Jan Aarden, "The history of the Dutch extreme long distance pigeon - Part 1"
Chapter One: One century ago... Before World War II... (page 9-30)
We go back in time: 6 november 1893. In Oosterhout out of the mariage of Martinus Aarden and Lucia Schoenmakers is born Jan Aarden. The city Oosterhout, a few kilometers in the north of Breda was known in that time by his bakeries. Jan Aarden grew up and went to the first school at the Saint Paulus Abbey in Oosterhout. Already soon it was known that Jan Aarden was fascinated by animals and racing pigeons in particular.
"Soigneur"
So as already said the palace of the racing pigeons at the abbey made quite some impression to mister Aarden. He spend lots of hours their and after a while he maintained the racing pigeons of father Paulus. Jan Aarden got passionated by the racing pigeons, he asked his father and mother dailly to build a pigeon loft at home. After a while his parents agreed. It was not big, not luxuourus... therefore his parents didn't have the money. But never the less Jan Aarden was king for one day. Now, the only missing piece in his kingdom were his pigeons.
His first couple of pigeons carries a beautifull story. In that time father Paulus raised the children with a system of green and red cards. For getting one red card, the children had to earn six green cards. A green card was a sign of hard work with the students. Jan Aarden was a very good student, he earned in no time six red cards. For six red cards the students got a book to read from father Paulus. But no so in the case of Jan Aarden, he wanted something else. He changed his six red cards for a couple of pigeons. And so a legendary story began: as pupil of father Paulus, Jan Aarden became the best and most famous racing pigeon fancier in the Netherlands all time. He's number one in the hall of fame when it comes to the long distance racing pigeon fanciers.
"Snelvliegers Oosterhout"
When Jan became 18, he became member of the club "Snelvliegers, Oosterhout" and he build in a short period of time a colony of very good flying racing pigeons. The pigeons he became from father Paulus were croppers and they were no good for racing. But the young mister Aarden had a big part of luck when he met Gerard Oomens in Breda. One of the six brothers, who stood at the beginning of an impressing racing pigeon career. Jan, Harry, Antoon, Gerard, Koos en Jef Oomens were the stars before World War II and they were the champions for the flights of long and extreme long distance in the Netherlands. Jan learned a lot about racing pigeon sport with the brothers Oomens. From father Oomens he learned the trics of the racing pigeon sport. Jan Aarden became a favourite friend of father Oomens and so the first pigeons moved from Breda to Oosterhout. Now Jan Aarden became in no time champion in his club in Oosterhout. On the short and middle long distance flights he was unbeatable and in the bigger organisation he even beated the Oomens Bros. with their own pigeons. The old bloodstrain of the Oomens Bros was original from Belgium racing pigeons. In that time his love was born for that type of pigeons. Decades later he tried again to breed back to that origin. You can say that Jan Aarden has been always more a bigger breeder than racer. Breeding very good racing pigeons was his passion.
"On his own wings"
Jan Aarden met in that period of time Jaantje Akkermans, the daughter of Toon Akkermans. On the twentieth july 1916 they married in Oosterhout. In that same year the new family moved to Teteringen a village between Breda and Oosterhout. They lived their for almost four years in a small house at the Hooge Steenweg. Jan Aarden build a racing pigeon loft in Teteringen and he removed his topflyers from Oosterhout to Teteringe. In Teteringe Jan Aarden was not succesfull at all with his racing pigeons. He had no time to spend for his racing pigeons because of his family and his wor. In 1921, the family Aarden moved again in the coldest of the winter from Teteringe to Steenbergen. Jan rented a home at the Molenweg and his racing pigeons stayed in Teteringen where he sold his racing pigeons for no or a little of money. He concetrated himself only to his wife and children now.
In the spring of 1924 Jan Aarden moved again from the Molenweg to the Grintweg. But playing with the racing pigeons was of no order because his fourth child would be born. The youngest son of Jan Aarden, Anton Aarden was also very interested in racing pigeons and when Anton was 18, they became a combination father and son. There was only ONE BIG DIFFERENCE... Jan Aarden became in Oosterhout very famous with his racing pigeons at the short and middle-long distance. But with the company of Anton they got very interested in the extreme long distance races. Anton was in that time very good friends with Willy Van Campenhout. This man had racing pigeons wich were very famous on the extreme long distance races. Anton was very interested and passionated by competing to the international San Sebastian flights. At the end Anton had won his "chat" and therefore Jan Aarden became also a long distance racer. Together with his son Antoon he drove to a couple of top racing pigeon lofts to get the good orgin for that distance.
