blackswan Posted July 9, 2009 Report Posted July 9, 2009 unite not in aberdeen they wont let a seventy four yearold in to race his youngsters
Guest Posted July 9, 2009 Report Posted July 9, 2009 Sadly though Stuart I have to say like most things in life, It only takes a moment to destroy something, but a lifetime to rebuild it. So I say to ALL pigeons fanciers, sit back, take stock of your own situation, ask yourself am I really doing enough for my sport/hobby, and am I prepared to do a little more. OR shall I sit on my butt in the hope that some other fool will do it for me. THE CHOICE IS UP TO US ALL, and I know what I would rather do, as I have all my life in pigeons, Help others.
Larry Lucas Posted July 9, 2009 Report Posted July 9, 2009 How many soldiers lives were saved by birds of prey? None. Perhaps an article submitted to the press detailing the positive benefits of pigeons vis-a-vis birds of prey?
Guest numpty01 Posted July 9, 2009 Report Posted July 9, 2009 Money is part and parcel of the modern commercail world. Bob the reason i posted this list was to demonstrate that previously as a sport we pulled together rallyed for a cause of greatness, can we again find that common bond and unite as a body of people, of that im not sure!!!!! Chris i will probaly upset you by saying this but at times you do nothing to help real progressive conversation on this site, i know your a good bloke and a passionate pigeon fancier but some times a bit of positive thinking will help things along, lets all take a step forward and put this discussion on the front foot. In reality things are good at the moment as you have pointed out, but in reality thats down to attitudes and attitudes can be changed!! Stuart as you state stuart a passonate fancier but i have no time for secrets or lack of commonsense i agree sometimes i do not contribute a lot of commonsense to threads but at the end of the day talk goes nowere action does my view as fancier counts ?after all its fanciers you want to help you im not going to include you in this next bit as if you got something to say to me you will???? i have been involved in a lot of things were finance or actuion was needed it was done openly ?? you can call it sulks or childish but when we started the ball rolling on this whole subject one of commitee was against nearly every bit of it now its the bees knee.s as its his thought ??/ open ness and names on the line are what is needed and im sure im not talking for myself when i put this over ???/yes we need to stand together and fight together for a change .bob put it well when he stated we all pull together when charity on such needs help we should pull together now but in full view not as and when the commitee feels like it ?? again my view??/
jimmy white Posted July 9, 2009 Report Posted July 9, 2009 DICKIN MEDAL WINNERS White Vision Pigeon  SURP.41.L.3089 Date of Award: 2 December 1943 “For delivering a message under exceptionally difficult conditions and so contributing to the rescue of an Air Crew while serving with the RAF in October 1943.†Winkie Pigeon  NEHU.40.NS.1 Date of Award: 2 December 1943 “For delivering a message under exceptionally difficult conditions and so contributing to the rescue of an Air Crew while serving with the RAF in February, 1942.†Tyke (also known as George) Pigeon  Number 1263 MEPS 43 Date of Award: 2 December 1943 “For delivering a message under exceptionally difficult conditions and so contributing to the rescue of an Air Crew, while serving with the RAF in the Mediterranean in June, 1943.†Beach Comber Pigeon  NPS.41.NS.4230 Date of Award: 6 March 1944 “For bringing the first news to this country of the landing at Dieppe, under hazardous conditions in September, 1942, while serving with the Canadian Army.†Gustav Pigeon  NPS.42.31066 Date of Award: 1 September 1944 “For delivering the first message from the Normandy Beaches from a ship off the beach-head while serving with the RAF on 6 June 1944.†Paddy Pigeon  NPS.43.9451 Date of Award: 1 September 1944 “For the best recorded time with a message from the Normandy Operations, while serving with the RAF in June, 1944.†Kenley Lass Pigeon  NURP.36.JH.190 Date of Award: March 1945 “For being the first pigeon to be used with success for secret communications from an Agent in enemy-occupied France while serving with the NPS in October 1940.†Navy Blue Pigeon  NPS.41.NS.2862 Date of Award: March 1945 “For delivering an important message from a Raiding Party on the West Coast of France, although injured, while serving with the RAF in June, 1944. Flying Dutchman Pigeon – NPS.42.NS.44802 Date of Award: March 1945 “For successfully delivering messages from Agents in Holland on three occasions. Missing on fourth mission, while serving with the RAF in 1944.†Dutch Coast Pigeon  NURP.41. A.2164 Date of Award: March 1945 “For delivering an SOS from a ditched Air Crew close to the enemy coast 288 miles distance in 7½ hours, under unfavourable conditions, while serving with the RAF in April 1942.†Commando Pigeon  NURP.38.EGU.242 Date of Award: March 1945 “For successfully delivering messages from Agents in Occupied France on three occasions: twice under exceptionally adverse conditions, while serving with the NPS in 1942.†Royal Blue Pigeon  NURP.40.GVIS.453 Date of award: March 1945 “For being the first pigeon in this war to deliver a message from a forced landed aircraft on the Continent while serving with the RAF in October, 1940.†Ruhr Express Pigeon  NPS.43.29018 Date of Award: May 1945 “For carrying an important message from the Ruhr Pocket in excellent time, while serving with the RAF in April, 1945.