The
Legend OF Jim Kenyon
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The
subject of this piece is a giant amongst giants
of the British racing pigeon sport. Jim Kenyon
was from Skelmersdale, Lancs, England, and as
years go by the legend has grown for so many winners
at the distance and in tough conditions are marked
as of the Kenyon blood. Not counting those claimed
as 50% or 25% Kenyon, etc,. Especially in Ireland
, Scotland, Wales and England at 500, 600, and
700 mile race distances.
Kenyon
has acknowledged that the majority of the credit
for his successes must be laid at the door of
another great pigeoner Chas. Thorougood. For it
was the stock of Thorougood and to a lesser extent
Edwin Nicholson of Billinge, near Wigan, which
was the base of his strain. A closer study however
reveals as one would expect the influence of Belgian
greats such as Jules Janssen, Gits, Vanderhaegan,
Hansenne as well as the old white throat Grooter
blood. So the best of the continental mainland
bloodlines permeated through generations to build
and fuel a great family of racing pigeons.
Jim
Kenyon was a fancier who believed in patience
and the nurturing of a loving relationship with
ones birds. In fact he believed that when many
of his racers defied the odds and fought through
bad weather conditions that the love of their
owner and their home played an extremely important
part.
If
there is one pigeon that epitomizes the Kenyons
then it was the great Whats Wanted. A dark Cheq
Pied Cock (NURP 30 F 63) a winner from Nantes
in conditions so bad that other local fanciers
were bucketing rainwater from the confines of
their lofts as it arrived in a rainfall. A wonderful
example of courage and determination shown by
a bird weighing less than one pound in weight.
In his career Whats Wanted won over 600 pounds
sterling in his time. Imagine what that figure
would be worth today. Whats Wanted won from Nantes
two years in succession and left his mark as a
breeder.
It
would appear however that the Kenyon's showed
their class in the hands of other fanciers. Of
course this is not to take away from the achievements
or the greatness of their creator but the fact
is that in the hands of others numerous nationals
were won. Perhaps that is a fitting tribute to
the Kenyon strain in that they carried their greatness
into other lofts- backyard coal sheds and palatial
premises- of fanciers here and abroad. Even today
the bloodlines are keenly sought after, although
I would doubt the existence of a pure representative
of the family at present. This search however
is perhaps the greatest tribute that can be made
to the strain and its builder.
by: Liam O Comain
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