PIGEONS FOR AIR FORCE

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 234, 1 July 1939, Page 6 (Supplement)

PIGEONS FOR AIR FORCE

Communications In Peace Or War

Pigeons and pigeon fanciers are to be brought into national service under a scheme announced by the Air Ministry, says the “Manchester Guardian.” The Ministry Ims established a national pigeon service to assist the defence services Io make full use of the homing pigeon as a means of communications in peace and w;fr. A committee has been appointed by tiie .Secretary of .State for Air, Sir Kingsley Wood, in consultation with the representatives of the various pigeon fanciers’ organizations, to manage the new service under the general direction of the Air Ministry. Membership is open to fanciers who breed and train homing pigeons and maintain lofts of at least twenty pigeons of approved quality. A register is being prepared of members who will supervise the organiza tion of pigeon lofts which will be required to work with the Royal Air Force in peace-time. From I his register one of the first needs of the service will be met—that is. the equipment of reconnaissance aircraft with pigeons as an additional safety measure for use

when wireless communication breaks down.

Pigeons for this special service will be drawn from tiie lofts of members living in the neighbourhood of certain Royal Air Force stations. A grant of £5 a year will be paid to cover the use of ten birds at any one time. There will also be a grant to cover the use of a telephone. Members in other parts of the country will be asked to supply birds for the Air Force service both in peace-time and in an emergency.

Pigeons were used for carrying messages in the last war. The service was organized in the winter of 1916 under the direction of an officer at that time serving in the line with a Leeds Territorial battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment. Lofts were established at corps headquarters in France, and part of the equipment a battalion signalling officer took with him into the trenches was a basket of pigeons, small alumin him cylinders by which messages were attached to the bird, and special nies sage forms made of exceedingly line paper.