History

The Spen Valley & District & Homing Society currently has its headquarters based as Millbridge Working Mens Club. The Working Mens Club provides excellent facilities for Spen Valley H.S and also supports the West Yorkshire Federation. We see ourselves as a leader in the sport of Racing Pigeons and all new members are given a warm welcome. We are a friendly club and all our members are take part in its running in one way or another. Our past is just as important as our present and......most importantly...... our future. Our struggle is to keep the sport of Pigeon Racing alive into the 22nd Century and beyond. Our belief is that more investment in the sport will achieve this, but this will mean hard work and sometimes difficult decisions have to be made, to which all members have their say and aire their views which are crucial to the running of Spen Valley.

Andy Jackson.
Seceratary.

SPEN VALLEY THE EARLY YEARS

The earliest handbook, which I have, is dated 1925 and was at that time named the West Riding Combine. Spen is not mentioned in this so they must have flown with another organisation, probably the Heavy Wollen Fed, as I doubt if Dewsbury Fed has been formed then. I know the Heavy Wollen area reached to Halifax at that time. However, Spen appear in the 1931 West Yorkshire federation handbook and had 16 members.

In 1931 Mr Hubert Walker was president and lived at Manor House, Cleckheaton, now a nursing home. Keith Brown remembers Hubert Walker living there where he had a double deck loft. He was still president in 1948. Arthur Jones was secretary and lived in Union Road. (Not the Arthur Jones we knew - he was only born in 1931). Godall Elsworth was delegated and he lived in Robertown, as did the Maltas F & C W.

By 1935, Goodall Elsworth was secretary and he then lived in Hartshead. The delegate was Enos L Kitson and lived in Batley. Harry Walker and Arthur Collinson were also members and lived in Dewsbury Moor at that time. Another member was Joe Moss who lived at the Grey Ox in Hartshead.

During 1944 N Collett was secretary and lived in Jeremey Lane Heckmondwike, the delegate19 was T Goodhall who libed at Church Street, Heckmondwike. The headquarters at this time and over the next twenty years was now the Lonsdale Hotel in Liversedge. We now had twenty nine members.

By 1956 we had reached forty five members, the president being H Cawthra who lived at Windybank Hightown. The secretary was H Illingworth of Gomersal. delegates were H Litchfield, H Cawthra and C harrison. Soem members of note were Harry Litchfield, Ernest Lenton, Gordon Barr, R & K M Garside, Michael Burnley, Charlie Rowlands and Ernest White.

1961 to 1964 Spen Valley was a member of the Dewsbury Federation. President was J L Auty and secretary was Clary Maltas. Clary was made secretary by his father without his knowledge. When Clary refused to take up the position, he was told by his father that he would, and he did for several years after. The headquarters were now at the Old Oak in Littletown. The best years from Spen Valley followed. A number of members met on Friday evenings all through winter, great days at the Old Oak. Our membership was now down to 20 members. new members being Fred Smith, Malcolm Bates, Gordon Wallace, Brian Madden, Eric Padgett, Albert Atkinson, Latham Brothers, Arthur Jones, plus members named from 1944. This was my first racing season with Spen Valley.

1975 saw Keith Brown of Houldsworth Avenue as president with secretary John Auty and delegate John Fox. With membership of 26, by now Jim Hainsworth, Alec Law, Geoff Milner, Othen & Butterworth, David Smith, Graham Smith, John Fox, Harry Newton, David Sykes, Brian Scott and Charlie Wilkinson had joined us.

We were now members of the West Riding Combine, which amalgamated West Yorkshire, Dewsbury and Heavy Wollen Federations. The race points being Derby, Leamington Spa, Windrush, Newbury, Lymington, Avranches, rennes and Niort.

In 1987 we had 29 members with President Stuart Saville and secretary Pauline Atkinson both living at Union Road. Delegates were Stuart Saville and Frank Maltas. The headquarters were now at Millbridge Working Mens Club. New members included John Curtis, Sam and Christine Chapman, Peter Hall, Richard Hall, Walter Houldsworth, R Jones, Steven Padgett, Brian White, Peter Riches and John Knowles.

The year 1899 saw the establishment of the Spen Valley & District Homing society with its headquarters at the Liversedge Hotel. There were 13 flying members and 5 non flying members. F G Cockhill was president and A Liversedge, F Thornton and H Berry were vice presidents and all memebers formed the committee. A Thornton was treasurer and E Brook of Heartshead near Liversedge was secertary. F Maltas and A Liversedge acted as auditors. The longest distances was flown from Nantes 419 Mile and the highest velocity recorded being 1454 YPM from Winchester on the 9th June 1900. The birds were were marked by the means of rubber rings and empty baskets were returned to Liversedge station by London & Yorkshire Railways.