President: Nigel Rigiani Chairman: Mike Shepherd Patron: Mark Gilbert BRITISH BARCELONA CLUB’S 50 ANNIVERSARY (Part 10). The late, great Ken Hine of Hayes. open BBC Palamos (685 miles) 1993 / 1 open BBC Palamos (685 miles) 2008. I was marking for the last London & South East Classic Club race of the 2011 season from Carentan on Friday 9 September and was told that the great long distance racer, Ken Hine of Hayes, has passed away the day before. Garyâ¦
Source: British Barcelona Club
President: Nigel Rigiani Chairman: Mike Shepherd
Patron: Mark Gilbert
BRITISH BARCELONA CLUB’S 50
ANNIVERSARY (Part 10).
The late, great Ken Hine of Hayes.
open BBC Palamos (685 miles) 1993 / 1
open BBC Palamos (685 miles) 2008.
I was marking for the last London & South East Classic Club race of the 2011 season from Carentan
on Friday 9
September and was told that the great long distance racer, Ken Hine of Hayes, has
passed away the day before. Gary Inkley was one of Ken’s best friends and while marking his birds,
Gary gave me the bad news. I must say I was a bit shocked, as Ken aways looked so fit, but Gary
said he had been suffering from bad health for some time. Ken was made a life vice president of the
National Flying Club a few years ago, after giving many years of hard work for the club, serving for
Section E on the committee. Through his many years in the sport, Ken has recorded countless
premier performances in long distance races, including 1
open L&SECC Pau, 1
open BBC
Palamos (twice) and 1
section E. 3
Open Pau Grand National (565 miles) in the 2002 season. The
sport of pigeon racing has lost another of its great long distance champions!
Ken was born in Acton, West London, and was introduced to pigeon racing at a very early age, as
both his father and grandfather were both fanciers. He had his first pigeons at the age of 16 and these
were obtained from top fanciers including, Alf Baker, Tubby Tate and my late, great friend, Alex
Fleming of Esher. Ken told me, that the one person he owed a big debt of gratitude to was, George
Burgess of Wraybury, as his help and advice through many years had been beyond measure. It was
the performances of Alf Baker and Tubby Tate which really enthused Ken, as a young man and he
had always liked long distance racing. When he started up in the sport he lived in a flat and his small
two section loft had to be sited in a borrowed garden. Those early days saw Ken race in the Chiswick
North Road Club and was very successful at that time with Alex Fleming pigeons, bred on the
‘Derick’ and ‘Bubbles’ lines. Ken once told me, every fancier makes mistakes when they first start
up pigeon racing, but the secret is to learn from them. Ken said, he often thought back to the early
days and the pigeons he had owned, with one of the best being a chequer pied cock, bred in 1964 and
named ‘Garth’.
Ken’s loft set up in Hayes was large, which he said was a matter of personal choice, but maintained,
he had seen a pigeon win flying to a rabbit hutch and so have I. His wonderful set up must be
described as a ‘pigeon paradise’, with three very smart lofts, set in green fields, with horses and
stables. Whilst he cleaned his lofts out on a regular basis, he said, he knew fanciers who keep their
bird on deep litter and were also very successful. In the main he had raced his pigeons on the natural
system, but had tried the widowhood for a few seasons and both have brought him good success.
The families of pigeons raced at the Hayes loft were the very best of long distance, in the form of the
late Peter Titmuss of Wheathampstead, the late Jim Biss of Norwich and the late Fear Brothers of
Clandown. Ken maintained that any new introductions always come from lofts with outstanding long
distance records. Ken was retired from his haulage firm and said he is fortunate that his family were
interested in his pigeons, and they helped him out around the lofts.
Ken told me his most thrilling experience in pigeons was when he won 1
open BBC Palamos, 1
open L&SECC Pau and 1
and 2
club Nantes all on the same weekend. Brilliant pigeon racing!
The lofts performances at the long distance through the years has been fantastic winning: flying
Thurso 20 consecutive years and winning 16 times: Lerwick (600 miles) four times, 2
combine
three consecutive years and timing in on the day from Lerwick. Turning south road in 1985 and
winning: 1985: 69
open NFC Pau, 1986: 15
open NFC Pau, 1987: 52
open NFC Pau, 1988: 52
, 58
and 154
open NFC Pau, 1989: 15
and 48
open NFC Pau, 1990: 33
and 99
open NFC
Pau, 33
and 71
open NFC Sartilly, 1991: 16
open N FC Bordeaux, 1992: 99
open NFC Pau,
1993: 27
open NFC Pau, 15
open NFC Saintes, plus many other premier NFC positions through
the years. Ken told me he had enjoyed many memorable moments in his time in the sport, but the
weekend he won Palamos and Pau, was the best.
He has served on the committee of the National Flying Club many years and was a life vice
president, but said until recent years it has given him great pleasure. He told me, ‘I certainly do not
agree that committee members and officials of other specialist clubs should serve on the committee
of the National Flying Club. It is my personal opinion that this could create a conflict of interest’.
Ken was not happy with the NFC going with the Entente Belge to Dax a few years ago and said,
those that wish to compete in International races, can do so with the BICC. He told me, he thought
that Gary Inkley of Hillingdon was the best fancier in his area. On the subject of breeding, Ken
practiced some inbreeding and line breeding to maintain his family of long distance pigeons. This
was some thing he had learned a long time ago from his great friend, the late, great Peter Titmuss.
He thought the moult period was a very important time of the year for pigeons and said, get the
moult right and success will follow. There you have it, the late great Ken Hine of Hayes, long
distance ‘ace’ and great worker for the National Flying Club!
