Pigeon racing was one of the biggest working-class recreational activities after the Second World War, and the Blakeney club had over one hundred members. Federations of clubs would send birds hundreds of miles in panniers to take part in ‘National’ competitions. Each pigeon carried a ring that would be ‘clocked’ by members and the distance between the owner’s loft and the release point would be calculated, allowing a winner to be declared, based on the speed of the pigeon. Here Kelvyn Jones describes his father's role in the founding of the Blakeney club after the War.
|