Tom Gilbertson

Now let me take you back in time to the early days of the 2nd World War. Marshal Petain who was later tried and imprisoned for treason had signed a treaty with Germany for the capitulation of France via unconditional surrender. The Allied Army was fighting for it's life on the beaches of Dunkirk. I was just a lad of nine years, but I can remember it as if it was yesterday and what a Great Nation and Commonwealth we were then. Since that time after the Allied Forces won that war, I think that somehow we have lost the peace, however I am sure that cometh the hour - then cometh the man, and eventually a real leader will be found. However you get the picture of the period - Britain is in the grip of adversity, with the war going badly for us as an Island Nation, and a middle aged man who lives in Carlisle is sent to do War Work in Nottingham and - "What does he do with his spare time? He goes to visit Dr. J.C. Buckley of Bramcote and buys some pigeons from him!" What a real typical thing to do: if Adolph Hitler had known what Frank Gilbertson knew, then he need not have bothered to wage a war, because Frank had it all worked out in his mind about who was going to win. The Allies were! So he was buying in new stock to be ready for a fresh start as soon as they had and the Third Reich had been dispatched into history! You have to admire Frank Gilbertson's attitude, I think it is bloody superb, and he deserved everything that he later won, just for his optimism alone, and that's a fact!
Well as you all know, Frank was right, the Allied Forces did win and he had some superb Buckley pigeons, ready and waiting for the return of Channel racing, after things had settled down, furthermore they did fly for him -- you can bet your life that they did! However, Carlisle is not the best place to live when regarding Classic Racing with the English National Flying Club; not with the massive extra distance involved, and the Lakeland hills to negotiate, though never the less, these descendants of the Doctor's have gone on to win five (5) outright firsts (5 X 1st) from the cross channel races in the Cumbria Combine. As further proof of quality, they then produced both Scottish and English National Flying Club winners for other pigeon fanciers, and so to be recognised by many for what they truly are --- SUPERB LONG DISTANCE RACING PIGEONS!

Today it is Tom Gilbertson who keeps the flag flying, with the descendants of the good Doctor's pigeons, and he has them as pure as the Doctor would have had them himself, had he still been alive today. Let me elaborate for you:- his father Frank brought six (6) youngsters back to the North-west location of Carlisle, from Nottingham. These were a Blue Chequer Pied NUHW40JB76 from Captain Quibbles 'Ladybird', 1st Open King's Cup Lerwick, which was bred from the Doctor's family, through 'Bulldog Drummond' on her sires side and 'Josephine' on the dam's side. Frank got a daughter from '76' and both 'Bulldog Drummond' and 'Josephine' were 'Star' performers. 'Bulldog' won 2nd Marrennes twice at 500 miles, then 41st, 55th, 90th Open San Sebastian at 670 miles and was the Doctor's favourite pigeon. 'Josephine' flew San Sebastian five (5) times, winning 25th, 38th, 125th, 158th Open Grand National, also flying Dol, Pons, Marrennes several times. Both pigeons figured largely in the Doctor's subsequent breeding plans. Another youngster came from the other favourite '444' which descended from 'Bendigo' no less than thirty two (32) times, while another came from '848' X '617' which is line bred to 'Bulldog Drummond', the others had no specific details other than Doctor Buckley's 600 miles bloodlines, which should be good enough for anybody possessing one ounce of sense!
The sheer strength of the Doctor's family is well demonstrated in the breeding of the Pencil Blue Cock 68K67311 which never saw the training or racing basket in its life. It is only when one works out its breeding that one realise why. I have extracted the breeding for you and laid it out in standard pedigree form. The first thing that will strike you is the number of times that the Blue Chequer Cock NURP48AW7877 is represented in his breeding, which is virtually 80% Buckley bloodlines. This Cock '7877' won eight (8) positions within the first three prizes from Dol, and Nantes, winning a National Homing Union Gold Award for its efforts. So now I know why the Gilbertson's line bred to him, and so now do you - one can see that he was 100% sound in every department and proved to be a great stock cock into the bargain. His children won out to 615 miles, while later generations from him, have topped the Federation from 534 miles and 604 miles, with every shade of performance in between. Pigeon number '67311' was used at stock, breeding channel winners with three different hens, including the 'Terrible Twins'. However he stands out as a virtually 100% bred Buckley, with only very few quality crosses added to the originals from the Doctor. Bred some twenty three years (23 yrs) after the doctor's death, he proves how satisfied the Gilbertson's were with their Buckley pigeons, and it is to them that we owe thanks for maintaining this brilliant family through ninety five years (95 yrs) of unbroken 'TRIUMPH'!