Focus on Jim Donaldson of Peterhead - Scotland By Jack 'Big Fella' Curtis	Search this Site for whatever you seek! Find this: SEARCH THIS SITE Pigeon Photographs

His present day loft in truth descends from ONE PIGEON only, a 'mighty pre potent producer' name 'Circus Boy' - a Gay Red Grizzle Pied Cock, which has left many outstanding offspring over his 15 years of breeding in Jim's loft. These pigeon of Jim's have the same genes as their ancestors, modified and balanced with variations of various breeders, but they are what they are

Jim wants and expects results pretty quickly, or out they go no matter what they cost him, and he races his young birds to 366 miles, with no favours given. He doesn't worry about inbreeding, because they are all tested, and of course only really sound pigeons will stand up to this treatment, which has been the basis of his success so to date. Jim has only flown these pigeons since 1980 and yet ---

Focus on Jim Donaldson of Peterhead.

Gaze Northwards.

The small Scottish town of Peterhead sits on the east coast, some twenty odd miles north of the 'Granite City' of Aberdeen, close to the small bay which gives it its name. It is here that we find an outstanding loft of real British Long Distance pigeons, which have produced an outstanding run of success, against all of the odds. They are here as representatives of bloodlines which have been in our islands for many, many years, and will stand comparison with the best. They fly to a most unsatisfactory loft location, through harsh terrain, with little or no shelter or protection from the elements or raptors, across miles of hills and moor land.

Jim has only flown these pigeons since 1980 and yet in that short space of time, has won 1st North Section of the Scottish National Flying Club - nine times! In the process he has amassed a whole string of outstanding Open positions, including the 'elusive' 1st Open, an absolutely 'gigantic' feat to such an unfavourable location, giving miles away by the hundred in overfly to the shorter distance flying members. A difficult job on flat terrain --- an almost impossible job up there in the wilds of North-east Scotland, where only the strongest and most determined of pigeons can home from the extreme distances that these birds fly! The shortest Channel race is a mere 605 miles, the second some 650 miles, the third is 775 miles, with a return to 605 miles to finish the season off! We are definitely into the distance if one reads this carefully!

These are the bare bones of this chronicle, and the reason for choosing Jim to represent these islands of ours, plus the fact that during the twenty years that he has flown pigeons, he has evolved his own strain or particular family which is unique to him His present day loft in truth descends from ONE PIGEON only, a 'mighty pre potent producer' name 'Circus Boy' - a Gay Red Grizzle Pied Cock, which has left many outstanding offspring over his 15 years of breeding in Jim's loft. Every 605, 650, 775 miler that has won for Jim, Carries his bloodline! Where does one find them, these pure 'diamonds', these begetters of fame? I shall tell you as we progress, where Jim found his; but patience men, all things in good time.

There are no fancy popular strains here; no Sir; only superb Long Distance performers, created by one man, using the method of 'trial by ordeal' and careful line breeding to his top producers and racers. Every year during 'Circus Boy's breeding career he was mated to the 'Best Hen' of that season, for a pair of Late bred young, This mating was irrespective of relationship, and he bred with several daughters and grand daughters during his lifetime. These e late-bred's have not produced many direct winners, however their children have, so patience can pay off, even with a closely bred family. Likewise any pigeons brought into the loft must toe the line from the word Go!

Jim wants and expects results pretty quickly, or out they go no matter what they cost him, and he races his young birds to 366 miles, with no favours given. He doesn't worry about inbreeding, because they are all tested, and of course only really sound pigeons will stand up to this treatment, which has been the basis of his success so to date. The foundation of the Donaldson loft was from two fanciers : first Davie Scott of Brechin, whose loft was based upon a strong line from Giles Sharrock of Haskayne, near Southport, England, via Marr of Brechin; plus Sharrock X Atwell Brothers line from Norman Dall. Added to these were six youngsters from Sid and Sis Beard of Hemmel Hemstead, which carried the bloodlines of 'Lancashire Rose', 1st Open Pau National Flying Club, flying 734 miles to Southport for the late Jimmy Warren, creating a Long Distance record in the N.F.C. which still stands today, plus 'Blue Anglia', a fine Blue Cock which won one of the big Vaux Gold Tankard International races from Nantes in a hard race circa 1965 0r 1966 if memory serves me right. Another plus were the Kirkpatrick lines. Jim crossed the Beard lines with the Scott lines to produce 'Circus Boy', with the Beard cross in his Sire, back to a fully bred Scott hen - so in truth he was line bred back to the Sharrock family, which many of you reading this will not have even heard of; so let me elaborate.

Sharrock Brothers of Haskayne, to give them their full title, were quite brilliant fanciers and deserve some recognition, for the influence they have in Jim Donaldson' loft (and countless others - Spinksy), with of course a major input from Davie Scott who carried these lines forward in the Scottish National flying Club. Davie won a whole string of Open Positions over a long period of time. He was sufficiently brilliant to attract Jim's attention when he started up, and was a brilliant exponent of the Eye Sign selection, proving his views numerous times with his forecasts. He won 6th Open, 7th Open, 10th Open, 24th, 25th, 3 x 55th plus many etceteras, and his Dark Chequer pied pigeons are almost carbon copies of the Sharrock pigeons photographs that I have. In 1935 the Sharrock's had four Fan Sebastian pigeons in their loft at 709 miles, two Bordeaux pigeons at 614 miles, eighteen Marennes pigeons at over 500 miles and a total of 48 different Channel pigeons. By the year 1949, they could claim to have won 1st Open North West Combine seven times, plus a 1st and 2nd Open National Flying Club Penzance in the War Time Nationals, when of course Hitler's activities prevented racing from the continent. They won from any and every distance with their family, at Club, Amal, Combine and National level, and I must thank British Homing World Editor - Cameron Stansfield for his help with this research.

