On a wing and a prayer
Pigeon fanciers across Shropshire played their part by supplying birds to play a vital role in wartime Britain. Ben Bentley finds out about the "squeakers".
Squeakers, as they were known, were the unlikely heroes of the skies during the First and Second World Wars.
Braving hails of bullets, sustained mortar fire and grim hand-to-hand combat, they flew missions over enemy lines, delivering secret messages and status reports from the Western Front.
Their missions saved many lives and helped our boys to victory - and there was the little enemy forces could do, except perhaps unleash a few falcons in vain.
But these chaps were neither brave troops on the ground, nor craft that swooped from the skies. These were ordinary British racing pigeons, and plenty of them were from Shropshire.
Pigeon fanciers John Preece and his wife Norma, both members of St George's Pigeon Racing Club, knew many breeders who gave up their prize charges when they were called to colour.
John recalls Mony Moore and Alf Hill from Albrighton, Albert Pritchard from Red Lake, Tommy Davies from St George's - all of whom answered the call from the War Office, delivering "squeakers" - or baby birds - for message-carrying duties with the Overseas Pigeon Service.
John and Norma, who own one of the Queen's pigeons, were reminded of the importance of the role of homing pigeons during the two World Wars - and indeed of the vital role played by county fanciers who donated young birds to the cause - after an unlikely meeting at a bread stall on Wellington market with a mutual pigeon fancier.
The chance happening led the pair to unearth a treasure trove of top-secret letters from the War Office, sent to fanciers requesting they send their pigeons pronto.
The letters were all sent in confidence to the pigeon-fancying father-in-law of Child's Ercall woman Jeanette Clarke, the lady who was introduced to Mr Preece after the bread stall incident.
They will now be donated to a national pigeon museum.
One letter sent from Captain AH Osman of the Home Forces Pigeon Service to Mrs Clarke's father-in-law William is dated May 24, 1916, and reads: "I feel sure that many fanciers would like to have their names included as donors of a few birds, to be used for the Overseas Pigeon Service, which are wanted on or before June 7.
"Could you please assist me by giving a few young birds for this purpose?"
And on November, 1916, the captain wrote: "May I again trespass on your kindness to assist us during 1917. I have been asked to obtain a large number of young birds ready for leaving England on the following dates.
"If you could breed a few pairs of young birds to be ready for either of these dates it would be a great help.
"It will be a credit to the sport to have been able to assist our country in this work in a spirit of patriotism".
In February 1917, Captain Osman sent more labels and consignment notes "in order to enable you to forward the squeakers you promised to breed for the Overseas Pigeon Service", and in a telegram dated May 1918 he urged: "I appeal to you that even if they are booked to fanciers the needs of the men at the Front stands first."
Reading through the letters today, John Preece explains: "Pigeons played a very important role in the war, they helped to save many lives.
"You would have RAF men taking pigeons with them in their planes and if they got shot down they would put a message in a capsule on their legs saying where they were and the pigeon would 'home' to the Army's mobile loft.
"These days when you think of communications and loss of data, it's incredible. These pigeons didn't lose much data at all."
In fact, at a time when electronic communications systems were crude and unreliable, pigeons proved incredibly efficient in flying messages back to mobile lofts from the front line.
More than 100,000 were used in the First World War and 95 per cent arrived safely back with information and instructions attached to their legs.
As that war progressed and battle lines changed, the unique and mysterious homing instinct of the humble pigeon came into its own. They could never have known where their loft had moved to, yet amazingly they would fly "blind" and arrive intact.
Says John: "It is amazing. They are a brave creature and won medals for gallantry.
"Let's face it, someone tossed them up in the air when bullets were flying and the mortars were going off and they were brilliant."
