Editorial note:
Please read this disclaimer first: The Boglin Marsh Archives
This article was originally published between 1999 and 2001. Reproduced here as written by Steve 'Spinksy' Spinks. It contains language and attitudes of its time.
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The Consistently Brilliant Eric and Pat Cannon of Godalming, Surrey.
One of the most common attributes I come across in truly BRILLIANT FANCIERS is MODESTY, and I like them all the more for this fact, as it proves that they know how to handle success, and all that it entails. Eric cannon could if he wished to do so, shout aloud from house tops, such has been his sheer consistent success in the English National Flying Clubs GRAND NATIONAL RACES from PAU. He has won many high Open positions over a very long period of time, which is the true mark of a 'CHAMPION FANCIER', who knows how to both breed and condition long distance pigeons. To describe this family of pigeons is an easy task for me -- they are Cannon's, pure and simple, because Eric has bred them his way, using his skill and judgement, and deserves the name as much as any continental pigeon does: they are genetically unique! The other factor that pleases me is that the crosses that he has used over the years, have been selected on one criteria only - PERFORMANCE, and strain names have no importance to Eric, because he isn't commercially minded.
He is essentially a very keen long distance exponent who has let his results speak for him, and has not really received a fraction of the acclaim that he should have had, because of his own modesty, however that is one of the reasons he is here in my chronicles and justice will not only be done - it will be seen to have been done! I know how to blow a trumpet, but every note will be true, I will not give any hype or bull, just plain facts, because that is all that top fanciers ever need - plain, simple, honest facts, like these! Eric has won the Three Bird (3B)Average from Pau, a distance of 540 miles, no less than six times, been in the first 100 Open no less than 74 times, whilst in all National Flying Club races he has won his Section 16 times, been 2nd Section 14 times, 3rd Section 14 times and 4th Section 19 times. In the full Open results, running to 500 or so places, he has piled them in massive numbers, winning 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 5th, 6th, 6th, 8th Open, but it is the consistency that counts for me when selecting him for the Internet Chronicles.
The other major factor that I like is that when he gets a good one, he keeps the bird going year after year, often for 5 or 6 seasons, and one fine Blue cock went TEN TIMES in consecutive seasons and is still in the loft! At the present time he has three 'Certificate of Merit' winners in his loft when the pigeon has to score 3 times within the first 100 Open to get one - which means that there are not many racing pigeons of this calibre anywhere in the country. These to me are the 'True Ace Pigeons' which I was brought up on in the North-east of England. Many lofts get one decent turn out of a pigeon, then place it straight into the stock loft, but take a look at Eric and Pat Cannon's - they will stand comparison with any racing pigeon, anywhere, in my opinion and one doesn't need mathematical formulae to evaluate them either: they shout "CHAMPION" without requiring coefficients! This family have won the 'Langstone Gold Cup' for the Best Average from Nantes, Pau and Young Bird National upon five (5) occasions and have been 'Runner-up' three (3) times, to prove that they are not just 'Plodders' but, genuine racing pigeons that can score from the Young Bird stage, right through the duration of their long careers. The birdages which Eric faces in the Nationals is in excess of 10,000 birds at Nantes, 4,000 birds at Pau, 5,000 birds at Saintes and over 8,000 birds in the Young Bird National -- so he like a bit of stiff competition and I like it also, because it illustrates exactly; just what quality I am writing about!
In the Beginning
My Chronicle starts at the end of the Second World War as far as pigeons are concerned, however just for the record, Eric Cannon was involved in the war, serving with the 8th Army in the Desert and later with the American 5th Army for the Italian Landing at Anzio, to attack Europe from the south. It was in Italy that Eric tried to push a tank aside and ended up with a severely mangled foot for his trouble; which by the way still gives him discomfort even until this very day. He was brought home to England and sent to a hospital in Liverpool, coming under the care of a lovely young nurse named Pat - yes the very Pat who comes into the partnership title of Pat and Eric Cannon: for he married her and they have been together ever since. As Eric said - "Pat has been a wife, mother, pigeon fancier and everything a man could wish for in a wife; especially with the pigeons, where Pat has been a great support in every facet of the sport." Their marriage has been as stable as the 'Rock of Gibraltar', surviving the tragedy and trauma of losing their eldest son in a terrible road accident. Pat nursed him for several years, to just prove the calibre of this lady.
