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History of Homing Pigeon Clubs in Birmingham and the Black Country

H

Horatio

proper brummie kid
H G Turner Ltd
“Gold Medal Polished Pigeon Corn”

My family operated our Corn and Seed business from 1884 until 2008 in Birmingham, my great grandfather Horatio George Turner was a member of the Small Heath Homing Society, l have a photograph of the members outside a pigeon loft c1899 - 1905 about 30 members with a key to all their names one of which was William Hill founder of the modern day bookmakers.
My family produced pigeon corn for feeding the racing pigeons this was sold through out the uk by mail order despatched in 1cwt hessian sacks via the railway parcels service they advertised in the British Homing World paper which was printed weekly with all the results.
I have photographs from the annual racing pigeon show at Bingley Hall Birmingham on the site of the now Symphony hall car park,
also trade awards from the show.
Most of the pigeon fanciers lived in the coal mining areas of the uk.
 
How fascinating, can you share any photos or other information please. I do recall all the pigeon lofts when I lived in a coal mining area of South Derbyshire.

I also recall a fair few people in Birmingham kept pigeons too.
 
HG Turner became a limited company in February 1920 to carry on the business of HG Turner. So how did Horatio George Turner become involved with the business ?

On the 1881 census Horatio (20) was with his father living in Golden Hillock Road, Aston. He was listed as a draper’s assistant, unemployed. His father George was a gun maker. His brother Arthur (18) was down as a Corn Dealers Apprentice.

Moving to 1891 Horatio is married and now a Corn Dealer living at 124 Warwick Road. His brother Arthur seems to have joined the Royal Marines.
It does not seem that the corn business came from Horatio’s side. Did the link come from his brother Arthur being an apprentice ?
 
My family business of which l was a director was incorporated into a limited company in 1920 but we understood that it was founded in 1884 by H G Turner and carried his name.
My Great Great Grandfather was a master gun barrel borer and seemed to have been quite successful at his profession. My family has a gold pocket watch given to him on retirement.
Horatio George Turner had two brothers David and Charles they all left the uk in the early 1870s to live in the colonies,
David went to New Zealand farming
Charles went to Ohio USA farming
Horatio went to South Africa and joined the Natal Mounted Police we understand that the NMP provided services to the British Army during the Zulu campaign due to their local knowledge of the country.
Horatio returned to the uk after serving and carried on with his corn and seed business.
He had four children one of which was killed in action during WW1 in Palestine at Huj part of the second battle of Beersheba he was in the Queens Own Worcestershire Hussars a Calvary regiment he joined in 1910 as a part time soldier he is buried in the War Cemetery in Gaza.
I have a photograph of John Hawkins Turner in barracks in Worcester prior to embarkation.
Regarding the business directors in order of
Oldest first,
Horatio George Turner 1884-1934
George Standley Turner Senior 1920-1964
Gladys Mary Turner 1930? - 1964
Jack Reginald Turner 1946-1995
George Standley Turner Junior 1946-1996
Robert George Turner 1995-2009
Keith Charles Turner 1982-200964981E49-3EC2-4A84-BE2A-D3D2D578966D.jpeg64981E49-3EC2-4A84-BE2A-D3D2D578966D.jpeg is
 
If you take the 1881 census Horatio George Turner (20) is living with his father George Turner (48 and gun maker) and his father’s wife Sarah Jane (27). Therefore if we have the right Horatio then Sarah Jane could not be his mother and his father George must have been married previously.

On the 1861 census George Turner (28) is married to Ann (25) with son Horatio George Turner being 10 months old. The marriage section suggests that the marriage date is in 1857, and there is the death of an Ann Turner in 1868.

There is a marriage date of 1870 for George and Sarah Jane.

Taking the 1891 census George (58) and Sarah (37) have sons William (19) and Charles (7) at home. If Charles is the brother mentioned would he not be a step brother ? And he would not have left for the Colonies in the early 1870s.
 
Thank you for your reply and input l do know that my Great Great Grandfather was married more than once in fact may have been married three times, l will be researching this part of my family history with some professional help, to establish which marriage’s produced which children and which of the children left for the colonies, my late father had a visit from the American side and a cousin had regular correspondence with the New Zealand side so I am happy with the broad information.
I understand both child mortality and low life expectancy was common in mid 1850s.
 
For those interested here is a photograph of my Great Grandfather Horatio George Turner with one of his working horses c1905 Birmingham Small Heath
 
So did Horatio George Turner found the company HG Turner in 1884 or was it already existing in some form?

Going back to the 1881 Census we see that Horatio has a full brother Arthur who is 2 years younger. Horatio is registered as a draper's assistant and unemployed, while Arthur is down as a corn dealer’s assistant.

As shown below in 1888 someone was so keen to locate the present address of AE Turner (corn dealer) that they offered a reward by placing an advert in Birmingham Mail. In the 1891 census Arthur seems to have joined the Royal Marines and Horatio is down as Corn Dealer.

