BETTESHANGER COLLIERY RACING PIGEON CLUB

Pigeon racing has been described as the "sport with a single starting gate and a thousand finish lines." It is no different here in Deal where it has been around since the opening of the coal mines in Kent. It is a sport for all ages and abilities and is an inclusive sport for those with disabilities. During the war, pigeons from Kent were used to carry messages from behind the lines to aid the war effort. A number of the pigeons were recognised by giving them the "Dickin Medal" which is the animal equivalent to the Victoria Cross.

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Pigeons from the Royal Loft were used as carrier pigeons during the First and Second World Wars, with one bird – ‘Royal Blue’ – winning the Dickin Medal for Gallantry for its role in reporting a lost aircraft in 1940.

Following the war, pigeons returned to racing, notching up further wins in national and international races. HM Queen Elizabeth II maintained an interest in the Royal pigeon lofts and regularly visited when at Sandringham

and was the patron of a number of pigeon racing societies, in recognition of her interest in the sport, most notably the Royal Pigeon Racing Association and the National Flying Club.

 

Our Society's Patron of Pigeon Racing is the Royal Family as they have racing pigeons in the grounds of the Sandringham Estate where they compete during the season.

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The traditional method of timing racing pigeons involves rubber rings with unique identification numbers and a specially designed pigeon racing clock. The ring is attached around the bird's leg before being sent to race. The serial number is recorded, the clock is set and sealed, and the bird carries the ring home. The electronic timing system reads the tag on the pigeon's leg and transmits the ring number sex, colour, and exact time of arrival to the clock. We mark our pigeons on a Friday night, they are transported to the race point which could be Exeter or further afield as far as Barcelona, when liberated, the pigeons homing instinct allows them to fly home to their lofts. They do this by using some combination of the sun, magnetic fields, and an olfactory map of familiar smells. When they arrive, a time is taken and the first pigeon home wins the race,

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New members are welcome. Juniors & Seniors Partnerships. Existing members will always assist and offer advice. For further information, please contact Steve Simmonds Tel: 01304 768107