Boglin Marsh Racing Pigeon Fanciers Portal
The Dr. Buckley Racing Pigeon Family (continued) by the 'Big Fella' - Jack Curtis
www.boglinmarsh.com

The Second Phase : An Optimist Becomes Involved.

Now let me take you back in time to the early days of the 2nd World War. Marshal Petain who was later tried and imprisoned for treason had signed a treaty with Germany for the capitulation of France via unconditional surrender. The Allied Army was fighting for it's life on the beaches of Dunkirk. I was just a lad of nine years, but I can remember it as if it was yesterday and what a Great Nation and Commonwealth we were then. Since that time after the Allied Forces won that war, I think that somehow we have lost the peace, however I am sure that cometh the hour - then cometh the man, and eventually a real leader will be found. However you get the picture of the period - Britain is in the grip of adversity, with the war going badly for us as an Island Nation, and a middle aged man who lives in Carlisle is sent to do War Work in Nottingham and - "What does he do with his spare time? He goes to visit Dr. J.C. Buckley of Bramcote and buys some pigeons from him!" What a real typical thing to do: if Adolph Hitler had known what Frank Gilbertson knew, then he need not have bothered to wage a war, because Frank had it all worked out in his mind about who was going to win. The Allies were! So he was buying in new stock to be ready for a fresh start as soon as they had and the Third Reich had been dispatched into history! You have to admire Frank Gilbertson's attitude, I think it is bloody superb, and he deserved everything that he later won, just for his optimism alone, and that's a fact!
Well as you all know, Frank was right, the Allied Forces did win and he had some superb Buckley pigeons, ready and waiting for the return of Channel racing, after things had settled down, furthermore they did fly for him -- you can bet your life that they did! However, Carlisle is not the best place to live when regarding Classic Racing with the English National Flying Club; not with the massive extra distance involved, and the Lakeland hills to negotiate, though never the less, these descendants of the Doctor's have gone on to win five (5) outright firsts (5 X 1st) from the cross channel races in the Cumbria Combine. As further proof of quality, they then produced both Scottish and English National Flying Club winners for other pigeon fanciers, and so to be recognised by many for what they truly are --- SUPERB LONG DISTANCE RACING PIGEONS!

Today it is Tom Gilbertson who keeps the flag flying, with the descendants of the good Doctor's pigeons, and he has them as pure as the Doctor would have had them himself, had he still been alive today. Let me elaborate for you:- his father Frank brought six (6) youngsters back to the North-west location of Carlisle, from Nottingham. These were a Blue Chequer Pied NUHW40JB76 from Captain Quibbles 'Ladybird', 1st Open King's Cup Lerwick, which was bred from the Doctor's family, through 'Bulldog Drummond' on her sires side and 'Josephine' on the dam's side. Frank got a daughter from '76' and both 'Bulldog Drummond' and 'Josephine' were 'Star' performers. 'Bulldog' won 2nd Marrennes twice at 500 miles, then 41st, 55th, 90th Open San Sebastian at 670 miles and was the Doctor's favourite pigeon. 'Josephine' flew San Sebastian five (5) times, winning 25th, 38th, 125th, 158th Open Grand National, also flying Dol, Pons, Marrennes several times. Both pigeons figured largely in the Doctor's subsequent breeding plans. Another youngster came from the other favourite '444' which descended from 'Bendigo' no less than thirty two (32) times, while another came from '848' X '617' which is line bred to 'Bulldog Drummond', the others had no specific details other than Doctor Buckley's 600 miles bloodlines, which should be good enough for anybody possessing one ounce of sense!
The sheer strength of the Doctor's family is well demonstrated in the breeding of the Pencil Blue Cock 68K67311 which never saw the training or racing basket in its life. It is only when one works out its breeding that one realise why. I have extracted the breeding for you and laid it out in standard pedigree form. The first thing that will strike you is the number of times that the Blue Chequer Cock NURP48AW7877 is represented in his breeding, which is virtually 80% Buckley bloodlines. This Cock '7877' won eight (8) positions within the first three prizes from Dol, and Nantes, winning a National Homing Union Gold Award for its efforts. So now I know why the Gilbertson's line bred to him, and so now do you - one can see that he was 100% sound in every department and proved to be a great stock cock into the bargain. His children won out to 615 miles, while later generations from him, have topped the Federation from 534 miles and 604 miles, with every shade of performance in between. Pigeon number '67311' was used at stock, breeding channel winners with three different hens, including the 'Terrible Twins'. However he stands out as a virtually 100% bred Buckley, with only very few quality crosses added to the originals from the Doctor. Bred some twenty three years (23 yrs) after the doctor's death, he proves how satisfied the Gilbertson's were with their Buckley pigeons, and it is to them that we owe thanks for maintaining this brilliant family through ninety five years (95 yrs) of unbroken 'TRIUMPH'!

to be continued - it's a long and superb story with fantastic photo's and pedigree to reproduce. This is the real truth about long distance pigeon racing and the unsung champions of the British sport who will stand comparison and better the worlds most hyped! Now you know why Spinksy has built a web site - Jack and myself don't need the hyperbole, because we know the truth and give you the facts!

