SCOTTISH NATIONAL FLYING CLUB

Dear Member,

Further to recent articles published in British Homing World and subsequent request for a Special General Meeting in connection with Ypres race 2014 and statements made by J McCord.

After careful consideration by the committee and consultation with solicitors, the request to call a Special General Meeting has been rejected as it would be unconstitutional according to Rule 10 (Special Meetings) which states ‘it shall not be competent to call a special meeting under this clause to deal with the conduct of races during a particular year unless the requisition is lodged before 1st January’.

SNFC policy is not to become involved in issues discussed on social media websites or the fancy press. There are procedures in place to handle disputes within the constitution and these have been ignored.

In the interest of transparency the officials and management committee have made the decision to inform the members of the relevant facts surrounding the Ypres Incident 2014 and recent statements published in the British Homing World.

Enclosed is a Report of the Ypres Incident and copies of statement published in British Homing World by G Rankin.

SNFC response to these statements is highlighted in red.

The officials and management committee of the SNFC are unanimously agreed that the publication of these letters in the British Homing World by G Rankin making slanderous and unsubstantiated statements against individuals has brought the SNFC into disrepute and damaged the prestige and heritage of the club.

Ypres Incident 2014:

Senior Convoyer John McCord telephoned SNFC office to advise that while feeding birds at Ypres they had discovered a basket with the back lid not tied or sealed. He was instructed to seal the basket and await further instructions. Dr P Lynch was contacted and advised of the situation.

President Dr P Lynch telephoned John McCord directly and instructed him to re-rubber and record ring numbers of the birds in this basket in the presence of Stefaan van Moerbeke. Dr P Lynch had also contacted Stefaan Van Moerbeke (liberation site agent and advisor) to ask if he would assist and supervise re-rubbering of birds.

This was duly carried out with his help and under his supervision. The ring numbers of the birds, the numbers on rubbers removed and new rubbers fitted were all recorded. The basket was then re-sealed and seal number recorded, all paperwork was signed by John McCord, Robert Baird and Stefaan van Moerbeke.

Meantime, in the office, a list of the birds recorded as being in this basket was compiled from the basket sheets of the relevant marking station. According to this information there should have been 13 birds in the basket however John McCord advised there had been 19 birds in the basket.

When the drivers returned from Ypres, Robert Baird submitted paperwork and rubber rings that had been removed to the office. The lists were compared and it was found that 12 of the birds on our list corresponded with the list of birds that had been in the basket but one bird was missing. This bird however was not timed in by the fancier. Further checks were carried out on the other birds. One had been recorded as being in a different basket, so had obviously been put in the wrong basket at the marking station and the other 6 were non-SNFC birds being convoyed by the National and this had been recorded on the Basket Seal Numbers sheet from the station.

After carefully considering all the information, President Dr P Lynch decided that no there was no evidence of any cheating, he believed it had been a genuine error at the marking station that the bird had been placed in the wrong basket (as had happened with the other bird). As the bird had not been timed in he decided that no further action required to be taken at that time but it was something to be brought up in his report later in the year to stress the need for vigilance at marking stations. A report on this incident was subsequently posted on the SNFC website under the title Ypres Incident 2014 to highlight the importance for vigilance at marking stations.

G Rankin Statements –

G Rankin Statement re 5th June:

Basketting for Buckingham, Receive a phone call in the morning informing me that a convoyer from the west, who the management committee had been informed at an earlier SNFC meeting, was no longer being used, was now back carrying out SNFC business for this race. I called the President of the SNFC to inform him of my disappointment that a conveyer that had been suspended by his own federation for financial irregularities was being used to transport SNFC pigeons, notwithstanding the fact that the issue was so serious that police were involved.

At no time were officials made aware there was a problem with any of the previous drivers/convoyers or that any of them were no longer to be employed by SNFC – Minutes of previous meetings have been checked and nothing has been recorded to support this.

G Rankin Statement re 19th June:

Basketting for Maidstone. At Bellshill Marking station I load transporter with 6 other fanciers/markers who were kind enough to wait. Once transporter was loaded, myself and J Cullen wait behind for the second SNFC transporter to arrive.

Admission that only two people left with baskets.

Whilst waiting, I voice my opinion to the Chief convoyer John McCord that it is not good enough that the SNFC are using a convoyer who has been suspended from the SHU, especially since the 3rd convoyer that the SNFC use has also been suspended for financial reasons.

Driver/convoyers were not working for SNFC while suspended. There is no rule that drivers/convoyers must be members of SHU or SNFC

G Rankin Statement re 3rd July:

Ypres marking, 7 fanciers help load baskets on to transporter, security box with one seal (number inside) is collected by J McCord at the same time as the pigeons, this witnessed by the other fanciers present.

J McCord did not take the box as he was heading to Ypres and box containing documentation requires to be delivered to secretary for race analysis to be carried out. G Rankin sent a text message to the secretary at 20:55 on 3rd July - “41 from Section E, 7 from Section F, Andy McKee is away with blue box which was suppose to go with the boness wagon. Any idea what time we can expect the lorry for collection ? ?” This message proves J McCord did not take the box and also that A McKee had taken the box from the marking station before the transporter arrived. This box was later opened in the office in the presence of M Pryde; A Garven; J Smith & A McGonigal where the seal was found to be intact and matched seal number inside.

G Rankin Statement re 7th August:

At the special meeting fellow committee members are furnished with letters of complaint from the 3 convoyers, the letters of complaint are based on the conversation between myself, McCord and a third party at the Maidstone marking on the 19th June, I confirmed to the committee that I did say to John McCord that it was my opinion that two of the convoyers were not to the standard that the SNFC should be using as they have been dept suspended in the past,

See note above – drivers/convoyers not required to be members of SHU or SNFC.