They state that they had the blood of Logan's '1826' and his '69' at the base of their family, and I will be adding my chronicle upon J.W. Logan. at some time in the near future. Never the less, they also had a strong line from Bradshaw of Stretford, based upon his 'brilliant' Channel racing cock known as 'Bradshaw's L29', which if my boyhood memory serves me right, was a Mealy Cock, quite long cast with a fair bit of tail. I know he was very prominent in the Combine races over in the North West, and was of Bricoux x Sion blood. Her the plot thickens : Bradshaw reported a stray to John Cameron of Blantyre, who in turn introduced him to Muir of Newarthill, who raced a brilliant team of Bricoux-Sions, which came from the 'Great' Doctor Anderson of Armadale. The fact is that the Sharrock's obtained three brothers from J. L. Muir : L29, the brilliant racer, his brother 'Champion Harry' and the third brother was 'Champion Jimmy' with the latter two being retained for stock where they excelled when crossed with the old base lines from '1826' and '96' of Logan's. However the return of the Sharrock's to Scotland via Marr, Dall and then Davie Scott was , of course, a classic case of taking coals back to Newcastle, through the Doctor Anderson connection. The Doctor brought in these lines during the 1930's and in the intervening 70 years they have travelled away from, then back to Scotland with success being won wherever they have gone.

However the Sharrock loft was much more than an 'L29' Bricoux - Sion cross, as they state in their 1935 advert, that the loft contained the bloodlines of '69' and '1826' Champions 'Picture' and 'Noble Descent' - which takes us back to the very foundation of Logan's loft; through '103' his first 600 miler, thence to 'Old 86', Britain's first 400 miler, back to 'Debue2' , 'Rome 1' , 'B16' , 'B6', the Gits Hen '646', and '129', the base foundation pigeons of some 130 years ago. The Atwell Brothers, line in the Dall family, were tremendous Long Distance performers into Wales, their family was based upon Vic Robinson's Osman's, Captain E.E. Jackson of Wheelton's brilliant Barkers, and Oliver Dix old 'Spangle' strain which is still going strong today. The Robinson family was truly great, they won in the National Flying Club, claiming every trophy available over the years, with twice 1st Open in the Grand National.

The Jackson Barkers made many North west lofts famous, and I mean really famous, whilst Atwell Brothers 'Mary Ann' was indeed a true 'Champion' as her performances prove. They are worth repeating : 1944 - 3rd Frazerburgh, 1945 - 3rd Perth, 1946 - 15th Lerwick (598 miles) with the Monmouth Championship Club, 1947 - she came to win 2nd Ripon, and 6th Monmouth Federation, Lerwick. In 1948 they swung to Amsterdam with the B.B.F.C. and she claimed 7th Section, then in 1949 she won 1st Federation Stockport, 7th Welsh National Lerwick, then 13th Welsh National Thurso. The 1950 season saw her win 1st National Lerwick, and they sent her back again in 1951, her 10th season of racing (think about that), and she came again to win 1st Open Welsh National velocity 622 yards per minute. With only two birds in race time - that is 'Some Hen'! However; what about the men who raced her - bloody marvellous, she was a 'Real Un' no doubt at all, and her bloodlines are buried somewhere within this family of Jimmy Donaldson's.

Get your bicycle out and search amongst Van Wotsit's, look for a 'Mary Ann', search amongst the present day stars for a double of '598' a DOUBLE NATIONAL WINNER in her 9th and 10th racing seasons! I now know what makes these Donaldson pigeons tick, when one finds courageous pigeons like little old 'Mary Ann' in their breeding. Having gone briefly down the years, well over 130 years to be exact, I could expand the Chronicle into staggering proportions, if I so desired. The number of Champion British Pigeons I could cover would be simply enormous. The continentals would have difficulty in doing this, due to the activities of Hitler's Gestapo who wiped out many of their major champion lofts, but we in Britain have that unique and genuine linear time scale, totally intact since the sport was founded.

These Donaldson pigeons go back to that rich beginning. The years between the two World wars were not easy years for we British, and I still think that Britain should have remained Britain; the great dark years of the Twenties and Thirties, were bloody hard times. I can remember the 30's when I stood in half mile long dole queues with my father. Money was tight, money was scarce, and men were damned lucky to earn a couple of pounds for a full weeks work - if they could get any work! Yet; at that time the Sharrock Brothers owned several pigeons which won vast amounts of money in comparative terms. 'Haskayne Wonder' won over £400, 'Haskayne Smasher' won £400, 'Haskayne Champion 216' won over £400, 'Haskayne Champion 212' over £200, 'Haskayne Ideal' £250, 'Haskayne Champion 246' £200. 'Haskayne Topper' £200, 'Haskayne Moneymaker' £500 . Think about that lot, and they had several others which won well over £100 each, these are massive amounts for that period of time, and they were advertised for the world to see. It is nice to pull these great racers out of the past, into the present day focus, because we often hear how much better the pigeons of today are, compared with pigeons of yesteryear - a theory to which I definitely do not contribute.

These pigeon of Jim's have the same genes as their ancestors, modified and balanced with variations of various breeders, but they are what they are ----- true linear descendants from the Logans, Osmans, Bricoux - Sions, Spangles, Barkers and many other ingredients put there by many different British fanciers, over period of one hundred and thirty years. The interesting fact is that they are still winning and winning well, through all levels of competition, right to the very apex of National racing, as I hope I have proved within these various Chronicles.

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Jim and Ann Donaldson outside their lofts situated up in the far North-east of Scotland. Superb long Distance performances with a home produced family!

Not the ideal location for National Racing, by any means, but their totally British pigeons make light of that disadvantage, homing in brilliant fashion

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