Racing Pigeon Fancier, Larry Holbrook

In the Beginning...
More than eighty years ago I received my first racing pigeons. My father caught them in a farmer's barn and brought them home along with a box to house them in. I still remember them as vividly as if they were here now. One was a big blue cock and the other a small red hen with one eye. I thought they were magnificent and the loft, a box two feet by four feet, was luxurious.

My father had detected early in my life that I was very interested in birds. I have a photograph taken when I was two years old which shows me feeding my grandmother's chickens. The glass plate negative from which the photo was taken is still intact. I hesitate to mention that in the picture I'm wearing a dress. Little boys did wear dresses in those days... well, some of them did obviously!

Before long my father became interested in the pigeons and we started a larger loft in a disused chicken house in my uncle's construction yard. Our foundation stock was the original pair and a few birds purchased at the city market. Some were banded which showed that they were probably strays. We rented a clock and joined the local club, the Birkenshaw Club in West Yorkshire, England.

Our success was about what you'd expect with stock from a farmer's barn and the city market, and our name appeared regularly at the bottom of the race results. Moderate success did come when we acquired a red hen of the Soffle strain. This hen actually scored seventh in a race and homed with its top beak stuck through the bottom beak.

Times were tough and money was scarce so the partnership didn't last long. One thing did endure and that is my love of pigeons and, whenever I've been able to, I've raced. I always read everything I could find on the subject and I listened carefully to the experts.

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"Real wisdom comes when you realize you don't know too much." ~ Larry Holbrook

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When I returned home after serving with the British 1st and 6th airborne divisions during World War II and later, I built a small loft and bought the best birds I could afford: one pair of breeders of the old Logan family. From this pair I bred three young birds and raced them with the local club. I had no clock and had to run with the race bands to another fancier's clock. The three young birds scored in every race and won the longest race (200 miles) by 20 minutes, homing in the pouring rain. The individual attention I lavished on those birds certainly contributed towards their success.

In 1953 I emigrated to Canada and settled in Ontario initially. It wasn't long before more pigeons were acquired which I raced with the Owen Sound Club. Later I also raced with the East Hamilton Club. In 1967 I moved to British Columbia and eventually raced with the Capital City Club of Victoria.

When I lived on Gabriola Island, my club was the Mid-Island Racing Club which flies in combine with Victoria and Nanaimo. I have been successful in winning races with each club I have raced. My knowledge of pigeon fancying and pigeon racing is both wide and deep. I am now retired and living in Nanaimo and every day I answer emails from both seasoned and beginning pigeon fanciers. And often I get emails from people who have found lost pigeons and need help returning them to their rightful owners. It is my great pleasure to help anyone associated with pigeons in any way that I can.

This Web site is an exciting adventure. It was designed and is maintained by my daughter Andrea who owns Able Webs, OnlineMarketingVancouver.com, AndreaWilson.com, XSiteProDesigns and XSiteProTemplates.com.

A bit of pigeon fun...

Photo © Copyright David Shrigley

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I thought you might enjoy reading a tribute to Kaiser, the famous WWI Captured German War Pigeon. The tribute includes the article, "Portrait of a Pigeon," by Wilson P. Dizard, that was published in the NY Times in 1946.

PIGEONS IN COMBAT'S tribute to Kaiser, the famous WWI Captured German War Pigeon.

Kaiser, WWI Captured German War Pigeon

"KAISER" 1917-1949
BAND # 17-47-0-350
RED CHECKER COCK
BRED AND TRAINED BY THE GERMAN IMPERIAL CROWN
CAPTURED BY THE YANKS IN 1918 DURING THE MEUSE ARGONNE OFFENSIVE
ASSIGNED TO THE US ARMY SIGNAL CORPS, FORT MONMOUTH, N.J AND CAMP CROWDER, MO.
HANDLED BY COL. CLIFFORD ALGY POUTRE FROM 1936-1943
KAISER LIVED FOR 321/2 YEARS
SPECIALTY-OUTSTANDING BREEDER

PORTRAIT OF A PIGEON

By Wilson P. Dizard

Published in The New York Times, February 24, 1946

Technically, Kaiser could be called a traitor to the Imperial Crown of Germany. A soldier of fortune, he has served under two flags in two international wars. This may seem surprising when one considers that Kaiser is 29 years old and that his kind has always been regarded as a symbol of peace. But Kaiser carries no olive branch in his bill, he's a Regular Army Flier, assigned to the United States Signal Corps, and the oldest pigeon known to history.

To read the entire article and to see Kaiser's tribute, please visit "The Pigeoneers" section on this Web site:
http://www.pigeonsincombat.com/thepigeoneerswebpage.html

Pigeon Videos: The Pigeoneers II starring the late Sgt. Peter Zakutansky and Lt. Col. Robert S. De Adder and The Pigeoneers III starring Ed Schmidt and Ed Gergits will be released in 2011. Ed Schmidt served in WWII with the "279th Fighting Pigeoneers" the first overseas unit that was stationed in the Pacific Islands.

For photos and more information on the films, please visit this Web site: http://www.pigeonsincombat.com.