PIGEONS FOR WAR SERVICE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 113, 16 May 1918, Page 3

PIGEONS FOR WAR SERVICE.

A VISIT TO .MESSAGE-CARRIERS AT THE FROiNT.

A ih.'inlain with the B.E.F. in France -writfs to The Times :

I think it was on . . . that I paid a ■visit to one of the liigeon lofts in our area. The pigeons are part of my flock. They liive—some 60 of them—in a London motor-omnibus from Piceadilv. The outside top part of the omnibus is roofed in to form a cage, while the men occupy the inside—or. rather, threerpiarters of the inside, because the front part of the inside is also part of the cage, which is entered by a door from the itu-n's room, and also by a door at the top of the back staircase. There is an opening, in the front of the cage, cleverly arranged, so that the birds can enter when they return from their flights, but cannot fly onl when they are inside. A hoard is deftly ■poised inst inside the opening, n> that when a bird steps on it an elcclr/c bell rings inside the, omnibus to toil the men that a pigeon has come homo. Two arrived while while I was there : they had come from the trenches five miles away in 12 minutes. The pigeons are taken out in baskets to the trenches, to bring messages back i" case the wire communications should be cut by the enemy's fire. If not wanted for this purpose, they are sent flying back after 24 hours with some message just for practice. Each pigeon has a ring/put on its leg when quite young, and is known by the number on its ring. As soon as the bird arrives at the loft, a man creeps into the cage, catcher it. reads the message, writes it down in duplicate, and sends an orderly at once with a copy to the signal officer, whence it is sent forth like an ordinary telegram to wherever it ought to go. "Birds 1 are always sent in couples, each with the same message, in case one should be shot by the enemy. Two males —or two females—are sent together, never a male and a female, lest they loiter by the way. or Eve tempt Adam to wander from the path of dutv !

I Truly, they were a beautiful set of •birds which I saw—quite a sight to behold, in such perfect condition, and ' with all the marks of high breeding. j Their dignified 'bearing seem .to show that they realised the importance of their work! It is a wonderful instinct ' which makes these birds fly back to their homes as soon as possible. The men get devoted to them, and make +-hem love their clean and comfortable homes, where they are well fed and cared for in every way. Ah ! how many of us would love to fly back to our warm, comfortable homes and be at rest with thofie who care for us ! The crew of the loft consists of a chauffeur to drive the motor, an expert pigeon trainer, who also acts as cook, and an orderly to run with the messages. T had dinner with the men—they providing the meat and I the sweets. I wonder if that omnibus will ever run through Piccadillv again !