The Joe Murphy Column

[Ian McKay]

The Joe Murphy Column

 

Received the following email from Dougie Bald of Balerno who wrote; ‘Dear Joe, Freddy Jamieson and I have organised a one off auction sale on behalf of the 16th Royal Scots Battalion Trust. The sale will be held at 1.00pm on the 2nd April 2017 at Newmains. The Newmains club has kindly donated the use of the sale room to the Trust. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of what must be the top fanciers in Scotland who have immediately, when asked, donated their young birds to the sale. The Battalion Trust is the world's first registered charity to be inspired by the sacrifice of an infantry battalion of the Great War. On 1 July 1916 - the bloody opening day of the Battle of the Somme - seventeen British divisions assaulted an impregnable German defensive system, bristling with barbed wire and machine-guns. 20,000 British soldiers died that morning - the idealistic best that the New Armies had to offer. A further 40,000 were wounded. Entire battalions of pals, brothers, neighbours and work-mates were wiped out in a matter of minutes. Amid the carnage it was a unit from the capital of Scotland that penetrated furthest into the enemy position. The 16th Royal Scots, the 2nd Edinburgh City Battalion, named after their charismatic colonel, Sir George McCrae, lost almost three-quarters of their strength. Somehow, though, a small party pressed on to reach the tiny ruined village of Contalmaison, deep inside the German trench system. In their time they were recognised as heroes, but posterity is unkind and the achievement was forgotten. In November 2004 a fourteen-foot-high traditional Scottish cairn was unveiled in Contalmaison to finally right this historic wrong. Constructed by Scottish craftsmen, using entirely Scottish materials, sourced in Caithness, Nairnshire, Moray and the Lothians, it is now recognised as' the most handsome battalion monument to be erected on the Somme since the high-water mark of commemorative projects in the 1920’s. It is truly 'the last of the Great War memorials' and has already become a distinctive Scottish presence on the Western Front. The future Remembrance lies with the young and the Trust organises regular trips and included on these are Scottish sixth-year students and young soldiers from the Personnel Recovery Unit at Craigiehall who are recovering from a variety of injuries sustained on recent active service. The establishment of the Contalmaison site and our annual pilgrimage has firmly cemented Scotland's links with France and the Somme. We have established a new tradition of Franco-Scottish remembrance, reviving the ancient friendship of Europe's oldest alliance. The Scottish Footballers' cairn is now an important part of the local fabric, The battalion was notable for its high number of professional sportsmen and fans drawn from the football clubs Heart of Midlothian FC, Hibernian FC, Raith Rovers FC, Falkirk FC and Dunfermline FC and a variety of other sporting clubs. Visiting the Contalmaison Cairn has become something of a pilgrimage - particularly for football supporters and school groups yours Dougie Bald’.

 

Royal Scots Monument

 

Good SNFC Birds

 

While going over the national results of 2016 I came across a fancier who had 5 pigeons that had won 3 times in national races and in fact one had won 4 times these were all raced by Billy Bilsland of Ayton. I know I have previously written about Billy performances but I did not know about these 5 pigeons and I think you will agree they deserve a little publicity for their efforts regardless of who raced them. We start with the 4 times winner who is a chequer white flight hen rung NEHU14BOR 335 in 2014 she won 27th section B 35th open from the SNFC Buckingham young bird national race flying 270 miles against a convoy of 1552 birds. As a matter of interest Billy was 3rd 4th 5th 6th & 7th open SNFC with his first 5 entries. Then in 2016 the chequer white flight hen won 77th section B 229th open from SNFC Buckingham from an entry of 2084 birds, she was then went to SNFC Littlehampton race a distance of 354 miles to Ayton competing against 4482 birds and she won 62nd section B 138th open. She was then entered for the last old bird race of the season from SNFC Roye a distance of 471 miles and she won 68th open (but no section prize) against 1135 birds. Billy’s second pigeon highlighted is a blue pied hen NEHU14BOR2110 as a yearling in 2015 she was his 2nd pigeon in the clock from the SNFC Portsmouth race when he time in 6 birds to win 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th & 6th open Scottish national with the blue pied hen winning 2nd section B 2nd open flying 348 miles against a convoy of 4767 birds. She was then entered into the Eastbourne race a distance of 366 miles and she won 19th section B 25th open from an entry of 2494 birds. Then last year 2016 she was entered into the first inland national from Buckingham a distance of 270 miles and she won 84th section B 241st open contesting against 2084 birds. We now come to a blue white flight cock GB14C 34716 as a youngster he won 32nd section B 40th open from the Young Bird national from Buckingham SNFC race flying 270 miles. Then as a yearling in 2015 he was to the front of the 4767 birds in the national convoy from the Portsmouth race when he won 3rd section B 3rd open beaten by 2 loft mates, at this point I have to say he would not have won the national as he was clocked 10 minutes after Billy’s national winner ‘Welltower Greer’. In 2016 the blue white flight cock was sent to the Buckingham national race and he continued to win by being 71st section B 208th open from a participating 2084 birds. Our next pigeon is a blue bar hen NEHU12BOR2684 in 2015 she won 4th section 4th open from the Portsmouth national from an entry of 4767 birds. Then in 2016 she won 3rd section B 11th open from the Buckingham national race from an entry of 2084 birds flying 270 miles. She was then sent to the Littlehampton race competing against a convoy of 4482 birds and she won 121st section B 292nd open flying 354 miles. Finally we now come to a Blue bar cock NEHU14BOR 320 who in the year of his birth won 24th section B 32nd open from the Buckingham young bird national flying 270 miles against 1552 birds. In 2015 he was entered into the Portsmouth national race and he won 41st section B 50th open from a convoy of 4767 birds. In 2016 he competed from the Buckingham inland national and successively won 9th section B 35th open from an entry of 2084 birds. You must agree the above performances are worth emphasising and many fanciers wish they had a team of this quality within our own lofts. So let us take our hats off to Billy Bilsland and his wonderful team of pigeons and not forgetting David Reed of Chainbridge Lofts whose bloodlines Billy races.

 

Billy Bilsland

 

I now highlight ‘Hillview Star’ raced by Ian Chalmers of Falkland in Fife this lovely red cock won 40th section C 168th open SNFC Maidstone in 2014 flying 381 miles from an entry of 4484 birds. The following year he won 48th section C 142nd open SNFC Billericay a distance of 354 miles against a convoy of 3406 birds. Then in 2016 he won 38th section C 174th open from the Buckingham race point from a convoy of 4326 birds. May I once again thank Jim Hannah of Blantyre for supplying me with the picture of Ian’s victorious pigeon.

 

Hillview Star

 

John Baillie Scotland's Fancier of the Year 2016

 

Joe’s Joke

 

WHO DOES WHAT.. A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning. The wife said, 'You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee.' The husband said, 'You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee.' Wife replies, 'No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee...'

Husband replies, 'I can't believe that, show me.' So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says..........'HEBREWS'

So to all you smart women who need a laugh and to men who think they can handle it !!!

 

Please continue to keep the news flowing; to Joe Murphy Mystical Rose Cottage 2 Flutorum Avenue Thornton by Kirkcaldy KY1 4BD or phone 01592 770331 or Email to joejmurphy1@gmail.com REMEMBER THE J IN THE MIDDLE or log onto www.elimarpigeons.com www.fancierchat.co.uk and www.pigeon-chat.co.uk also www.pigeonbasics.com who wish my weekly contribution portfolio on pigeon topics from Scotland.

 

© Compiled by Joe Murphy