IMG_2360.jpeg
 
The earliest reference I can find for HG Turner is in the 1890 Kelly’s and gives him at 180 Coventry Road.

There is an exiting incident recorded in March 1890, Birmingham Suburban Times.

IMG_2362.jpeg
 
Thank you for your interest, my father always inferred that Horatio founded the business that carried his name but could Arthur have told his brother of his intention’s to join the Marines and Horatio decided to follow his trade, horse feed, poultry and animal feed would have been big business in Victorian Birmingham, l have am original ledger for the business dating from 1885 which lists all the customers most of them are greengrocers, public houses, butchers, funeral directors bakers etc, they all have the trading addresses etc interestingly the Pork Butcher that Horatio assaulted in Moor St while on horseback was a customer of his!
Perhaps he owed him money! and Horatio had been trying to catch up with him.
In the ledger is a entry for W Robb Scrap Dealer of Duddleston Mill Road with a note saying Bad Debt and a entry saying settled by way of cart sheets and ropes! Birmingham was a hard place to do business in 1885.
 
Pedrocut said:
The earliest reference I can find for HG Turner is in the 1890 Kelly’s and gives him at 180 Coventry Road.

There is an exiting incident recorded in March 1890, Birmingham Suburban Times.

View attachment 195052
Click to expand...

Well obviously never short of excitement for the Turner’s, interestingly my G G Grandfather Horatio married Eliza Deakin those family we understand operated a butchers and slaughter house in Cattell Road, Tilton Road area, cattle and pigs where brought into Lawley Street goods depot by the Great Western Railway and transported on foot to local butchers.
 
Going back to the Racing Pigeon clubs of the West Midlands area l have a silver tankard trophy awarded to H G Turner in 1932 from Shirley Homing Society, Turners had two shops in Shirley both on the Stratford Road 120 School Road junction and one on the junction with Haslucks Green Road my ancestors had a habit of buying up businesses as a going concern when the owners retired then trading them under the H G Turner Ltd name. The business in Shirley was previously operated as Freers Seed Merchants.
 
On April 5th, 1891 Arthur was on board the IRON DUKE in Portsmouth dockyard as a private in the Royal Marines. From associated census suggestions Arthur may have made his home in the States.

In 1892 there was a collision in the Firth of Forth between a coal steamer and the guard ship the Iron Duke. The steamer then collided with the Forth Bridge and sank in less than 2 hours. The Crew of 16 were rescued by officers of the Iron Duke. (Probably the privates that made the rescue!)

The Iron Duke carried 14 guns and was a twin screw battleship of the second class and armoured. Tonnage 6010 with engines of 3500 HP.
 
Pedrocut said:
On April 5th, 1891 Arthur was on board the IRON DUKE in Portsmouth dockyard as a private in the Royal Marines. From associated census suggestions Arthur may have made his home in the States.

In 1892 there was a collision in the Firth of Forth between a coal steamer and the guard ship the Iron Duke. The steamer then collided with the Forth Bridge and sank in less than 2 hours. The Crew of 16 were rescued by officers of the Iron Duke. (Probably the privates that made the rescue!)

The Iron Duke carried 14 guns and was a twin screw battleship of the second class and armoured. Tonnage 6010 with engines of 3500 HP.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply very interesting, we did know much about Arthur’s career in the marine’s you think he settled in the USA?
 
Horatio said:
Going back to the Racing Pigeon clubs of the West Midlands area l have a silver tankard trophy awarded to H G Turner in 1932 from Shirley Homing Society, Turners had two shops in Shirley both on the Stratford Road 120 School Road junction and one on the junction with Haslucks Green Road my ancestors had a habit of buying up businesses as a going concern when the owners retired then trading them under the H G Turner Ltd name. The business in Shirley was previously operated as Freers Seed Merchants.
Click to expand...
I remember both those shops in Shirley well.
 
pjmburns said:
I remember both those shops in Shirley well.
Click to expand...
Later in the 1950 we opened a new shop at 191 Stratford Road Shirley in the premises of the old Home and Colonial Stores and closed the other two shops that remained trading until late 1980s when the Sunday trading act of parliament and the rush to out of town shopping finished the British high street for good, also the cartel operated by the supermarkets finished free trade on the high street, just a cheap way of government keeping food prices low look at the state of British Agriculture nobody can make a living from the land but food has never been cheaper in real terms.
 
Horatio said:
Thanks for your reply very interesting, we did know much about Arthur’s career in the marine’s you think he settled in the USA?
Click to expand...

The reason that I think he may have gone to the States is that the last appearance on the UK Ancestry is 1891. There are at least 6 references to an Arthur Turner on US records but you need someone with a worldwide access.
 
I do remember as a boy, going to Dudley Zoo, on a Sunday morning, early, by bus with Mom and Dad,, and seeing the flocks of pigeons literally swarming around the sky's , and dad saying the Black country, was full of pigeon fanciers
 
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