†William of Orange Pigeon  NPS.42.NS.15125 Date of Award: May 1945 “For delivering a message from the Arnheim Airborne Operation in record time for any single pigeon, while serving with the APS in September 1944.†Scotch Lass Pigeon  NPS.42.21610 Date of Award: June 1945 “For bringing 38 microphotographs across the North Sea in good time although injured, while serving with the RAF in Holland in September 1944.†Billy Pigeon  NU.41.HQ.4373 Date of Award: August 1945 “For delivering a message from a force-landed bomber, while in a state of complete collapse and under exceptionally bad weather conditions, while serving with the RAF in 1942.†Broad Arrow Pigeon  41.BA.2793 Date of Award: October 1945 “For bringing important messages three times from enemy occupied country, viz: May 1943, June 1943 and August 1943, while serving with the Special Service from the Continent.†Pigeon  NPS.42.NS.2780 Date of Award: October 1945 “For bringing important messages three times from enemy occupied country, viz: July 1942, August 1942 and April 1943, while serving with the Special Service from the Continent.†Pigeon  NPS.42.NS.7524 Date of Award: October 1945 “For bringing important messages three times from enemy-occupied country, viz: July 1942, May 1943 and July 1943, while serving with the Special Service from the continent.†Maquis Pigeon  NPSNS.42.36392 Date of Award: October 1945 “For bringing important messages three times from enemy occupied country, viz: May 1943 (Amiens) February, 1944 (Combined Operations) and June, 1944 (French Maquis) while serving with the Special Service from the Continent.†Mary Pigeon  NURP.40.WCE.249 Date of Award: November 1945 “For outstanding endurance on War Service in spite of wounds.†Tommy Pigeon  NURP.41.DHZ56 Date of Award: February 1946 “For delivering a valuable message from Holland to Lancashire under difficult conditions, while serving with NPS in July 1942.†All Alone Pigeon  NURP.39.SDS.39 Date of Award: February 1946 “For delivering an important message in one day over a distance of 400 miles, while serving with the NPS in August, 1943.†Princess Pigeon  42WD593 Date of Award: May 1946 “Sent on special mission to Crete, this pigeon returned to her loft (RAFAlexandria) having travelled about 500 miles mostly over sea, with most valuable information. One of the finest performances in the war record of the Pigeon Service.†Mercury Pigeon  NURP.37.CEN.335 Date of Award: August 1946 “For carrying out a special task involving a flight of 480 miles from Northern Denmark while serving with the Special Section Army Pigeon Service in July 1942.†Pigeon  NURP.38.BPC.6. Date of Award: August 1946 “For three outstanding flights from France while serving with the Special Section, Army Pigeon Service, 11 July 1941, 9 September 1941, and 29 November 1941.†GI Joe Pigeon  USA43SC6390 Date of Award: August 1946 “This bird is credited with making the most outstanding flight by a USA Army Pigeon in World War II. Making the 20 mile flight from British 10th Army HQ, in the same number of minutes, it brought a message which arrived just in time to save the lives of at least 100 Allied soldiers from being bombed by their own planes.†Duke of Normandy Pigeon  NURP.41.SBC.219 Date of Award: 8 January 1947 “For being the first bird to arrive with a message from Paratroops of 21st Army Group behind enemy lines on D Day 6 June, 1944, while serving with APS.†Pigeon  NURP.43.CC.1418 Date of Award: 8 January 1947 “For the fastest flight with message from 6th Airborne Div. Normandy, 7 June, 1944, while serving with APS.†Pigeon  DD.43.T.139 (Australian Army Signal Corps) Date of award: February 1947 “During a heavy tropical storm this bird was released from Army Boat 1402 which had foundered on Wadou Beach in the Huon Gulf. Homing 40 miles to Madang it brought a message which enabled a rescue ship to be sent in time to salvage the craft and its valuable cargo of stores and ammunition.†Pigeon  DD.43.Q.879 (Australian Army Signal Corps) Date of award: February 1947 “During an attack by Japanese on a US Marine patrol on Manus Island, pigeons were released to warn headquarters of an impending enemy counter-attack. Two were shot down but DD43 despite heavy fire directed at it reached HQ with the result that enemy concentrations were bombed and the patrol extricated.†Cologne Pigeon  NURP39.NPS.144 Date of Award: unknown “For homing from a crashed aircraft over Cologne although seriously wounded, while serving with the RAF in 1943.†each and every one of these gallant pigeons saved so many lifes,every single one with a great story to tell,,, there were off course many more, one of very many was ,,,,,cher ami,, meaning" dear friend",, maybe worth a read,, , probably amongst the most famous of carrier pigeons, was "cher ami",," cher ami" flew many times during the" fall", of 19 18 , he flew 12 important missions to deliver messages. perhaps one of the most important message was the message he carried on oct 4th 1918 mr charles whittelsey was a lawyer in new york, but when the u,s,a called for soldiers to help france regain their freedom, whittlesay joined the army and went to europe to help, he was made the commander of a battalion of soldiers in the 77th infantry div. known as the libert division, because most men wore a bright blue patch, that had on it the" statue of liberty" on oct 3d 1918 major whittelsey and more than 500men were trapped in a small depression on the side of a hill, surrounded by enemy soldiers,many were killed and wounded on the first day,but by the second day, only a few more than 