County’s famed birds have not all had feathers
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GLOUCESTERSHIRE is home to more than its fair share of celebrated birds, feathered and otherwise.
Pigeon fanciers will tell you that foremost among them is Kenley Lass, who belonged to Donald Cole, landlord of the Bull Inn in Cirencester’s Dyer Street until she was plucked from his ownership when requisitioned by the RAF in the early stages of the Second World War.
Kenley Lass was enrolled in the NPS, the National Pigeon Service and was parachuted into Nazi occupied France along with a British agent.
There she remained with her covert keeper, both of them in hiding, for eleven days before being released to carry a message back to Blighty, flying the 300 miles in a single day.
The following year Kenley Lass repeated this flight of heroism and in March 1945 was awarded the Dickin Medal, which is the equivalent of the Victoria Cross, but for animals.
The medal citation read “For being the first pigeon to be used with success for secret communications for an agent in enemy-occupied France while serving with the NPS in October 1940”.
Though far less heroic, the story of the Old Cotswold Legbar chicken begins even further away than France.
In 1927 the botanist and explorer Clarence Elliott, who lived in Stow on the Wold brought three hens and a cockerel back to his Cotswold home from Patagonia, South America and from these all others of the breed derive.
The British Poultry Council’s breed guide describes Cotswold Legbars as
“Happy-go-lucky and fun loving”, which could be why it’s a breed popular with hobby poultry keepers today. Along with their cavalier, easy going good nature they also have ornamental plumage and lay eggs of a delicate blue, jade-green, or other pastel shades.
The Khaki Campbell duck breed is also native to Gloucestershire. The bird is khaki in colour and was developed by Mrs Campbell of Uley, near Stroud in the early years of the 20th century, by crossing a wild mallard with a Rouen hen.
In doing so Mrs C created one of the most prolific egg layers in the whole of duckdom.
Remaining with birds, but thinking smaller, the chirpy little chaps pictured are Gloster Fancy Canaries and a great favourite with pet owners and serious breeders all over the world.
The breed was developed just after the First World War by a Mrs Rogerson who lived in Cheltenham. She began her breeding programme by pairing Crested Roller canaries with a type called the Border.
The first fruits of these labours were seen at the National Canary Show, staged at London’s Crystal Palace in 1925. Mrs Rogerson exhibited two of her crossed birds and as they looked quite unlike anything else they were put in a class of their own, consequently winning first and second prizes.
Today there are clubs dedicated to the breed all over the world and according to the breed notes “The Gloster Fancy Canary is a perfect choice for the beginner as it is lively, very hardy and will readily breed. They have a pleasant song, a roundish compact body and are quite lively and bold.”
To judge from contemporary pictures of him, Alfred Bird, who was born in Nympsfield, near Stroud, Gloucestershire in 1811, was by no means roundish, but rather a compact figure. Which suggests he didn’t overindulge in his best known invention. Custard powder.
Alfred came from a distinguished family of scientists and his father was professor of astronomy at Eton College.
His wife Elizabeth was allergic to eggs and consequently the pleasures of conventional custard were denied her.
So rather than reach for the stars like his Dad, Alfred directed his attentions to the development of egg-free custard.
His eureka moment came in 1837 and commercial production was soon underway at a factory adjacent to the railway station in Ashchurch, near Tewkesbury.
Finally we come to Cyril Bird OBE, a former pupil of Cheltenham College, who was the cartoonist responsible for the Second World War advertising campaign warning people that “Careless talk costs lives”.
His nom de plume as a cartoonist was Fougasse and after the war he became editor of Punch magazine.