ALF BAKER

[ken]

HI I SEEN THE OLD MAN WHO LEFT ME SOME BIRDS IN 1997, I ASKED HIM WHAT THE COCK BIRD WAS RING NUMBER 95 TD 0203, HE HAD A LOOK THREW SOME OLD RECORDS AND FOUND ITS RING NUMBER, ALL IT SAID WAS PAIR 4 ALF BAKER  I STILL HAVE THE OLD COCK HE IS A DCH I DONT NO IF THE ALF BAKERS WHERE D CH OR NOT BUT WHAT A GOOD OLD BIRD HE WAS ,THE OLD MAN FLEW THEM NATURAL, THEN WHEN I GOT THEM I FLEW THEM WIDHOOD AND WHAT A DIFFRENS IT MADE TO THEM IT TOOK A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THE GOT THE HANG OF THINGS, BUT WHEN THEY DID THEY CAME BRILLIANT THE FIRST CHANNEL RACE I SENT 2 ONE WAS THE OLD COCK IT WAS ARRAS 400 ML HE WAS THE ONLY  BIRD IN THE CLUB ON THE DAY VEL 923 1ST CLUB 3 RD FED 23 COMB, 3 WEEKS LATER HE WHENT TO BOURGES 581 ML HE FLEW A CRACKING RACE HE WAS 2 ND CLUB BEATING BY A LAD ON THE SAME ALLOTMENT BY 10 MIN, HE WAS 4TH FED 31ST  COMB ON THE DAY, HE WHENT ON TO FLY BOURGES 4 MORE TIMES FOR ME WINNING 3 OF THEM AND HIS LAST RACE HE WAS 4 TH CLUB 6 TH FED 44TH COMB HE IS THE GSIRE OF THE COMB WINNER FROM BOURGES 2 YEAR AGO FOR HELM & KNOX ,NOT A BAD OLD BIRD IS HE

[pdordin]

hi,ken what a pigeon,wish i had a loft full of em.the bakers,were all colours,a lot of silvers,blues,dk ch,reds.if you have never read is book please do it is very good.

[Guest]

brilliant book, re - read it every winter. The man was as big a champion as they came!

[Wiley]

wat a pigeon,also a great pigeon guy i know a few ppl down here that knew alf personally they only ever say great things of him. His birds as pdordin said came in all colours also whites  

[Pompey Mick]

I've often wondered why the Alf Bakers seem to have virtually disappeared from the racing scene. His achievements rate up there with the best but hardly anyone has kept a racing kit going to my knowledge. I've had a selection of Alf Bakers over the years but my last introduction was in the mid nineties. Consequently I have only one pigeon (a 92 Cock) who is 50% Alf Baker and his offspring who are 25% Alf Baker.

I would like to strengthen the Alf Baker influence with an introduction from a racing loft but they seem to be a rarity.

[sj irving jnr]

a great pigeon man,and as darren says his book is one i would advise anyone to get if they dont have it,lpw still has his birds.

[Guest ben]

Actually,alf never wrote that book,it was just pieces of aricles that colin osman jigsawed together from alfs articals in the Racing Pigeon,circ mid 70`s.

   Charlie Mcewen keep the Barkers going for many years,silvers as well,louella i think bought workman,and he was in many of their famousSnowball family,if i remember correctly.

    Alf was a brilliant racer,but used a kind of semi widow ideal unheard of at that time,and plenty of training which you will not read in the book,with devestating success,until the real distance in the LNRCombine Lerwick,which was a bridge to far for his birds.

    

[jimmy white]

yes alf baker was a very good pigeon fancier indeed, new pigeons inside out, i dont think it was alf that raced workman , but he did breed it, louella did buy this pigeon as i purchased a direct son [,b pd as well] this son of workman produced many winners for me inc good nat positions,,,,,he did have a few silvers and reckoned that they were the better breeders,,, but a great pigeon man

[pdordin]

hi,i think ch workman raced into notts or derbyshire.