As a youngster Eric rubbed shoulders with some historic pigeon fanciers, who raced their birds in the Godalming Club, pigeon fanciers of National repute such as : C. R. Gush, Raynsford; H. H. Boshier, etc., and these men set the standard for him with their brilliant performances from Mirande and San Sebastian. Eric's family of pigeons were formed after his return from War Service and the KEYSTONE of his family was a Blue Chequer Hen with the ring number 50/1753, purchased for one pound and ten shillings (£1-50 pence) along with five other pigeons from a Mr. Wiggins from Ipswich, who was flying his pigeons very well from Lerwick on the North Road race route. This hen was trained as a young bird and was lost in one of the races, returning home around Christmas time, badly fret marked, but Eric saw some potential in her and let her moult out before putting her back into training - this pigeon then went on to score well from over the channel in the Combine races. One year he turned her North and the hen won 3rd Section Lerwick 620 miles on the day of liberation. However her main value proved to be in the stock loft, where she became either Dam or Grand-dam of 34 pigeons that scored in cross channel races for Eric. THIS HEN PIGEON WAS A TRUE MATRIARCH and FOUNDATION STONE. Her blood still runs through the Cannon Family of pigeons, even until this very day, as Eric mated a daughter and a grandson together to breed 'Pat' which won 1st Combine Bordeaux against 3,456 birds, then 35th Combine Bordeaux against 2,147 birds, following up with 73rd National Flying Club Nantes to put Eric's name in lights for the very first time.
As a youngster Eric rubbed shoulders with some historic pigeon fanciers, who raced their birds in the Godalming Club, pigeon fanciers of National repute such as : C. R. Gush, Raynsford; H. H. Boshier, etc., and these men set the standard for him with their brilliant performances from Mirande and San Sebastian.
Genealogy
Not many lofts in our country have their own genealogy, where an English Strain is the only strain in the loft. I get sick and tired of seeing all of those continental strains - they are rammed down my throat week-in and week-out. Take notice because here I am writing about ONE of OUR OWN -----THE UNIQUE AND HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL CANNON STRAIN of CLASSIC PERFORMANCE Long Distance racing pigeons. Let there be no mistake about the quality, for during 1988 Eric Cannon timed nineteen (19) different pigeons in the Open result of the National Flying Club Pau Grand National. During 1989 he timed twenty one (21) into the Open result. In 1997 eighteen different pigeons were timed to make the Open result, whilst in 1998 he placed sixteen (16) in the Open Pau Grand National result. That is a total of seventy four (74) positions won in those four seasons alone, plus a whole host of others between those years. I promised you that there wouldn't be any BULL or HYPE, and you ain't had any - just plain honest Facts...for how many lofts can boast seventy four (74) Classic Open Positions from just four races? Not many, in spite of all of the hype, but this one can - believe me!
Eric set himself out on the road to success in producing 'Pat' from the Daughter to G/son mating back to 50/1753, then 'PAT' went on to breed 'St. Swithin' which won 1st, 8th, Bordeaux in the combine. St. Swithin in turn sired 'Julie Girl' a grizzle hen that won 23rd, 67th, 83rd, 117th Open Grand National Pau and 22nd Combine La Reole: 'PAT' was also the Dam of 'Patrick' - 113th , 144th Open Pau and 34th Combine La Reole. Patrick in turn produced '13953' which sired 3 x 1st Section winners, plus a 2nd Section and became the Grand sire of Cyril Medway's 1st Open Palamos in the British Barcelona Club. Pigeon '13953' also sired '26791' and '26792' - '26792' then sired '40805' which won 19th, 182nd, 484th Open Grand National --- then '40805' bred 'Culmer Gold' which won 21st, 70th, 83rd, 103rd, 11th, Open National Flying Club Pau Grand National, plus 163rd Open National Nantes with the Best Average for Nantes and Pau. This pigeon also scored 9th and 11th Combine when over 4,000 birds were competing in each race and claimed the elusive National Flying Club Certificate of Merit for being three times in the first one hundred of the Open result.
