Billy Van Nuil by Billy Wortley

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Here's a smasher from the Bard....enjoy another great piece from WPW
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During the season past, Billy Van Nuil won the Section from SNFC Ypres, the winning pigeon having previously headed the result from the Inland National from Upper Heyford making it a ‘Double Section Winner’.   The achievement prompted me to provide details of local pigeons known to me that have won the Section with the National on two occasions.   I do realise that there could be others but the following birds come to mind,
From when I was in my early 20’s until I married, I sat with fancier friends in The Blue Bell Inn at Annan each Saturday night and talked ‘pigeons’.   Amongst those in the company were such noted names as John and Matt Jamieson, Jim Soutar, James Dalgliesh, George Hind, Ewart Warwick, Bert Tennant, George Kerr etc..    On one occasion the question was asked “what was the best pigeon they had ever seen” and in accord, several of those in attendance responded “Davie Steel’s Nantes National winner”.   Davie resided at Canonbie, near Langholm; he competed in Langholm Club and over several years gained a number of good positions from the Classics.   His National winner was a 1949 Dark Chequer hen which was an absolute beauty and was admired by all who viewed her.   Importantly, she was additionally an exceptional performer on the road.   In 1951 the S.N.F.C. Nantes convoy was liberated at 7.10 into a N.W. wind and she was timed at 9.10am the following day to win the Classic.   The following year she was 3rd Section 10th Open from the equivalent event and in 1954 she went back to Nantes again and was 1st Section 21st Open.  Whilst he owned a team of direct Kirkpatrick pigeons, through his brother’s friendship with Mr. and Mrs. Kirkpatrick, his Nantes winner was not a Kirkpatrick but was a Fuller Isaacson.
Rob and Elliott Borthwick from Langholm owned a super Red Cock that was named ‘Happy’.   In 1969 he was entered from Rennes for his first crossing of the channel and having been on the wing for 13 hours 23 mins. was 7th Sect. 18th Open on 1065ypm.   In 1970 he raced again from Rennes and after being on the wing for 11 hours 7 mins, was 1st Sect. 3rd Open on 1291ypm.   In 1971 he again went to Rennes and was timed just out of the prize list.   He was immediately doubled back into Nantes and on a difficult day when there were no day arrivals, was timed in the morning to be 6th Sect. 14th Open on 759ypm.   He went back to Rennes in 1972 and on a fast day was again at the front to be 1st Sect. 45th Open on 1491ypm.   He went back to Rennes for the last time in 1973 and was 15th Sect. 110th Open on 1193ypm.  The bloodlines were Bricioux x Sion purchased at London Auctions through Frank Hall.   Having kept pigeons as a boy, Elliott and his father, Rob, subsequently joined the local Club as ‘R. I. Borthwick and Son’.   Rob was very affluent, being the proprietor of the local Dairy and supplied milk to all the residents in Langholm and district.   On entering the fancy, he and Elliott went out of their way to obtain top quality bloodstock, which included purchasing pigeons from London Auctions, through Frank Hall and Cattrysse bloodlines direct from Mons Slabbinck.   Examples of the Cattrysse bloodlines were gifted to fellow Club members, Ellwood Brothers, which were in part responsible for Jock Ellwood’s ‘Jenny’s Price’ that was 1st Open S.N.F.C. Rennes 1971 and was recognised as being one of the best Cattrysse in the country at the time.   In 1982 Rob and Elliott were 1st Open S.N.F.C. Young Bird National from Redditch.   Their winning pigeon was a Blue Bar Pied cock that was bred from a Strawberry Pied Cock when paired to a Blue Pied hen.   The Strawberry Pied cock was bred from a direct daughter of ‘Happy’ when paired to cock that was bred by Tom Little from Creca.  At the end of July, Langholm Common Riding is held, which is the most important social event in this close knit community.   A Games Meeting is held as part of the celebration, that attracts the very best Professional Athletes in the country and during the day a Hound Trail is run, with Langholm being one of the top meetings in the Trail Hound calendar.    To those who don’t understand, Hound Trailing is one of Cumbria's oldest and most popular sports.
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Racing takes place over moorland, fields and fells, the hounds follow a trail laid down by runners grading rags soaked in a mixture of paraffin and oil of aniseed. The Trails are several miles long according to the age of the hounds racing and as the race unfolds the owners and spectators lay bets with on-site bookmakers who are a permanent part of the trailing fraternity.   In addition to being a keen pigeon fancier, Elliott Borthwick also raced Trail Hounds and in 2003, was ever so proud when he won the local Common Riding Hound Trail with his Champion dog, ‘Castle Cooms’.  
