Les Parkinson on the late Beardmore Bros & Morgan of Sandbach
I have been contributing articles of one sort or another to the fancy press for the last 15yrs during which time I have seen many come and go. Some have got to the top for a couple of years then drifted away into obscurity or gone to the ranks of the mediocre fancier or in fact have drifted away from the sport altogether and taken up interests in another hobby. Brian Beardmore is not a fancier to take things lightly in the sport, he would not be content to be an also ran, that is not his way. You might look at the heading and think to yourself that with a partnership like that with three concerned the workload is somewhat cut back, in most partnerships that may be the case but not here because the Morgan part of the partnership is Brian’s brother-in-law Basil who no longer takes any interests in the sport and in fact has not done so for a good many year’s. Then there’s brother Eddie who although is keen during most of the racing season is not a more frequent visitor when the weather changes for the worse, even so he does show a keener interest when the racing comes around, in other words a fair weather fancier. Eddie is the type that many of us would like around the lofts, very handy to do the training or take the birds to one of the clubs when there are a few on at the weekend, therefore he does serve a very good purpose to the partnership. That leaves the mainstay of the pigeon work to Brian who is as keen as any that you will come across and does look after them very well indeed. With this in mind I am going to give more credit to the man who really is an “Ace” among pigeon fanciers.
Beardmore Bros. with Dave Allen(centre)
Getting back to what I started to say about contributing articles, during the last 15yrs I have had a reason to write many pieces in the local notes on this fancier due to the consistency at which he has always won prizes at all levels of competition. The first time that I really did get to know Brian was during a 3yr spell that I had at E.R.F trucks Sandbach where Brian has worked since his schooldays. I used to spend quite a bit of time talking to him about all aspects of the sport and through these regular meetings it became obvious where Brian had gained a lot of experience from concerning the pigeons. Also working close to Brian was Charlie Peel who along with brother George really did set Brian up to become one of the best fanciers in Cheshire. Charlie no longer takes any interest in the sport, nevertheless still has a few words to say to any pigeon men that he comes across it really is a loss to the pigeon fraternity to loose such fanciers as Charlie because he is so knowledgeable about pigeon racing, still that’s another story and maybe we can get Charlie to contribute a little of his talent to the fancy press that would be of considerable use not only the new starter but also the already fancier. When one considers that the stocks at Hassall Road have been there for the last 26yrs one has to admire Brian for this perseverance in keeping this family of pigeons together. The original purchases were rather expensive in 1964, in fact the £10 he paid to the late Jim Coppenhall for the first two Osman youngsters plus a further investment of £10 to the late Mr Dale of Middlewich for two from his family of Logan’s making £20 in all which was a lot of money for the working man to pay for pigeons in those days. But on the other hand when one considers that this family of pigeons with the odd cross are still winning some 26 yrs later it’s a credit to the fancier. Any way the original team of pigeons went on for the next 10yrs for Brian moved on to his present address where he made his next introductions, these being the McNeilly Delbars of Northern Ireland via Derek Potts. Then there was another introduction to this family from George Stubbs “Ace” of “Aces” for many years in the Sandbach area. In fact Brian admits that George has been a big influence on his pigeon racing over the years and on this occasion went to George for further additions to his present team. It was about this time that he also brought in the Peel pigeons being the Cattrysse & Goossens which really did make this team of pigeons to compete against the best the best in the Cheshire area.
Beardmore Bros. & Morgan race loft - The stock loft
It was inevitable that when the Busschaerts were so dominant on the pigeon scene it was inevitable that they would have to be tried, an introduction that came from Bob Ashley of Moston who had by this time built up an excellent team around the Kirby Blues. I must stress there has never been a big influx of birds into the originals, what families that have been brought in have only been in small doses so as not to breed the originals out altogether. This team of pigeons have excelled over the years winning nearly all of the top honours that the Cheshire area has to offer such as having the only bird on the day in the Sandbach Open Guernsey when 110 members entered pigeons for the journey across water. Then there is taking 1-2-3 club 1-2 fed by 11mins, 2nd club 2nd fed Holmes Chapel on the same day, the following week 1-2-3 Niort with only two birds on the day in the club. 1st sec L 32nd open NFC Nantes. The 1990 season was no different with Brian who was for the 15th time in the last 20 years was highest prize winner with the Sandbach Club, a club that l might add has been one of the most successful in which ever federation they have flown for as long as l can remember. 1990 saw 7x1sts, 6x2nds, 3x3rds, 5x4ths 5x5ths some 20 fed positions, the OB inland YB & Grand Averages, OB points YB points, D Lea Sartilly winner, Rennes winner, E Rowson shield & D Gleave trophy for the best young bird of the season.
