In todays New Years Honours list legendary NFC Committee member Peter Titmus was
awarded the MBE for services to both the National Flying Club and the Pigeon Racing sport.
This is the first time that anybody associated with the sport has been rewarded in this
way. It is an honour for Peter, The National Flying Club and the Pigeon Racing Sport.
Peter was 82yrs of age on the 12th January 2001 (depending on which article
you read and who you are talking to). No matter how many years Peter has seen go by the
one thing that is for sure is that most of them have been spent around the pigeon sport in
whatever way he can to take the sport forward.
Peter served as President to the National Flying Club from 1968 to 1970
and has also put in 14yrs as the treasurer. Peter is a Wheathampstead man through and
through and that is where he has raced his pigeons for a good many years, in fact the Mill
that Peter ran has been in the family since his grandfather George purchased it from the
Church in 1866. Herons Farm is the place where Peter has spent most of his life and is a
well known figure in the local village where the Mill and farm are situated. Pigeons in
the family go back a long way and it was in 1925 at the age of 6yrs that Peter collected
his first award with the pigeons. That very precious medal was for the old bird average
that was the start of a long association with the sport and a long line of winning
trophies especially at the long distance events where he has excelled for so many years.
We talk about the roundabout system in the modern days of racing pigeons but that is
nothing new for Peter because he has raced the pigeons separately many years ago. It was
pointed out that Peter’s father was a firm believer that the birds would not fly the
distance with less than seven flights. By racing them separately they held on to their
flights and were re-paired for the last three races. I was looking at some of the top
class performances that Peter has put up with the pigeons over the years.
Not only has Peter served the sport so well and is a great ambassador he is also a
very successful fancier who has achieved so much at the highest level of competition.
Peter is one of only three fanciers in the country to have won his/her section at the
three longest specialist races on the South route, Pau, Barcelona and Palamos. To
highlight his quality Peter was 2nd Open Pau to the legendary Vic Robinson from
Pau and has also flown the Northern route with a creditable 3rd Open Lerwick
London Section of the NRCC which incidentally bred the 2nd open Pau pigeon with
these performances making him the fancier who has been closest to winning the Kings Cup on
both the North and South routes. Peter was also 1st London section NRCC in
1967-68-69 with the excellent "Second Thoughts" again from Lerwich 507mls Other
top awards include being a 5 times winner of the Osman Memorial awards. Peter’s
achievement’s have also gained him the position of a life honorary member of the
Lancashire Social Circle. Peter is one of the old brigade within the sport who holds the
positions because he enjoys the sport and supports it 100%.