Does this also mean we should not be accepting members who have been debt suspended in the past or allowing them to assist at marking stations ?

Outcome of the meeting was that due to my strong opinion on the standard of two of the three convoyers I was to be given a final written warning, convoyers supposedly then resigned.

G Rankin Statement re 14th August:
I send letter to the SNFC requesting a special management committee meeting, in regards to the incident at Ypres and McCord’s statement.

Letter dated 18th August.
At an arranged committee meeting it was explained to those present of what had happened at Ypres, it was explained that McCord had found a basket with a back lid not tied, and that the number of pigeons did not tally with the number wrote on the basket label, permission from the president was given to re-rubber that one basket. When ring numbers had been taken and then given to the secretary for the ring numbers to be audited against the race entry sheets, it materialised that a pigeon ring number SU13L11849 was missing. Committee members made it clear that they were unhappy that they had not been informed of the incident at Ypres, when the officials were questioned why John McCord had been told who the missing pigeon belonged to, especially since he was not elected by the members and is only a contractor to the SNFC, the reply from each of the three officials and secretary was that they had never told anyone anddidn’t understand how John McCord could possibly have known who the pigeon missing belonged too. J McCord was never told who the missing bird belonged to. Several weeks after the race he was advised by the office that it belonged to ‘a worker’ at the marking station. J McCord never at any time stated who the missing bird belonged to or its’ ring number as he did not have this information – it was G Rankin himself who made this public knowledge. At the committee meeting G Rankin asked officials and secretary individually if they had told J McCord who the missing pigeon belonged to and each replied ’NO’.

Facts (as stated by G Rankin)
1. Every marking station this year that i have been convenor off has had a minimum of 5 members as present as per SHU rules. Ypres race the members present to load vehicle include J Legatte,

W Gordon, G McFall, J Newbiggin, M Findlay and J Cullen.

(see statement re 19th June admitting only 2 members - G Rankin and J Cullen - left with baskets)


2.Five letters of complaint from the markers / fanciers that assisted at Ypres where sent to the President of the SNFC making it very clear that they were disgusted by McCords statement, and also that at no time there were only 2 fanciers left with the pigeons before being loaded on to transporter. Only 3 letters received and already admitted that on occasions only two members left with baskets.


3. The missing pigeon ring number SU13L11849 that belongs to myself was reported on pigeonbasics on the night of Ypres at 20.10 by George Duncan forum name grdkeith, Pigeon arrived with him at 19.50. SU13L11849 scored the previous year for myself from the young bird national. http://forum.pigeonb...__fromsearch__1
When G Rankin spoke to the secretary and was advised it was his bird that had been missing from the basket at Ypres he stated that he knew exactly what bird it was and could tell her its ring number as the bird had landed at his loft the day after the race - exhausted - yet now he states it has been reported at another loft on the night of the race.

4. McCord had no access to find who the missing pigeon belonged to, so how was it possible for him to know that it belonged to one of 2 workers from a marking station that he makes false accusations against or any marking station for that matter.

J McCord stated it belonged to one of these workers – see comment re 14th August


5. He had access to the security box with entry sheets at Ypres race.

J McCord had no access to the box - box does not go to race. J McCord did not take the box as he was heading to Ypres and box containing documentation requires to be delivered to secretary for race analysis to be carried out. G Rankin sent a text message to the secretary at 20:55 on 3rd July -

“41 from Section E, 7 from Section F, Andy McKee is away with blue box which was suppose to go with the boness wagon. Any idea what time we can expect the lorry for collection ? ?”

This message proves J McCord did not take the box and also that A McKee had taken the box from the marking station before the transporter arrived. This box was later opened in the office in the presence of M Pryde; A Garven; J Smith & A McGonigal where the seal was found to be intact and matched seal number inside.


6. The basket label McCord states that had the wrong number of pigeons compared to the number in the supposedly unsealed basket, how this can be when at Uddingston there were no numbers of pigeons wrote on labels, so how could he compare to warrant the disturbing of one basket.

The birds were re-rubbered because the back lid of the basket was not tied or sealed – not because of number of birds in basket or on label.

7. Due to John McCord resigning, some of the committee felt that he could not be brought up on a charge of bringing the club into disrepute this due to his statement on pigeonbasics, I made my feelings known that this was not good enough, it was said by fellow SNFC committee members that he should play no further part in the convoying of the SNFC pigeons.

Only voiced by G Rankin and 2 committee members.

8. It was passed at the 2008 AGM that once the transporter has left the Solway then no auditing/re-rubbering of the pigeons should take place.

Minutes have been checked and there is no mention that auditing/re-rubbering cannot take place once transporter has left Solway. It was agreed at 2008 AGM that RANDOM CHECKS should be carried out at race marking – the best place being Gretna marking station.

However, if a basket is found not tied or sealed then this cannot be ignored and President has authority to instruct action as he deems fit.

9. I have been a passionate member of the SNFC for 30 years and took positions on several committees and never have I known any basket of the SNFC to be examined/audited at the race point.

*Worth noting that in this 30 year period, the SNFC have sent in excess of 500,000 pigeons, and yet the only pigeon ever found to be missing belongs to a security conscious committee member with strong standards that the 3 convoyers have letters of complaint against.


G Rankin received a final warning in 2014 which Dr P Lynch reminded him of at the 2015 AGM when he again made slanderous remarks regarding drivers/convoyers and has since published above statements on social media and in the fancy press to the detriment of the SNFC.