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[Trev]

Pigeon men have a funny way of "adapting" (for want of a better word)

We have far fewer members now than say in the 1980's but far more Clubs!

It'd be fascinating to wind the clock forward 50 years and see what the sport looks like then

I can remember what the sport looked like 50 years ago (well 49 years ago)
My club had near on 60 members. Fanciers never used vets. Only treated for basics worms/canker/coxi. Many kept NO stock birds. The one big stud was Louella. My club had no mob flyers 25/30 was a big sender) The birds went EVERY Friday regardless of the forecast. If they were held over so be it. Weather was not feared by fanciers, if it was overcast and dry they were up, if it was dry at race point but rain on route or home end they were up. The vels were on average much slower, but the races were still very competitive. When the weather was good they could still fly up to 2000ypm. Fanciers didn't fill the clock most clocked there first bird or a 2nd if close or pool birds. Most clocks came in with less than a handful clocked in. Yes we had the odd bad race or disaster but most birds returned. Expensive birds & paper pedigree birds were of no interest to anybody.
Friday night marking was a social event, the club was FULL 30+ members sat drinking till closing. Sat not so many as many fancier took their wife's out
As far as pigeon racing go's they were the good old days.

I remember those sort of times well. You used to just time your first bird, or maybe a couple if they came close together, even putting 2 rubbers in one thimble. Even if the second one was a fair bit behind the first you would usually time it just in case there was a problem with the first rubber. Yes I remember some bad races but generally racing was good. Birds missing on the day were usually there waiting to be let in the following morning. Back in Worthing some members would stay in the pub until closing. I used to go to the club on a Wednesday to set the clock’s ready for the Friday night as we had 30+ to set.
I must say though that I am in a good sociable club now. We mark at a social club and most members will stay and have a drink or two both Friday and Saturday evenings. We are last pick up for the transporter and take it in turns to wait for the lorry, 2 members per week. Pick up can be just before midnight on some occasions.

Yes I remember it too from going down the pub with Dad as a small boy to a few of us having dinner at the pub on Marking night as a young man, definitely happy days.
Russ broad was our mob flier sending around 20 birds a week, most members only overwintered 20 pairs or less, and still managed to complete the whole season. This was done mostly on a diet of Beans, wheat and maize with only natural tonics being used.
I am also lucky enough today to belong to a decent sized club with a good social side, we meet in the Trades and Labour club (not political) so drinks are cheap which is an advantage too.

[Zwols pigeons]

much the same for myself was going up the club before i could walk, by the time i was 8 i was chalking the baskets, by 10 i was on the ringer, at 11 i was getting the rubbers out of the clock on the Saturday, at 12 years old the proudest moment when one of the fanciers who later was to become my father in law, said get off that ringer and come and mark my birds, you handle them better then most of the adults. lol.

from that night on i was always marking the pigeons, then going with the truck to take them to the transporter and when i got back 2 or 3 of the members used to buy me a pint even through i was only 12/13 years old.

Friday night most stayed until the bar shut and by the end of the night bets were flying around from £5 out to £50 (keep in mind this was in the mid 1980's. one night there was even a £500 bet, pigeon over pigeon between the 2 aces at the time. interesting the 2 pigeons in question ended up 1st and 3rd combine birdage would have been around the 4,000 mark at the time.

every Saturday evening after clocks somewhere between 5 and 10 members would go out for a Indian meal. always with the wife's as well and of course me as well.

no wonders i was hooked on pigeon racing so early in life and have never missed a season all my life, with Beer and curry from the age of 12