200 men were still alive or wounded. major whittelsay sent out several pigeons , to let the commander know where he was, and how bad the trap was,, the next afternoon he had only one pigeon left,,",cher ami". during the afternoon the american artillary tried tried to save some protection by firing hundreds of rounds of big artillary, into the ravine where the germans had him and his men hopelessly surrounded, unfortunately, theamerican commanders didnt know where the american sodiers were,,,and started dropping bomb shells , right on the top of them, it was a horrible and lethal situation, that might have got major whittelsey and all his men getting killed, by their own army major whittelsey called for his last pigeon" cher ami" he wrote a simple quick note ,telling the the men , who directed the artillery guns, where the americans were located,,the note simpy said "we are along the road parallel to 276,4", "our own artillery is dropping bombs on directy on us,,,for heavens sake,stop it", the note was fitted to a cannister on "!cher ami,s" left leg as" cher ami" tried to fly home , the germans saw him rising out of the brush and opened fire, for several minutes , bullets zipped through the air all around him, it looked like the little pigeon was going to fall, that he wasnt ging to make it, the doomed american soldiers were crushed, their very last hope was plummeting to the earth, against very heavy attack from german bullets, somehow," cher ami" managed to spread his wings, and started climbing higher and higher beyond the range of enemy guns , the little bird, allthough badly injured deliver the all important message , ,,the shelling stopped,,,,and more than 200 american lives were saved ....all because this little bird never quit trying,,,,allthough shot many times , ,,on his last mission he was so badly wounded he could no longer fly, the bird was lyingon his back, covered in blood , he had been blinded in one eye, and a bullet hit his breast bone making a hole the size of a 50 p peice,,,,and from that awfull hole , hanging by just a few tendons was the allmost severed leg of that brave lttle bird,,attached to that leg was a silver canister, with the all important message,,,,,,once again" cher ami ". wouldnt quit untill he finished that all important job "cher ami" became the hero of the 77th div. and when medics worked long and hard, to patch him up. ,,,,when the french soldiers learned of the story of cher ami,s bravery and determination, they gave him one of their own countries great honours,,cher ami, the brave little carrier pigeon with a medal called the french croix de guerre with a palm leaf. though the dedicated medics saved" cher ami,s" life, they couldnt save his leg,, the men of that div. were carefull to take care of their little friend , that had saved the lives of over 200 of their friends,, they even , carefully carved a small wooden leg for him,,, a magnificent story of just one of these gallant pigeons, that saved so many lifes,,, theres a wonderfull poem on this pigeon will post next.
jimmy white Posted July 9, 2009 Report Posted July 9, 2009 cher ami, cher ami, how do you do listen, let me talk to you ill not hurt you, dont you see? come a little closer to me little scrawny blue white flight messenger for men who fight tell me of that deep red scar there,,,just where no feathers are what about your poor left leg tell me cher ami, i beg boys and girls are at a loss, just how you won that silver cross "the finest hour that came to me was when i marched with whittlesey we marched so fast, so far ahead "we are all lost" the keeper said mon cher ami,, thats my dear friend you arethe one we have to send the whole battalian now is lost and you must win, at any cost so with message tied on tight i flew up straight with all my might before i got up high enough those watch full guns began to puff machine gun, bullets came like rain youd think i was an aeroplane when i started tothe rear my? the shot was comming near but i flew on, straight as a bee the wind could not catch up with me untill i dropped out of the air into our own mens camp,,so their but cher ami, upon my word you modest little gallant bird now dont you know that you forgot tell how your breast and leg was shot "oh yes, the day we crossed the meuse i flew to rampart with the news again the bullets came like hail i thought for sure, that i eould fail the bullets buzzed by, just like a bee so close. it allmost frightened me one struck the feathers of this sail another went right though my tail but when i got back to the rear i found they hit me,,here,,,and here but that is nothing never mind old poilo, there is nearly blind i only care for what they said for when they say the way i bled and found in front a swollen lump the message hanging from this stump the french and mine said "tres bien" or very good,, american mon cher ami you brought good news our armies gone across the meuse you surely had a lucky call/ and so im glad, i guess thats all ILL SIT , SO PARDON ME, I BEG, ITS HARD A_STANDING ON JUST ONE LEG,,,, cher ami died of his multiple war wounds on june the 13th 1919, less than a year he had completed his service to the u,s, army signal corps, upon his death a taxidermist preserved the small pigeon for future generations,,,,,,,,,,,,,a bird that had become an inspiration, to millions over the years
jimmy white Posted July 9, 2009 Report Posted July 9, 2009 absolute brillent write up jimmy thanks mate,, brought a tear to my eye printing it,, many a lesson to learn here ,,for all
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