Twin brothers, Billy and Jackie Gardiner competed under the loft title W.T. Gardiner, housing their pigeons behind the family Grocers Shop in Lockerbie.   In the 1950’s they set about forming a superb team of pigeons based on four families, these being J.T.Clark, J.Kenyon, J.Kirkpatrick and R.Stoddart.   The J.T. Clark family was obtained from Paisley and Paterson from Langholm, who had obtained their original stock direct from the breeder.   When the brothers entered the fancy they admired the achievements of Jim Kenyon from Skelmersdale and his ‘Black Pied’ family and noted what the family was doing for other fanciers who had the bloodlines.  They observed, for example that G. King of Fairlight had gained 1st and the King’s Cup from Pau in 1952 with a three-quarter bred ‘Black Pied’.   Billy and Jackie therefore wrote to Jim Kenyon and obtained three latebreds, two of which proved to be superb stock pigeons.   Living close to Annan the brothers were aware of the quality of the Kirkpatrick family of pigeons and following the death of John Kirkpatrick, Billy Gardiner attended the Dispersal Sale and made acquisitions.   A further very talented fancier who competed into Annan at the same time as John Kirkpatrick was Will Robertson and following his death, Billy made purchases at the Dispersal Sale including a grandson of the great Kirkpatrick cock ‘Johnny’.   To further augment his colony of Kirkpatrick’s, Billy purchased the same bloodlines from McAloon and Drew from Felling on Tyne and introduced similar bloodlines from John McGillivray from Forth.   The brothers were also conversant with the quality of the family of pigeons developed by Robert Stoddart from Carron and made contact with Vic Robinson to obtain examples of the family.   Working with these bloodlines their performances were phenomenal, gaining 1st Open S.N.F.C. Rennes, 1st Section 2nd Open Nantes, 2nd Section 4th Open Beauvais, 1st Open Vaux Usher Y.B.National etc. etc.   A number of superb pigeons emerged in the Gardiner loft, none better than a noted Mealy Hen, which contained the lines of the great Kirkpatrick cock ‘Johnny’.   This hen was 1st Section 8th Open Rennes 1957, 22nd Section 30th Open Rennes 1959, 3rd Section 5th Open Nantes 1960 and 1st Section 8th Open Rennes 1961.  
Billy Van Nuil from Gretna raced a fabulous Blue Chequer cock, that competed from Clermont when only a yearling and was 4th Section 6th Open Fed., 8th Section 19th Open National.   In 2015, he was set up for the final National of the season from Clermont and following a 6.30am liberation into a SW wind he was timed at 4.57pm to be 1st Section 4th Open National.   In 2016 he raced from the Blue Riband event from Reims and was along with the leaders to be 14th Section 84th Open.   He was then prepared for Roye and following an 8.45am liberation was timed at 8.33pm to be 1st Section 11th Open.   Dam was a Busschaert that came to the loft as a flyaway.  On reporting the young pigeon, Billy learned that it came from the loft of Williams and Hassal from Dudley, West Midlands, being very well bred with parents and grandparents having scored through to Bordeaux, 540 miles.   Sire was the nest brother of a marvellous pigeon that Billy raced; in 2010 he competed from Wollaston, 179 miles and was 6th Club 6th Fed.   He then went to Buckingham, 225 miles and was 1st Club 1st Fed. and thereafter competed from Bovingdon 249 miles and was again 1st Club 1st Fed.   He then went back to Bovingdon with the National and was 244th Open.   He thereafter went to Clermont and was 2nd Section 3rd Open National.   The Sire was home bred from a pair of
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pigeons from the loft of Norbert Sieren and Jos Vandenbroeke, which were purchased from Mark Evans, in response to an advert that appeared in the Fancy Press.  Dam was a Fredericshoff Red Fox Janssen x Bricioux obtained from fellow Club member, Steven Allen.    
