TRIBUTE TO A GREAT ROLLER FANCIER:  FRED SCATTERGOOD

Jack Prescott
from an old Roller magazine that circulated for about three issues in the late ‘70s

There was a very crucial period in my life, quite a few years ago. I was at the crossroads and I had great difficulty in deciding which way to go with Roller pigeons. I had decided that they must be Rollers because I had ceased to be interested in racing pigeons and I simply had not the time for my original favorites — Flying Tipplers.

I had spent some time with various rare variety flying breeds and though my experiences with them were an inspiration, I decided that I must concentrate upon Rollers. To me, Rollers were a constant challenge — something spectacular — breathtaking and completely marvelous. Much had been written. Arti­cles were lively and argumentative and I could see that sufficient scope existed for any man to explore the whys and wherefores of the entire Roller pigeon fancy. However, as I said, I arrived at the crossroads and hesitated before deciding which way to go. The decision was difficult and it was one that I had to face alone.

There were two distinct ways to cultivate Rollers — both equally attractive. I wrote down all the factors for and against so that I could ponder over the reali­ties and keep things in proper perspective.

Obviously, I admired the Rollers that are termed, “Birmingham Rollers.” I owned such pigeons and was always spellbound by the very best of them when they were performing at their best.

Suddenly and without any preliminary stalling, they would throw themselves into a tight vigorous series of uninterrupted back somersaults. They would simply dissolve into a tightly spinning ball, falling a considerable distance before snapping out cleanly and continuing on normal flight. I could rely on seeing this sort of performing and as I said, I greatly admired it. Nothing else was so marvelous. The perfect roll: faultless, mystic, wonderful. The ideal to select for.

Now, if only all of my youngsters had developed into ideal performers, if the rolling action had always been without hazards and serious side effects and the best performers remaining completely stable and consistent in action, then my choice would have been easy. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The carnage was rather upsetting. There were hopeless cases where these Rollers simply went into a tight solid roll and came down — quite out of control — to hit the ground. Some of them never reached anything that looked like the correct “Birmingham Roll.” As young birds, they lacked the perfect stability and this meant that I had to keep them quite a long time to see how they would perform at maturity, which could well have been at least 12 months.

Any early developers were very soon proved to be unsafe. All of this added up to the basic fact that the correct Birmingham Roll — for all its spectacle, its perfection and popularity — was indeed an extremely dangerous action that in many ways would take a heavy toll. Their very actions made it no easy matter to keep perfect kitting qualities. It was almost impossible to get them all of one depth or frequency — so that such performers lacked the ability to perform simul­taneously as a kit. I found that the more I selected and cultivated for the correct Birmingham Roll, the fur­ther away I got from simultaneous performing of the entire kit. Yet, in spite of this, in spite of the carnage, the injuries, the loss of flying character and the ruth­less slaughter of many really beautifully marked and colored birds, I did actually maintain some Rollers that, when on form, did perform to the correct Birmingham Roller Pigeon standard. There were times when I was sickened by the injuries and the distress brought about by the roll factor; but as I say, I could depend on seeing this rolling in perfection and this, in time, became just about the only thing that would please me.

I then began to look at the other way Rollers were cultivated. It struck me as extremely strange that so many people in Birmingham, the cradle of the Roller fancy, did not actually worship at the shrine of the true Birmingham Roller.

An overwhelming majority of Roller fanciers in and around the general area of Birmingham pre­ferred not to keep the so-called “Birmingham Roller” because they regarded the standard actions of these pigeons to be highly dangerous and far too difficult to stabilize as a homogeneous type of performer.

Instead of this type, they preferred to keep what are known as the Competition Roller.

W. Pensom, did a great deal to discredit such pigeons and would only give them the begrudged status of common tumblers, which I personally consider to be a most unjustified term.

Briefly, Competition Rollers are cultivated for ex­cellent kitting qualities and the simultaneous per­formance of vigorous rolling and spinning, regard­less of the probable lack of precision and concentric­ity that is, of course, the ideal of the true Birmingham Roller. In fact, the actions of Competition Rollers are considered to be safer and they have far fewer culls. Furthermore, Competition Rollers develop their per­formance at a much earlier age than do Birmingham Rollers. This, of course, is a very great advantage.

At the present time there are two clubs in the general Birmingham area which specialize exclusively in Competition Rollers, the South Birmingham Roller Club and the Warley Roller Club. Total membership of the two clubs is about fifty. The area extends from Coventry west right along through to Birmingham, Winson Green, Yardley, Acocks Green, and north­wards to Sutton Coldfield.

The enthusiasm of these regularly contesting members has no equal.

Of course, the Competition Roller fanciers do not compete with the Birmingham Roller fanciers, although both types of Rollers follow the ideals of the “turns” system, and therefore the rules of both types are basically the same.

In the same general area occupied by the Competition Roller fanciers numbering about fifty, I know of only about six Birmingham Roller fanciers who take part in contests with kits of Birmingham Rollers, and not very often at that.

Doesn’t this strike you as very odd?

Who are these people who contest regularly? Some are professional people, self-employed people with rather a very good standard of living. One of them owns a bakery — another is rather an important chap in a well-known motor type company.

What I am saying is that these people are not street corner wallahs who don’t know what they are doing. I find they are very capable indeed. They also have a standard of performance and from what I see it is this: their ideal is the simultaneous performance of a kit of their particular type of Roller pigeons. They show great preference to vigorous performing and give less credit to sloppy performing that involves the unpopular “plate” turning, on its own.

A great deal of the performing of the best kits is very close to the actual Birmingham rolling and from a distance could quite easily be confused with it. Their hallmark is performance with vigor, but they do not worry about the solid spin — with the hole in the middle.

As I say, I was at the crossroads and after a lot of thought, I decided to go for the Birmingham Roller — with all the hazards — and forever striving for perfec­tion and trying to create a safe strain. It has not been easy. I have bred some excellent birds — but I’ve also bred a lot that I would not disgrace myself to keep.

Now, in November 1976, I went along to the loft of Mr. Fred Scattergood of Streetly. I went with Mr. Fred Barlow especially to see these competitive birds. Fred put out one kit of 21 — and they performed so vig­orously and simultaneously in such a tight kit that both Fred Barlow and myself had to give great credit.

This kit was brought down easily as soon as Fred Scattergood said that he’d trap them. He then flew a second kit of 21 and these performed equally well, if not better. Both kits were a great pleasure to behold. The pigeons were spotless and in really beautiful condition and we had a most enjoyable talk with Fred. He is retired. He lives for his birds. He has a beautiful home. He has a nice, confident manner and a very sensible outlook.

He is completely straightforward and honest and everything he said made sense. I took a different road with Rollers than Fred Scattergood. To be hon­est, after seeing those two kits, I’m not at all sure that I took the right road. I was very proud to shake his hand. He is one of the great people who is preserving something fine and entirely English. For this at least, he belongs on the roll of honor.

 

This article is:  Interesting  Helpful Not what I was looking for