The Dickin Medal awarded to pigeon ‘Tommy’ NURP.41.DHZ.56, for assisting the Dutch Resistance during World War II, was auctioned by Laidlaw Auctioneers & Valuers in Carlisle on 31st January. In 1942 Tommy was fitted with a message container and liberated by Dutch Resistance member and pigeon fancier Dick Dryver, in an attempt to notify British […]
Five years ago RPRA Development Officer, Richard Chambers, travelled to Normandy with NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), where he met up with Signaller Harry Swann, to show him how to handle pigeons ahead of the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the Allied landings at Normandy on D-Day, 6th June 1944. On Thursday 6th […]
Dickin Medal winning carrier pigeon, Mary of Exeter, is the subject of a new beautifully illustrated children’s book – “Mary, The Pigeon Who Never Gave Up”. Written by Katie Villa & Simon Hall, the book is illustrated by Rosie Race and the People of Exeter. ‘Mary is a pigeon. A very fast, rather cheeky pigeon […]
RPRA President Les Blacklock and his wife Meryl attended the annual remembrance gathering at the National Animals in War Memorial, Brook Gate, Park Lane, London, when 27 animal charities and organisations were present. Following a one minute’s silence, Cath Bourg from the Pet Plan Charitable Trust announced that this year marked the 80th anniversary of […]
RPRA President, Les Blacklock, and his wife Meryl attended the Animals in War memorial service which took place at the Memorial on Park Lane, London, on the 10th November. The service was well attended, with most animal charities represented. Pigeons were mentioned first in the eulogy, and several speakers also gave moving accounts of their […]
In August 1914 the British government requisitioned over 1000 red double decker London buses and sent them to France to act as troop transports, ambulances and mobile lofts for carrier pigeons on the Western Front. Many of them drove around the French battlefields for a time in their red livery, with London locations such as […]
Paula Yare has written a new children’s book entitled ‘Pip the Pigeon: Secret Mission’, about the hair-raising adventures of a heroic pigeon who joins the British Army in World War I. The book costs £4.99 plus p&p, and proceeds are being donated to Cancer Research UK. To order a copy, e-mail [email protected], with your name, address […]
Jennifer Spangler has produced a very interesting blog on World War 2 Military Intelligence and in particular the use of carrier pigeons for the return of messages from agents in occupied Europe. The blog features scans of many documents – most highly secret at the time – which tell the story of the contribution that carrier […]
Graham Fellows, in the guise of celebrity comedian John Shuttleworth, and antiques expert Paul Laidlaw visited the RPRA One Loft at Tewkesbury to film a piece for an episode of the BBC series Celebrity Antiques Road Trip. In addition to filming various items of historic pigeons in war memorabilia, John also gave a live performance […]
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