studs abroad

[Guest Paulo]

If a UK fancier goes to the Belgium loft of van den, and buys a full round from his stock birds. In 5 to 10 years time when van den originals stock birds are no longer breeding the birds van den will have left are the same way bred as the ones the UK fancier has. So in my view they have no better birds they are just better at making people believe they have.

 

no one's saying they have the point I'm making is that ashas trying to say 'ALL' the belgium birds imported over here are crap and the old british strains are better which when you look at the impact 'crap' like the busschaerts have had on the UK racing scene is bollocks to be quite frank.

 

We british have birds that are as as good as the belgiums now and imports have played a part in that some crap has and is still being imported but to say all is is rubbish

[Guest]

I seem to remeber reading somewhere about how the German army were ordered to wipe out the pigeons when they invaded a country in the war to stopped them being used as messangers some did survive but a lot were destroyed then a lot of pigeons were sent over from the UK after the war i dont know if this is true maybe somebody on here old enough to remember (Roland) but if this was the case then only the ring on the birds leg donates country in which it was bred so if this is the case then surely they are all just racing pigeons with good and bad no matter what initials on ring

[Guest Paulo]

I seem to remeber reading somewhere about how the German army were ordered to wipe out the pigeons when they invaded a country in the war to stopped them being used as messangers some did survive but a lot were destroyed then a lot of pigeons were sent over from the UK after the war i dont know if this is true maybe somebody on here old enough to remember (Roland) but if this was the case then only the ring on the birds leg donates country in which it was bred so if this is the case then surely they are all just racing pigeons with good and bad no matter what initials on ring

 

Thats true but some birds surrvived the war by being hid in cellers like the janssens. The reason the belgiums got faster birds were more empathis on sprint races and pools lot more cash and selective breeding.

 

 

[Guest Paulo]

"The questions that have to be answered when writing about George Busschaert, why did his pigeons make such an impact on the racing scene in Britain and why have they stood the test of time and seen many other strains come and go?

 

Well you have to go back in time to what the racing scene was like in Britain all those years ago. After the war and into the fifties there was not a lot of money about, especially for pigeons. In the sixties times changed, there was a boom and as Prime minister Macmillan said ‘You’ve never had it so good’.

 

However in spite of this newly found affluence most pigeon fanciers kept small teams of pigeons in back garden lofts. They nearly all raced natural and they raced predominantly traditional families of pigeons that were either handed down from their fathers or bought and swapped locally. Race programs were typically mixed, short races, building up in length throughout the race program to longer ones at the end of the season. Pigeons were thus bred and selected to be good ‘all rounders.’

 

In Belgium however, at the time things were very different. There were specialised race programs. Races were being separated into short, middle distance and long distance races. Specialised clubs were springing up. Fanciers were also concentrating their selection to pigeons to race predominantly short sprint races. There was a strong gambling culture and good prize money could be won. This drove a desire to obtain the best pigeons for the job, auctions sprang up to fuel this desire for more and faster pigeons. Champion pigeons were soon snapped up by the more wealthy to be put into their lofts.

 

This is where George Busschaert comes onto the scene. He was effectively a rich man, he had come to England and he had a passion for fast pigeons. On his visits to Belgium to obtain pigeons, he had a very big advantage. He knew the language, he knew the Belgium pigeon-racing scene, and he knew what pigeons were the best at the time, and he bought them. He also had contacts through his brother and brother-in-law. It is rumoured that he would travel to many successful lofts simply to buy their champion pigeon. He would then bring them to England and set them up in his loft. He soon made a big impact. He started to win everything. He had introduced fast sprint pigeons using widowhood methods on pigeons that had been selected from years and years of widowhood racing. At the time the English fancier was using predominantly what effectively were just homers on the natural system, which was simply no match. The old English strains were absolutely slaughtered in all types of races.

[Guest Paulo]

Roland your an old codger can you remember what happen during ze war lol

[Roland]

Was a couple of Ex Pigeon Army Core that wrote in the BHW as scribes etc.

they both said that this was true. Indeed one was told what Birds etc. to load up and take.

Over seas of course this is Boo Hoo ed, and for good reason.

The Belgiums for instance, have this thing about cutting the crops so they didn't make any sounds and were hid in Lofts and Cellers.... And fed the scrapes of the table, and pinched, bought grain etc. from the local farmers etc. etc.

Now, according to history, the Gestapo etc. were not renowned for kindness and being mercyful. Indeed - as were we and most - little regard in the 'Milk and Honey' store was shown to any one caught going anti rules. Especially when lessons needed to be handed out.

Now, I believe that if they did this, it was - to my mind - complete irrational! To put the lifes of loved ones, families and ones self at risk for a love of pigeons!

Not many wifes and mothers would have been happy I bet... ESPECIALLY when one considers the reason pigeons were rounded up and culled etc. and their uses as messengers.

I don't think many would risk my wifes na kids lives for it!

Lofts were actually built via US and were made with logs egdes etc. and were on wheels. These were moved around. Likewise crates on ships for the pigeons.

Great article in 'Scotland's Own' on this 1994 I believe.

Some of course were allowed to keep their lofts for the purpose og the Germans' use as messagers.

Delbar was one apparently. Yet here again, owing to their use, MOST culled before the Germans could lay hands on them.

Like when Churchill gave France the ultimatom. 'By tomorrow or we bomb you'! Yes even then we had to help scuttle their ships.

So I would regard that few birds were kept.

Incidently, just because it is history, My father, and a fellow call 'Fox' were the first two allies into Begium when we liberated them. They were sent ahead to clear out some remaining die hard snipers.

[pigeonscout]

A lot of top fanciers from the past where the only ones in their area that could afford a car. How many races would a fancier win today if he had no means of training his birds.

[swilcox]

When i was a boy an old fancier told me that years ago Trumen Dickens, a rich local fancier bought a car just to train his pigeons,he demolished pigeon racing with his well trained team. Fanciers at the time remarked in rage that training was cheating and that it would finish the sport, as widowhood and ets they were all doing before long.

 

Stuart

[jimmy white]

in these old days ,you could cycle to your nearest railway station , have your basket weighed, then mark on the label where you wanted them tossed [if you kept your foot under the scales it was pretty cheap ;D ;D ;D] but the basket was returned with the label filled in,, liberated at such and such a time , even the weather was written on the label

then dr beeching came along???   end of  

[Roland]

Between 1/3 and 2/6 per basket. Had to decide whether to get two weeks feed, or risk a training toss lol.

[Guest scoobybob]

in these old days ,you could cycle to your nearest railway station , have your basket weighed, then mark on the label where you wanted them tossed [if you kept your foot under the scales it was pretty cheap ;D ;D ;D] but the basket was returned with the label filled in,, liberated at such and such a time , even the weather was written on the label

then dr beeching came along???   end of  

 

Remember doing this at a small station (Henbury) on outskirts of Bristol. Basket of birds being sent training and a half dozen cardboard boxes with strappers being sent home.

 

[Guest Paulo]

When i was a boy an old fancier told me that years ago Trumen Dickens, a rich local fancier bought a car just to train his pigeons,he demolished pigeon racing with his well trained team. Fanciers at the time remarked in rage that training was cheating and that it would finish the sport, as widowhood and ets they were all doing before long.

 

Stuart

 

I got some critiscism for my love of training the yb's every day in my van. Thats the only reason I won apparently my answer was I was giving up my nights out drinking to pay for the diesel I wanted to win so much so tough titty lol