contributed articles to the Gazette and Pigeon World.   Importantly, however, he was a wonderful orator and if an issue needed to be raised concerning the South Section at the S.N.F.C. A.G.M., George stood up and spoke on behalf of the South Section members.   Away back in the early 1980’s when I was initially troubled with Pigeon Fanciers’ Lung’ I made contact with Doctor Lynch to seek his advice.   He told me that he was attending the Ayr Dam Park Show and was willing to speak to me at the show.   Jacqueline and I travelled to Ayr, therefore and met Doctor Lynch and through his intervention I was fortunate to have consultation with Doctor Boyd.   When we were at the Show, we went for a cup of tea and in the cafeteria met two older gentlemen from Greengairs, who enquired where we came from.   When I said ‘Annan’, they smiled and said that they attended the Scottish National AGM each year “just to hear George Jackson speak” and added “he was the best speaker in the country”.   I should add that the family were all similarly gifted, with sons a daughters being brilliant speakers.   When I wrote about George for the S.N.F.C. Centenary Book I asked his daughter Elizabeth if she could provide me with a photo.   She kindly assisted by providing me with two photos which I have copied herewith.   One of the photos shows George Jackson talking at a local Fireman’s Dinner.   Elizabeth said that viewing the photo always caused a laugh in the house as it shows the table ‘loaded with beer bottles’ and the truth was that her father was teetotal.   Having made reference to the article that George wrote for the Squills Annual in 1961, he concluded the article by stating “your pigeons must be fit to fly 500 miles, that’s the reason why I believe in hard training.   Youngsters?   I breed 20 and race them to 180 miles, my St Malo winner flew Christchurch, 300 miles as a youngster.   My conviction is that if you wish to succeed in in our sport you must have good pigeons, you must feed well, you must train hard and above all you must have control over your pigeons and yourself.             
George’s son, George Jnr., joined the Police Force in adult life and was for a time stationed at Earlston in the Scottish Borders at the same time as John Tyerman.   He and John became close friends and entered the pigeon fancy in partnership.   Whilst John made frequent reference to forming a friendship with John Carmichael at Earlston it should be understood that their initial pigeons came from Annan with one of the Annan pigeons flying from Pau with the English National into the Borders. 
Having made reference to George writing for the Fancy Press I have most copes of Pigeon World, one of which contains an article by compiled in 1947 by George Jackson, which states “Annan H.C. held their annual outing to Whitley Bay on September 1st.   A 52 seater carried a happy crowd to this seaside resort.   The Jamieson family were there in force, seven in number, including Mr. and Mrs. J.   Although busy harvesting they worked on Sunday so as to be forward for the trip.   Matt and John are the pigeon men in this industrious family, Willie Gass has promised to give them a hand with the threshing.   The Thomson family were there in force also and it was good to see Mrs. Thomson looking so well after her illness.   She takes a great interest in her sons’ hobby.   Leaving Whitley Bay at 7.30 we passed through never-ending view of houses in the course of erection and all eyes were right or left when a pigeon loft was spotted.   The singing was loud and long.   ‘Dougie’ and Andy Muir, Matt Jamieson, Willie Graham and that cavalier of song, Willie Gass and our Jock excelled themselves in songs old and new and the ladies gave splendid support.   I am sure Carl Levis would have made some discoveries among the band of songsters.   Annan was reached at 11.15, ‘the end of a perfect day’.
Incidentally, the ‘Dougie’ to whom George Jackson referred in his article was Bob Douglas, who was affectionately known as ‘Dougie’ and lived close to John Kirkpatrick and George Kean.   He was a very good fancier and gained a number of positions from the Classics.   I was told by George Kean that he had great control over his pigeons and during the winter months encouraged them to night fly by putting the birds out at night as he scraped the loft.   I understand that he had lights in the shed and at the back door and having cleaned the shed out and changed the water, he called the birds in to feed them.   He was also leading fireman in the local fire part-time Fire Service and was awarded the BEM for his contribution to the fire service.   In 1939 the Rennes National was flown on a Saturday with a convoy of 4,390 birds being liberated at 7.10am into a South West Wind, which turned to North West over the final part of the journey.   Conditions were such that it was thought that there would be no arrivals on the day.   Three very game pigeons did make home on the day of liberation, however.   John Kirkpatrick timed into Annan at 10.17pm and then timed a second arrival at 10.58pm.   These two birds were split by the same Bob Douglas who timed at 10.37pm.   John Kirkpatrick had won the Rennes Classic two years previous and when the clocks were controlled on the night of the 1939 Classic, fanciers who had knowledge that he had timed thought that he had won the race for a second time.   It was very cold the following morning with an overcast sky, but notwithstanding the conditions, Anderson Brothers timed into Shieldhill, Near Falkirk, at 4.57pm to win the race with a velocity of 1020ypm from 550 miles.   Kerr Brothers from Armadale were 2nd Open and this was in fact the second occasion that the brothers had come close to winning the event as they were 2nd Open in 1920, being beaten by Doctor Anderson.   Burrell Brothers from Douglas Water were 3rd Open and H.Scott from Markinch was 4th.   
We publish several photos with this article; (a) George Jackson in his garden, (b)  George Jackson talking at a local Fireman’s Dinner, (c) Chequer hen that was 2nd Open Nantes, (d)  Annan Firefighters in the mid 1950’s; Bob Douglas is photographed on the right and (e ) Will Robertson and Willie Graham.
What pleasure reflecting on these great names from former years.