Boglin Marsh the Racing Pigeon Fanciers Portal The Jack Curtis 'Big Fella' Chronicles
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'The Big Fella' Jack Curtis
LOOKS IN UPON SOME VERY SPECIAL PRESENT DAY BRITISH PIGEON FANCIERS

The Consistently Brilliant Eric and Pat Cannon of Godalming, Surrey.

One of the most common attributes I come across in truly BRILLIANT FANCIERS is MODESTY, and I like them all the more for this fact, as it proves that they know how to handle success, and all that it entails. Eric cannon could if he wished to do so, shout aloud from house tops, such has been his sheer consistent success in the English National Flying Clubs GRAND NATIONAL RACES from PAU. He has won many high Open positions over a very long period of time, which is the true mark of a 'CHAMPION FANCIER', who knows how to both breed and condition long distance pigeons. To describe this family of pigeons is an easy task for me -- they are Cannon's, pure and simple, because Eric has bred them his way, using his skill and judgement, and deserves the name as much as any continental pigeon does: they are genetically unique! The other factor that pleases me is that the crosses that he has used over the years, have been selected on one criteria only - PERFORMANCE, and strain names have no importance to Eric, because he isn't commercially minded.
He is essentially a very keen long distance exponent who has let his results speak for him, and has not really received a fraction of the acclaim that he should have had, because of his own modesty, however that is one of the reasons he is here in my chronicles and justice will not only be done - it will be seen to have been done! I know how to blow a trumpet, but every note will be true, I will not give any hype or bull, just plain facts, because that is all that top fanciers ever need - plain, simple, honest facts, like these! Eric has won the Three Bird (3B)Average from Pau, a distance of 540 miles, no less than six times, been in the first 100 Open no less than 74 times, whilst in all National Flying Club races he has won his Section 16 times, been 2nd Section 14 times, 3rd Section 14 times and 4th Section 19 times. In the full Open results, running to 500 or so places, he has piled them in massive numbers, winning 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 5th, 6th, 6th, 8th Open, but it is the consistency that counts for me when selecting him for the Internet Chronicles.

The other major factor that I like is that when he gets a good one, he keeps the bird going year after year, often for 5 or 6 seasons, and one fine Blue cock went TEN TIMES in consecutive seasons and is still in the loft! At the present time he has three 'Certificate of Merit' winners in his loft when the pigeon has to score 3 times within the first 100 Open to get one - which means that there are not many racing pigeons of this calibre anywhere in the country. These to me are the 'True Ace Pigeons' which I was brought up on in the North-east of England. Many lofts get one decent turn out of a pigeon, then place it straight into the stock loft, but take a look at Eric and Pat Cannon's - they will stand comparison with any racing pigeon, anywhere, in my opinion and one doesn't need mathematical formulae to evaluate them either: they shout "CHAMPION" without requiring coefficients! This family have won the 'Langstone Gold Cup' for the Best Average from Nantes, Pau and Young Bird National upon five (5) occasions and have been 'Runner-up' three (3) times, to prove that they are not just 'Plodders' but, genuine racing pigeons that can score from the Young Bird stage, right through the duration of their long careers. The birdages which Eric faces in the Nationals is in excess of 10,000 birds at Nantes, 4,000 birds at Pau, 5,000 birds at Saintes and over 8,000 birds in the Young Bird National -- so he like a bit of stiff competition and I like it also, because it illustrates exactly; just what quality I am writing about!

In the Beginning

My Chronicle starts at the end of the Second World War as far as pigeons are concerned, however just for the record, Eric Cannon was involved in the war, serving with the 8th Army in the Desert and later with the American 5th Army for the Italian Landing at Anzio, to attack Europe from the south. It was in Italy that Eric tried to push a tank aside and ended up with a severely mangled foot for his trouble; which by the way still gives him discomfort even until this very day. He was brought home to England and sent to a hospital in Liverpool, coming under the care of a lovely young nurse named Pat - yes the very Pat who comes into the partnership title of Pat and Eric Cannon: for he married her and they have been together ever since. As Eric said - "Pat has been a wife, mother, pigeon fancier and everything a man could wish for in a wife; especially with the pigeons, where Pat has been a great support in every facet of the sport." Their marriage has been as stable as the 'Rock of Gibraltar', surviving the tragedy and trauma of losing their eldest son in a terrible road accident. Pat nursed him for several years, to just prove the calibre of this lady.
As a youngster Eric rubbed shoulders with some historic pigeon fanciers, who raced their birds in the Godalming Club, pigeon fanciers of National repute such as : C. R. Gush, Raynsford; H. H. Boshier, etc., and these men set the standard for him with their brilliant performances from Mirande and San Sebastian. Eric's family of pigeons were formed after his return from War Service and the KEYSTONE of his family was a Blue Chequer Hen with the ring number 50/1753, purchased for one pound and ten shillings (£1-50 pence) along with five other pigeons from a Mr. Wiggins from Ipswich, who was flying his pigeons very well from Lerwick on the North Road race route. This hen was trained as a young bird and was lost in one of the races, returning home around Christmas time, badly fret marked, but Eric saw some potential in her and let her moult out before putting her back into training - this pigeon then went on to score well from over the channel in the Combine races. One year he turned her North and the hen won 3rd Section Lerwick 620 miles on the day of liberation. However her main value proved to be in the stock loft, where she became either Dam or Grand-dam of 34 pigeons that scored in cross channel races for Eric. THIS HEN PIGEON WAS A TRUE MATRIARCH and FOUNDATION STONE. Her blood still runs through the Cannon Family of pigeons, even until this very day, as Eric mated a daughter and a grandson together to breed 'Pat' which won 1st Combine Bordeaux against 3,456 birds, then 35th Combine Bordeaux against 2,147 birds, following up with 73rd National Flying Club Nantes to put Eric's name in lights for the very first time.
CLICK BELOW TO SEE 'CULMER LAD' A GENUINE BRITISH LONG DISTANCE RACING PIGEON

'Culmer Lass'

'Culmer Lad'

'Culmer Lady'

'Culmer Belle'

'Culmer Bess'

'Culmer Expected'

'Culmer Gold'

'Culmer Bluebird'

'Culmer Julie Girl'

'Culmer Channel Queen'

Culmer Rose'

To be continued ----- on next page >>
Note from Spinksy - this is a superb modern day story with some wonderful photo's of top performance racing pigeons which will all be reproduced on the net in due course --- watch this space! It took a great deal of debate between Jack and myself to decide whom we should feature within these 'Chronicles' as fanciers who should go down into the history of the Modern British sport. Over the next few weeks we will be presenting in our joint estimation the ultimate best - these fanciers are Icons and will stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world. It didn't take any time to make our minds up about the first two feature fanciers.