The hen '26791' mentioned above, won 2nd Section Pau and was the Dam of 'Culmer Sam' which won 6th, 6th, 9th, Section Nantes and 89th Open Grand National Pau, also producing the beautiful red chequered hen 'Culmer Rose' which scored
five (5) times from the Grand National with 30th, 56th, 131st, 389th, 541st Open to her credit, then add to this 25th and 33rd Section from Nantes, a 39th Combine from Bergerac, plus all Combine pools in another Bergerac race, plus winning 2nd Club as a young bird - then like me you will have to say "What a cracking hen she is and no mistake!" Five times 540 miles pigeons do not grow on trees. As if 'Rose' hadn't done enough just racing - she went on to breed a 1st Section winner from Pau, namely 'Culmer Joan', which notched up 12th, 317th, Open Pau Grand National and 12th Section Nantes with the National Flying Club, just for good measure.
'Joan' in turn gave Eric the lovely Smokey Blue Hen 'Culmer Bess', winner of the Certificate of Merit for 6th, 26th, 47th, 170th, Open Grand National and she is also the Dam of 'Culmer Mike' 17th, 161st, 184th, Grand National and 1st Club Nantes. 'Patrick' Sired 'Patsy' - 1st Section Nantes National, 1st Section Pau Grand National, a topper by any standard when winning the Section from two major Nationals - 'Patrick' also produced '40065' that won 48th Open Pau and then '41078' which won 153rd Open Pau and 19th Combine La Reole against 3,123 birds, which in turn sired '6842' the winner of 39th Open Pau, unfortunately poisoned from fielding whilst still in his prime. Pigeon '13953' bred 'Winston' which score twice in the Grand National but once again unfortunately he was killed in his prime.
It was through Winston that Gerald Stovin's 1st Pen Pau came, because her Dam was 'Culmer Pat' which won 27th, 80th, 104th, Open Grand National Pau and she was a G/daughter of 'Winston' and 'Pat came back to Eric after Gerald died and bred 'Culmer Producer' which went on to become a top stock cock for Eric. 'Culmer Producer' sired 'Culmer Channel Queen' the winner of 23rd, 29th, 98th, 183rd, Open Grand National and 346th from the Young Bird National, plus many other prizes and 'Culmer Channel Queen' again won an elusive CERTIFICATE of MERIT. Pigeon '13953', sired 'Culmer Lass' and 'Culmer Bluebird' which both won 1st Section from Pau, 'Lass' won 12th, 187th, 442nd, Grand National, 49th Open Nantes National, 1st Club, 1st Federation, 1st Combine Bergerac, only bird on the day of liberation against 2,662 birds. 'Culmer 'Bluebird' came up with - 1st Section, 6th Open, 1st Section, 28th Open, plus 57th, 118th, 251st Open, to which we can add 247th Nantes National and 98th Open Young Bird National, taking her total to seven National positions in her career. This is some pigeon in my humble estimation!
Spinksy adds - remember that the British National is open to the entire nation and not just regional as some continental nationals are, we would term those as section prizes or area specialist competitions - the incorrect terminology can make a pigeon appear far more superior than it actually is - these birds of Eric and Pat Cannon's are genuine National Prize Winners against the cream of competition at 540 miles and beyond. Another outstanding point is the fact that they also score at National level in races of approximately 220 miles - these pigeons can sprint with the best.. Just like Jack - I am noted for my straight speaking and forthright attitude: these pigeons do not require bull or hype and if the facts didn't speak for themselves then I wouldn't waste time and effort to make these facts freely available to the world. If we were to base these performances upon a coefficient - then it is unlikely that any loft in Europe could match them! I have watched this lofts performances and stood in awe for over forty years in total admiration - Read it and weep because here are pigeons that have had very little publicity, but now is the time to shout it into the ether! As a further :- I have never met Eric and Pat Cannon in my life and no fee has been taken for this publication. These articles/chronicles by Jack Curtis and myself are purely for the sake of posterity and the promotion of the British Pigeon Fancy and fanciers of outstanding ability to produce their own winning strain of racing pigeon.
There is only one more thing to say - it's 'Blue Ribband' winning stock.
