KING’S PIGEONS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 June 1942, Page 5

KING’S PIGEONS

AMONG 750,000 MOBILISED BY R.A.F. Pigeons from the King’s loft at Sandringham, his Norfolk home, are among the 750,000 now made available by British pigeon breeders for service with the Royal Air Force. King George is one of 15,000 owners who are members of the National Pigeon Service, a voluntary body set up under the control of the Signals Directorate of the Air Ministry to provide carrier pigeons for the Royal Air Force for taking messages, especially in an emergency. Each member of the Service supplies a number of birds daily to the nearest R.A.F. station and undertakes to look out for the return of his birds. When a bird flies back to its loft- it alights on a specially arranged trap which sets an electric bell ringing, and the bell continues to ring until the owner retrieves the pigeon. Any message it may be carrying is reported immediately by telephone to the C.O. of the station. Pigeons can be released from aircraft while actually .in flight, and 1,000 birds weekly are already engaged on service with general reconnaissance planes. The R.A.F. has also a number of pigeon, lofts of its own, and these are in charge of N.C.O’s. and airmen, all expert pigeon fanciers. The King has accepted the badge worn by members of the Service and he has asked that a fortnightly report on the activities of his own birds should be submitted to him.