However one analyses the pedigree of '67311' illustrated below - one cannot deny that this pigeon was capable of carrying the Buckley genes on well into the future. For all of the intense inbreeding involved in this superb specimen.
'67311'

Breeding of the Sire of '67311'

Dam of '67311'

There is one pigeon which intrigues me and that is the paternal great grand sire of 67311, the Dark Blue Chequer Cock NURP40A6447, which Frank Gilbertson (ever the optimist) bought as a young bird at the time he obtained the Buckley's. This cock 6447 is a great grandson of Logan's £300 pair and Logan's £160 pair, the top priced pigeons in his final sale of the 26th January 1924; the parents of the sire of the 1939 Bordeaux National winner, which was a prolific breeding hen bred from two direct Osman's. A Chequer Pied Cock bred by doctor Buckley, a full brother to 1st North West Combine, mated to a Delmotte/Moss hen and finally: Caldwell's Champion No.1 Stock Pair. This pigeon 6447 has no line breeding at all, it is the combination of 'Top Performers' only - but what pigeons they were, for his ancestors figure heavily in the history of British racing and he certainly left his mark in helping to produce the prepotent breeder 67311, which is no doubt as pure a Buckley as the good Doctor would have had himself, had he lived until 1968! The actual sire of 67311 won at the channel, his dam won 1st, 3rd, 7th Federation Nantes at 534 miles, her sire won at 615 miles, while her dam was from 7877 the National Homing Union Award Winner, as also was the 616 miles winner just mentioned!

One of the key pigeon in the Gilbertson loft was the 'Show Hen' , her Dam was very similarly bred to 67311, while her Sire was from 'King' and 'Queen' owned by J.L. Roberts of Marple. 'Queen' was direct from the No.8 Cock - 3rd Open Pau National Flying Club, which in turn was a G/son of 'Galabank Prince' 1st Open Scottish National Flying Club Nantes (over 600 miles). Through the result of this cross the 'Show Hen' won 1st Club, 1st Federation, 2nd Combine Nantes 1971, 1st Club, 2nd Federation, 12th Combine 1974, then put back to 67311 and they produced amongst others, the Pencil Blue Stock Cock 'Joe'. A G/dtr of the 'Show Hen' was 'Boney M' which won 1st Anglo Scottish Border Amalgamation from Nantes, over 16 hours on the wing and only two birds home on the day of liberation. A son donated to the Blackpool Show of the year bred 1st Open British International Championship Club from Pau for Bill Ross of Shropshire, while another bred the Gilbertson's own 'Jay Bee' which won 1st Club, 1st Federation, 1st Cumbria Combine Niort, 604 miles on the day of liberation. 'Jay Bee' in turn is the Dam of 'Hollie' which won 1st Club, 1st Federation, 2nd Combine Nantes 534 miles 1995, and also G/dam of 'Jackie' - winner of 1st Club, 1st Federation, 2nd Combine Nantes, then during 1998 a double G/dtr. of 'Jay Bee' known as 'Emergency Whinona', came up from Sartilly 431 miles to win 1st Club, 1st Federation, 1st Combine. All of these pigeons go back directly in one way or another to the 'Inbred Buckley Stock Cock 67311', while his son which was also dominated by the Buckley line and retained for stock became the Sire of Hillbeck of Kendal's good 'Pau Cock' a winner of over £500 from from this 700 miles plus race point!

By running through just a few of the 'Star Performers' I am in truth missing out many more 'Ace' channel pigeons: a son of 46617 won 1st Anglo Scottish Border Amalgamation Niort 604 miles. 'Farankie' topped the Combine from Nantes with a 4th and 19th to go with the 1st prize, while 'Johnnie' her nestmate won 2nd Combine from Rennes. The Dark Chequer Cock 'Jacko' won 1st Anglo Scottish Border Amalgamation Niort, with a 9th Combine at Rennes. His Sire was the double G/sire of D.& R. Osborne's 'Doonhammer Lynn', 1st Open Scottish National Flying Club Niort 622 miles on the day of liberation in 1995 - exactly 90 years after the foundation of the Buckley strain. I could go on and on quoting winners from the 'Absolutely Fabulous English Family' of long distance racing pigeons; which in truth are better than anything that anybody could wish to import into these islands, for they have a 'NINETY FIVE YEAR PEDIGREE', all proven and water tight. Eric Cannon's (see previous chronicle) 1st Open National Flying Club is bred from a Gibertson cross.
I know that the Dam of Callum Edmiston's 4th Open Pau was bred by Tommy Gibertson, she is from a daughter of two Combine winners, when the dam was mated to a Combine winner, which is using the formula of 'Best - to- Best' until your best is 'Better' than the Best. I think that this family established so long ago, but bred through three generations of 'Top Class Fanciers' bears testimony to the durability, strength, stamina, and sheer racing ability of this family of Doctor Buckley's. When one can inbreed pigeons for as long as Tom and his father have done, without any signs of deterioration - then one knows that one is on the right track, because inbreeding shows up the cracks in constitution quicker than lightning!

It must be patently obvious to anybody reading this Chronicle, that I am a 'Buckley Fan' and make no excuse for it, as I have no commercial axe to grind, I won't make a penny out of anything written here, but I stand by every word. You can all have your Van Damms, Van What's-its, or anything else that your ego and the hype might convince you to be better, but these are 'Dunkirk' pigeons, kept by an 'English Optimist', who saw a future when our world was very dark indeed; and I take great pride in illustrating them within my Chronicles alongside as compliment to the Cannon of Godalming , English strain. the bloodlines from 'Bendigo' have certainly stood the test of time as also, have the good Doctor's skill in breeding of long distance pigeons. Long may they continue to do so!
Jack Curtis the 'Big Fella'.