William Sheldon

If you have ever seen the Up North Combine Handbook, you will see that it was founded during 1905 but, if you look through the recorded history of past winners, then you will see that our records only begin in (1921) nineteen hundred and twenty one. The first years are missing and they rob the 'stars' of that era of their their just place in history and perhaps the defect should be rectified for the true validity and and accuracy.

The very first race organised by the Up North Combine was flown from Jersey on the 17th July, 1905: when, 1029 birds were liberated at 05-00 hrs. into a light North Wind. There were 122 entries in the one-shilling pools, split into 13 prizes and 41 entries in the two-shillings and sixpence pools, split into five prizes, plus four 'R.P.' Specials. The race was an absolute 'triumph' for William Sheldon of Jarrow-on -Tyne who won 1st Open, velocity 1039 yards per minute, pooled to 2 shillings and six pence, following up with 9th Open , velocity 975 yards per minute, 24th Open, velocity 931 yards per minute, pooled to two shillings and sixpence and also 61st Open, velocity 734 yards per minute.

My records for those years are very scarce and I pick him up again in 1909, in the race from Bournemouth, flown that year on the 26th June, when nine federations sent 9,047 birds, which were liberated by Goodwin, Metcalfe and Potts at 06-06 hrs. into a North Wind. The Combine winner was to the loft of Moffatt of Tynemouth making a velocity of 923 yards per minute and Sheldon's first pigeon returned 908 yards per minute for 17th Open and a second bird doing 875 yards per minute for 64th Open.. However, in between those years from 1905 until 1909, William Sheldon had set a series of absolutely unique records, which startled the British pigeon fanciers as a whole and brought himself world wide fame.

The Glorious Sheldon's

In the year 1906, with no Combine racing, William Sheldon was tempted to try Marennes with the National Flying Club: the distance to his loft being 635 miles. He recorded an arrival in race time but out of the prizes. He won 6th and 7th in the North-east Counties Federation 'smash' from Jersey, being the only pigeon fancier to time pool pigeons from this race.
An advertisement for an Open Race from San Sebastian in 1907 caught his attention and he pondered over the subject. His blue chequered hen No. 3319 had successfully flown St. Lo in 1904, Rennes in 1905 and Marennes during 1906: to quote her owner - "She was a grand finisher and had never shown the least bit of fatigue, being always in good trim after a hard race."
This logic was to put his name into the record book, for she won 31st. Open in the Market Harboro promotion, flying 806 miles to become the first ever 800 miles racing pigeon in Britain. His faith in her and his assessment of her capabilities never wavered and the pigeon was an absolute sensation, having beaten many, many more racing pigeons that were flying more than 200 miles shorter in distance. With this experience under his belt, he sent her to Mirande the next year and recorded her time, but just out of the prizes. This race made him the first man and racing pigeon to succeed at 800 miles twice and more astoundingly for - two years in succession!
The icing was put on the cake during 1909 when he sent two racing pigeons away to Mirande, which turned out to be a very hard race against a North-west Wind. William Sheldon timed his famous mealy hen 'Mealy Mirande' to win 55th Open National Flying Club from a field of 1,113 pigeons. The National Winner was clocked by W. Saunders of Cradley, recording a velocity of 860 yards per minute. The racing pigeons were liberated on the 20th July, midday by Conveyers - Dodge and Barnard after a one day holdover. William Sheldon also recorded his 1908 Mirande pigeon, the Blue Chequered Hen '86', to create a record of almost unbelievable achievements at this distance, which in full reads as follows : 1) First man to record a racing pigeon at 800 miles. 2) First British pigeon fancier to do it twice. 3) First pigeon fancier to do it three times and 4) the First British pigeon fancier to do it twice with the same racing pigeon. Add the fact that he did it in consecutive seasons with 100% ratio of returns against pigeons sent, winning 31st. and 55th Open, giving away hundreds of miles to the opposition and one will understand why I used the word 'UNIQUE' in my title.
I can add that he was the first man to win 1st Up North Combine, a very considerable pigeon fancier by any standards that one may care to set. These performances shook the British pigeon fancy and he, the man, received the accolades due to him and his 'Mealy Mirande' Hen, became one of the most legendary racing pigeons in the history of the pigeon racing sport. The acclaims this racing pigeon received for her 55th Open in the National Flying Club was absolutely enormous and her bloodlines in later years were spread far and wide throughout the pigeon Fancy.

There is no doubt in my mind that he was 'the' man of his times, a baker and confectioner by profession, he had his own shop and bakery in Jarrow and raced his pigeons from the rear offshoot which ran down the back yard. Jimmy McKay could look down from his school classroom window and get a birds eye view of the Sheldon pigeons and his boyhood view of those thoroughbreds is quite clear. It was his view of the the man that I was interested in. William Sheldon was a man of medium height, fairly stocky build and a strong purposeful character. He was a man with decided views and not afraid to express them. His knowledge of racing pigeons was quite considerable when one reads how he worked with and conditioned his birds. I have a beautiful article written by him in 1910 when he was at the very height of his fame and I shall refer directly to his methods in due course.

This then is William Sheldon as he appears to me, a 'GIANT' racing pigeon fancier, even by today's standards, and that isn't something that we can say about many record setters from the past. During the same period; he won the Tyneside Club Challenge Bowl four times for the Best Average - their radius covered the whole of Durham and Northumberland. In fact, he won it outright and it was in the hands of his 95 years old son at the time of first writing this article, whilst his granddaughter wore one of his beautiful Gold medals upon a chain around her neck.
My quest to uncover this great man has taken me to Hartlepool, Hexham, Easington, Blackball and of course his home town. Two men have been significant with help, firstly Ken Harriman of Easington, whose name will be familiar as the top fancier he is and, Geoffrey Sheldon, a great-nephew of William Sheldon.

It was Geoffrey who eventually produced the address and telephone number of William's granddaughter. However her father was not well enough to visit. I discovered that there had been oil paintings of the Champion racing pigeons hanging in William Sheldon's home, magnificent silver mounted Emu eggs with pigeons engraved upon them and many other artefacts to celebrate his fame.

Unlike the television detective stories, the pieces have not fitted together like the proverbial jigsaw. I have searched in vain for the paintings and even had difficulty in finding a photograph of William Sheldon, but no one can accuse me of not trying.