The Widowhood section - Young Bird section
The winnings from the other clubs l do not have at hand at the time of going to press. The lofts are nothing spectacular that is going on to days standards that are being set of pitch tiled roofs and all the rest of the loft has been up a good many years and is basically made of asbestos with a wooden front, of course it is all well lined. The loft consists of two sections for old bird racers one for the young bird team, a section which is where the widow hens leaving the end section for the stock which also has an aviary. A good pointer for these lofts is that they are all well off the ground to keep the damp out, there is also a good ventilation system that allows the loft to stay fresh at all times, there are never any stale smells around this loft. All lofts are well cleaned and have a covering of sand for the winter months as Brian does not have any lighting system in the lofts, he prefers not to upset them while they should be resting during the short days. Also during the winter months Brian hopper feeds the birds mainly with beans. Not only does Brian win racing he also participates in the shows and considering he does not see them from one weekend to the next they certainly look well in the show pen. One thing that I must point out that in each section there are rather more pigeons housed than one would expect, that is going on the theory of overcrowding in any one loft. Going on this theory there are twice as many cocks to each section and not forgetting the hens in the section which is used for the natural system with a further 18 stock birds which when paired up in February rear some 60 youngsters. Another point which becomes apparent when looking into these sections that there is nowhere for the birds to fly out of the way, they have to stay put and stay cool for their owner, as tame as they come which brings about contentment followed by racing success. A point that did come out was that after the 1990 season Brian altered the platform, why might you ask should anyone want to go to the trouble of turning flags round from 3ft wide to 2ft wide, Well Brian’s reasoning is by knocking that extra one foot off the platform the birds would have less space to land and would therefore go through the door that bit quicker, these are the little bits that would mean nothing to most fanciers, but to this one these little bits mean a few extra yards and more prizes after all it’s those valuable yards that count. If any other fanciers took note of such what appear to be minor details they would probably end up with a better racing record during the season.
Winner of 7 x 1sts - The Niort Hen
There is no easy passage for these pigeons, none are kept for the short races and none are nursed for the long distance events as they are all well looked after and are therefore expected to fly at some time or another from 60 to 500 miles. Another very interesting point was that he likes to have half of his nest boxes where the natural team are blocked off so that the pair can hide away in peace. The pigeons think that this is their hiding place their private domain. This does not apply to the widowhood system when the hens are away. One thing that you must bear in mind is that if you intend to train this heavy. If you do not they will soon fall by the wayside Young birds need educating therefore you must spend as much time with them as possible, what you learn them as Ybs is there for the rest of their life. To get the pigeons right for such an arduous task Brian feeds a mixture mostly of beans, peas and tares plus an addition of maize not a grate deal, just a small amount plus a further addition to the diet of red band conditioner which Brian has used for may years. This is more or less what Brain has fed to his pigeons for most of his time racing our feathered friends. Brian sees no point in changing his methods because they have been so successful over the years. As an addition to the water Brian is a strong believer in Johnson’s Tonic, which is something else that he has faithfully stuck to over the years. Training is something that the majority of fanciers cannot keep up with because when many fanciers are just getting out of bed Brian has been known to be leaving the motorway after taking them for a toss at Penkridge some 30 miles fly, a distance that he has in fact travelled in the dark waiting for the sun to rise and let the pigeons go. Now that’s what I call dedication. The old birds will receive three to four tosses some weeks while the young are tossed as often as possible before the commencement of the young bird season. Brian likes to give the YB team as many as 50 tosses which is the type of experience that they need if they are going to make it to the top. One point that Brian did make was that when he gets to the last three YB races his training system ceases. This came about when a few years ago his car broke down three weeks before the last YB race the youngsters went onto fly even better so he stuck to not training from this some time of the year. Going back to the training for the YB team they are trained in steady stages from about 2 miles building up to about 30 miles, which if the weather is suitable they stay through the season.
