Saturday, December 28, 2019

Expansion of Breeding in Middle East Pigeon Service, March 1943


Excerpt from “Loft Manager and Pigeons,” by Bert Braspenning, Holland, in Racing Pigeon Digest, October 15, 2019:

     “When the last middle distance races start you can see the number of participating pigeons run back quickly.  This is because many fanciers who no longer have a chance at a championship will focus on the young pigeon game….A lot is being demanded of the young pigeons while they have to work in the toughest period of the season.  Often very hot and that is not an easy task for not well-trained youngsters.  This year and last year the juniors have a very difficult time.
     Still I look forward with interest to the remaining races.  The young pigeons are increasingly forming pairs, are cuddling somewhere in corners.  Others already have eggs and a couple gave birth to the first youngster two days ago.”


(c) Crown copyright images reproduced by courtesy of The National Archives, Kew, UK
Catalog number:  AIR23/998  #89




Wednesday, December 25, 2019

US Army Signal Pigeon Companies Manuals



Many thanks to Richard Fowler for contributing these links to the manuals.


TM 11—410, THE HOMING PIGEON, 1 January 1945



FM 11-80 Pigeon Signal Company Sept 15, 1944

https://archive.org/details/FM11-8


 

"Pigeon Communication" FM 24-5 Basic Field Manual Signal Communication, Oct. 19, 1942





(1943) Pigeon Training Section, Preventative Veterinary Medicine,      Signal Corps, 88pp
 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924000932164&view=2up&seq=2

 (1940)  TM 11—410, THE HOMING PIGEON, 10 September 1940, 72pp
 https://archive.org/details/TM11-410

  (1936)  TR 1255-1 The Homing Pigeon,  30 October 1936, 33 pp
  https://books.google.com/books?id=-9wsAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA1

  (1931) Ch 9, Pigeon Loft Management, Signal Corps field manual,  Volume II, Signal Corps Operations, pp134-147
  https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b630685&view=2up&seq=146

  (1931) "Pigeons at message centers", Basic Field Manual, Vol IV, Signal Communication, 1931, 12pp chapter
  https://books.google.com/books?id=VVAsbIoCRNgC&pg=PA248&dq=pigeons

  (1923) The pigeoneer. Training Manual No. 32, Students manual for all arms,  15 August 1923, 164pp
  https://books.google.com/books?id=yyhDAAAAYAAJ
  https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924000069231&view=2up&seq=6

  (1923) Message Center Specialist. Training Manual No. 24, Students manual for all arms, 28 June 1923, pp 46-64
  https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101072897109&view=2up&seq=712

(1920)  Homing Pigeon, Care and Training for Military Purposes, February, 1920, 60 pp
https://books.google.com/books?id=Z8UtAAAAIAAJ

This one is a British manual:

 (1919) "Pigeon Service Manual", Air Ministry, June 1919, 17pp
 https://vassallohistory.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/raf-pigeon-service-manual1.pdf