Our friends at Henry Bragg sent us an appeal to pass on to our members: exhibition visitors at Interface with Neo Artists were asked to write or draw the last message from their mobile device and pin to the gallery wall. Henry Bragg whittled it down to the chosen few below and asked our members to […]
BBC iWonder investigates how carrier pigeons compared to other forms of communication in the trenches of World War 1. Click on the image below to see the article.
RPRA General Manager, Stewart Wardrop, and Pigeons in War Volunteer Curator for the RPRA at Bletchley Park, Colin Hill, travelled to Stowe House in Buckingham for a recording of the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow. They took along with them for valuation Dickin Medals won by wartime carrier pigeons, and were interviewed by the programme’s militaria expert, […]
A short film about World War II carrier pigeon and Dickin Medal winner, Gustav, will be shown in the Short Film Corner at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in May. The RPRA was approached last year by Dennis Da Silva of film-makers ArtHertz in London, who were looking to film the story of the famous bird that delivered […]
The mystery of the secret code carried by a World War 2 carrier pigeon found dead in a chimney in Surrey continues to generate widespread interest and discussion. Gord Young, Editor of Lakefield Heritage Research in Ontario, Canada, contacted the RPRA with a possible solution, based on World War 1 Artillery Coding. Mr Young said “We […]
The mystery of the dead wartime carrier pigeon found in a chimney in Surrey, which we brought in August, may remain unsolved as decoding experts at GCHQ have been unable to decipher the bird’s message. Here is GCHQ’s explanation of the reasons, and the BBC’s report on the latest developments. The story has attracted widespread coverage, and was the topic […]
Former RPRA General Manager, Peter Bryant, explains the contribution to the war effort made by carrier pigeons and their owners. Part of the BBC2 documentary series ‘How We Won The War’, shown in September/October 2012.
Last week’s episode of BBC’s topical news quiz, Have I Got News For You, featured an item including the mystery of the dead carrier pigeon. Watch the episode here, and forward to just after 22 minutes in.
While ripping out an old fireplace at a derelict house in Surrey, David and Ann Martin found what they thought to be a discarded chicken bone, but which on closer inspection turned out to be the remains of a pigeon. Attached to the bird’s foot was a small red cylinder, and inside they found a coded message that was almost certainly dispatched […]
September 19th, 2023
September 14th, 2023
September 4th, 2023