In 2008 members of the S.N.F.C. competed from Tours for the longest race in the programme.   Pigeons were liberated at 8.45am into a following wind with the wind across the country having a fresh Southerly influence.   As the day progressed however, rain came in and the North of England and Scotland experienced extended showers of torrential rain.  Standing at his loft, Stevie Ferguson and his father, Will from Annan recognised that notwithstanding the rain, with the influence of the following wind there was a possibility that occasional birds might get through.    As they stood awaiting arrivals they sighted a single pigeon home from the South East, which came at such height it missed the loft and had to circle the paddock before it could land.   It was indeed the only arrival on the day and won the National.   The pigeon was 2002 Chequer Pied Hen ‘Watchhill Princess’, it went to 120 miles as a youngster and to the coast as a yearling on Roundabout.   In 2004 she was paired in mid-February and reared a pair of youngsters and was thereafter put on Roundabout.   She had four Club races and was then re-paired for the channel.   She went to Tours sitting very tight and was timed at 6.10am on the second day to be 1st Section 6th Open.   The following year she scored in the Club from Melton Mowbray and then went back to Tours and once again made the list, being 86th Open.   Due to concerns resultant from Avian Flu, it was feared that the planned race from Tours wouldn’t occur in 2006 and the hen was ‘put by’. At the eleventh hour however, it was confirmed that we would indeed race from the channel, they gave the hen one training toss, a single inland race and lifted her into Tours when she homed on the second day but on this occasion failed to make the list.   The following year Avian Flu was still prevalent and as a result, members of the S.N.F.C. were unable to race from Tours and it was decided that the hen be kept at home.   She performed well in inland competition however, and scored in Annan Club from Huntington and from Cheltenham with Annan Premier Club.   In 2008 she was paired in mid-March, reared a single youngster and was then split from her mate and put on Roundabout.   She competed from two local Inland races and then went to the Inland National from Newbury on the system and was the first bird to the loft.   She was then re-paired and went to Tours sitting deep with her second flight half grown.   Sire was a Dark Chequer W.F. that was bred from a son of the loft’s Section winner from Lille when coupled to a daughter of their 8th Open Rennes.   Dam was an unrung Jan Aarden that contained the lines of Clwyd Lofts and was obtained as a gift from near neighbour Dennis Anderson.
Which brings us back to where our story began…  Billy Van Nuil is a very experienced fancier who has scored prominently in Classic competition over a good number of years.   He, for example, won the Inland National from Newbury in 2009 and headed the result from Buckingham in 2018.    In 2017 he gained a host of trophies with the S.N.F.C. including trophies for the best average from the two prestige races and the Robert Telfer Award Trophy for the best average in the Club from all races and in 2023 continued on the winning way when he won the National from Upper Heyford with a 2 y.o. Blue Pied Cock.   Billy attends the North East Show each year with friend Steve Bell from Brampton and on their way to the Show they collect John Hillery from Consett to go to the Show with them and as the years have passed he and John ecame friends.   The friendship is such that Billy has received several pigeon from John and two of these, which are Kavanagh Busschaerts, are the Sire and Dam of the Blue Pied cock.   The Pied cock was put on the road as a youngster but was lost from Lymm and was reported in Bishop Auckland.  Billy arranged to get the bird back and as the months passed it grew in confidence and scored from Wollaston in 2022.   In 2023 it was paired on
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1st March, reared a single youngster and was thereafter split from its mate and put on widowhood.   It proceeded through the Federation programme, flying steady and scored on several occasions through to Wollaston and was then sent to the National from Upper Heyford and as explained won the race.   Because the pigeon was reported in Bishop Auckland as a youngster it was named ‘The Bishop’.   Following its Classic win, Billy continued to race him and in 2025 it was paired on 1st March and was thereafter separated from its mate and put on Widowhood.   It went to the first outing of the season from Shap and the following week went to Low Gill.   The intention was to work him through the programme but when Billy was basketing him the following week to go to Charnock Richard the end of his tail was protruding out of the basket through the spars and Billy’s dog instinctively caught hold of it and pulled it out with only two tail flights remaining.   The bird was therefore ‘put by’ until the tail feathers regrew with his next race being from the Inland National from Reading when he was up with the leaders to be 7th Section 61st Open.   He then went to the Gold Cup race from Alencon and was 66th Open.   The weeks passed and it was apparent he was in really good condition, which prompted Billy to send him to Ypres.   He was basketed on 10 days eggs with his second flight half grown and homed to the loft from the race at great pace to win the Section for a second time and was 42nd Open.   It should be said that Billy is assisted at the loft by his brother in law Derek Nelson.  
The following photographs are published with this article (a) Davie Steel’s Nantes winner, (b) Billy & Jackie Gardiner’s  Mealy Hen that won the Section twice from Rennes, (c) Rob & Elliott Borthwick’s ‘Happy’, (d & e) Billy Van Nuil’s good Chequer cock  that won the Section from Clermont & Roye and his Blue W.F. cock ‘The Bishop’ and finally (f) Stevie Ferguson’s ‘Watchhill Princess.
As explained, the birds listed are ‘as known to me’.   The probability is that someone will tell me that I’ve missed one (or two or three) and if they do I’ll provide details on this Facebook Page.

Billy Wortley