'Many Miles with Mott' David Bacon of Pettswood	Search this Site for whatever you seek! Find this: SEARCH THIS SITE
Keith Mott		emailKeith

David says that Albert Bennett's pigeons are the backbone of the loft He likes young bird racing, flying them in the local club most weeks, but he is only really interested in the Young Bird National. The youngsters are trained twice per week and if there are some nice cocks in the team - they are not sent to the National, but saved for the Widowhood system.

David Bacon of Pettswood

The month of January saw my wife Betty and I make the 50 miles drive down the M25 to visit and have lunch with David and Kath Bacon of Pettswood, near Orpington in Kent. David's father was an outstanding Long Distance fancier and raced the Red Logan's. David says his father had no car, so found it very hard to train, but did very well in the Long Distance events that he loved. David has inherited his fathers keenness for the Long Distance and is only interested in National Flying Club racing. His ambition is to win a National, which he says is a bit like winning the 'Lottery', but he has come close many times. His list of National Flying Club positions won through the years is endless, but the main ones are : 3rd Section, 3rd Open Cherbourg, 4th Section, 4th Open, Sartilly, 1st Section, 5th Open Pau, 2nd Section, 6th Open Pau, 15th section, 29th Open Pau, 20th Section, 26th Open Pau, 11th Section, 19th Open Pau, 11th Section, 20th Open St. Malo, 9th Section, 30th Open Pau, 24th Section, 27th Open Pau, 18th Section, 64th Open Pau, 29th Section, 55th Open Sartilly, 42nd Section, 77th Open Sartilly, 85th Open Saintes, 47th Section, 87th Open Sartilly, 20th Section, 97th Open Pau.

Apart from David's wonderful record in the N.F.C. he has won many club 1st's in Channel racing, including 'only bird on the day' several times. A Brilliant loft of pigeons. The main families raced at the 'Pettswood Lofts' are : Albert Bennett, Fear Bros. and Eric and Pat Cannon - the very best of Long Distance bloodlines. David visited Fear Brothers and Eric & Pat Cannon in 1978, purchasing an eight years old red Chequer Cock, which had won 1st Open West of England Combine from La Reol, before being put to stock by Sam and Rolly. After David purchased the great pigeon, a lot of his offspring won Classic and National races for the Fear Brothers, including a son which won 1st Open Pau N.F.C. for the 'West Country Aces'. David has bred a wonderful family of long Distance pigeons around this magnificent old Red Cock, before presenting him back to Fear Brothers at the age of fourteen years.

The first bird we looked at on our visit to David's was a handsome Albert Bennett Blue Cock which had won 1st Section E, 5th Open Pau N.F.C. in 1999. This game cock raced on widowhood and had two Nantes races before being sent to the Pau National. David's second bird from Pau in 1999 was half - brother to the Blue Cock and he recorded 64th Open. This wonderful Blue Chequer Cock had previously won 1st Club Laval as a yearling, being 'only bird on the day' in the club. David showed me a wonderful Red Chequer Cock which had won 30th Open Pau N.F.C. and he was a son of his good Red Eric Cannon stock cock, which is a son of 'Culmer Gold' and 'Culmer Rose'; when paired to a hen bred down from the original Red Cock from Fear Brothers. David races 20 cocks on the Widowhood system, and when he raced on the Natural system, he lost far too many birds to the hawks with an open loft.

When I asked David about his system of racing Long Distance pigeons on Widowhood; he told me that he paired them up on the 1st of March and only reared one youngster from each of the cocks. The hens are taken away at about ten days on their second round of eggs and then the cocks are on the Widowhood system. Training is kept down to only two 16 miles tosses, because he likes to fly the race team around the loft twice per day. he never trains during the racing season, but uses club races to get the Widowhood team fit. The birds are never broken down and are fed twice per day with heavy mixtures, which contain beans, peas and maize. Three seasons ago he re-paired for the Long Distance and sent three hens to San Sebastian, clocking all three in within half an hour of one another. He maintains that hens take some beating on a long days fly from the Long Distance events.

David's very smart 32 feet tiled roof loft has five sections; one for young birds, one for stock birds and three for Widowhood cocks. All the old bird sections have twelve nest boxes in each and trapping is through open doors into a corridor. He keeps his hens in a small loft at the rear of his wonderful large garden, and when he brings in a new bird for stock, David says that he uses his 'stock sense'. He keeps about 32 young birds each season and these are raced to the perch, never being paired up. He likes young bird racing, flying them in the local club most weeks, but he is only really interested in the Young Bird National. The youngsters are trained twice per week and if there are some nice cocks in the team - they are not sent to the National, but saved for the Widowhood system.

David says that Albert Bennett's pigeons are the backbone of the loft and the two of them have been good friends for many years. Although Albert hasn't raced for several years, David says that his advice is invaluable and he is always trying to coach him into his first National win. One of the top stock birds at the 'Pettswood Loft' is a Pencil Blue Cock, a direct son of Albert Bennett's 1st Open Pau N.F.C. winner - 'Champion Hermes', and he has bred many winners for David Bacon. David says that one needs a good family to be consistent at the Long Distance races and Albert Bennett has one of the best!

Thanks to David and Kath for a nice day; their excellent pigeons and loft are a credit to them.
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