"Henri Reij"
Jan Aarden knew that he had in Den Haag an old member of the family living their. His uncle Henri Reij, in that time a very knwon extreme long distance player. Henri was already for a few years the champion of the big organisation "Den Grootste Haagsche Bond". The stockbird of the loft Reij was "Ouden Vassart'. A beautifull red pigeon wich Henri had bought at the auction of the well known players Pauwels from the Sas of Gent. This pigeon came from the Belgian champion Vassart from Fleurus, one of the big sidelofts of Karel Wegge. Henry Rey crossed his "Oude Vassart" with a couple of hens from Bricoux from Draaisma the man from Amsterdam and untill 500 kilometers you couldn't find any better playing nor racing pigeons. His best racing pigeons he became from crossing Schouten with Ost-Roe. From Jan Schouten, the champion from Rotterdam and specialist on the extreme long distance flights, Henry Rey got his best racing pigeons for the extreme long distance flights. He bought with Schouten the Limogesduivin an older sister of the famous "Blauwe Duif" one of the best racing pigeons before World War II. When he was nine years old, he won with Schouten the 14th National St-Vincent and the 18th National Dax. A top pigeon. The millionair Schouten bought the best of the best from Jules Roeckaert who played for a very long time under the name Ost-Roe. Jan Aarden got from his uncle four pigeons, this was in 1934. With this four pigeons there was a six years old light checkered cock. He wasn't big and he had a very small figure. Jantje Aarden would import later one more of that kind to his racing pigeon loft. This cock became one of the best breeders of the father and son Aarden. They called him the "Reydoffer". Also his nestmate the "Oude Reyduivin" came to Steenbergen. She also became a good breeder of many toppigeons from father and son Aarden.
"Jules Roeckaert (Ost-Roe)"
The pigeons of Roeckaert had impressed the grandmaster Aarden so much that he went one year later to Borgerhout. Jules Roeckaert bought at the beginning of the century some racing pigeons from the grandmaster Eduard De Herdt from Kontich. From two direct De Herdtpigeons Jules bred his famous "Muschke". A fantastic racing hen and even better in breeding. She became the mother of the "Oude Lichte", he was paired to a hen of Emile Van der Avoort, who had almost nothing else than Roeckaert or Ost-Roe pigeons. From this couple Jules Roeckaert bred his stockbird the "Goede Lichte". This cock, not big at all, was a truly all-round flyer and won first prizes from short distance untill extreme long distance. Sons of this stockbird the "Goede Lichte" became stockbirds at their time with several well known racing pigeon fanciers in the Netherlands and Belgium: In Belgium with Vincent Mariën, Merksem / Van der Espt, Oostende and in the Netherlands with Han Wassen, Rotterdam / Henry Rey, Den Haag / Fernand Schul, Roosendaal and last but not least the kind of Jan Aarden, Steenbergen.
The "Goede Lichte" from Jules Roeckaert was paired to several hens. With the "Donkere Cluytmans" he gave the stockbirds of Van Rey and Vanderespt. And with her daughter "Blauw Cluytmans" he gave the stockbird of Fernand Schul, Roosendaal. The racing pigeons of Cluytmans were from origin of Isidoor Claes, also a racing pigeon fancier from Antwerp. But the best youngsters gave the "Goede Lichte" with the "Goede Blauwe" from his townmate Flor Lenaerts. This "Goede Blauwe" hen was unbeatable on the short distance and became a stockbird of Roeckaert.
From this couple Jan Aarden bought a magnificent cock: the "Blauwe Ost-Roe". This cock seemed to have tremendous breeding capacities. He became stockbird with Jan Aarden. And not only the pigeons of Jan Aarden such as we shall see in the future. Jan bought with Jules Roeckaert also a light checkerd hen "Belske". The "Belske" was bred out of the "Leon" a red cock from Leon Van der Sande who bred together with Ost-Roe. The father of the "Leon" was the "Goede Lichte" and the mother of the "Leon" was bred closely to the "Goede Blauwe" from Flor Lenaerts. The mother of "Belske" was the "Blauw Cluytmans". A sister of "Belske", the "Goed Duivinneke" was bought later on by De Scheemaecker Bros. "Goed Duivinneke" became there one of the stockbirds. After World War II, Jan Aarden loaned via Wagemaker a cock with De Scheemaecker Bros wich was bred closely to the "Goed Duinneke".
Jan Aarden also bought an older heavy inbred hen, she called "Duveltje". She flew with Ost-Roe as young bird in the strong organisation Union Antwerpen 30 early prizes. Roeckaert bred her from one of his best breeding hens, the "Fille", a red hen from townmate Theo Van Hove. The "Fille" was a product of partnership-breeding and came out of the "Goliath" from Ost-Roe a son of the basic couple "Goede Lichte" with the "Goede Blauwe" and the "Oud Licht", a daughter from the "Oude Lichte", the stockbird of the race Roeckaert since 1919. The father of the "Duveltje" was the "Goede Lichte" himself.
Before World War II Jules Roeckaert had a very strong extreme long distance race and he was in favor of inbreeding. He was a normal man, wich never searched for publicity. By his fine art of breeding he build a race at the Oede Koevenstraat in Borgerhout wherefrom many racing pigeon fanciers have been taken the fruits. His name wasn't that famous in the years 1920-1930 but his pigeons could compete with the best of Belgium. Jan Aarden had noticed this.
The third visit of Aarden wasn't so far out of his neigbourhood. A trip with the family was linked to a visit of the specialist on the extreme long distance races in Zeeland: Leo De Cock from Hulst. Jan Aarden had noticed there a beautifull 2 years old dark checkered hen, wich became one of the stockbirds from the father-son combination Aarden. She was named the "Vetkont". This hen was from the origin Staf Dusarduyn and Marquinie from Sas out of Gent. Father and son Aarden bought that same year a hen from the Belgian extreme long distance racer Bremdox. The duo Aarden wasn't succesfull with this new blood of Bremdox. Also the blood of Tinus Vermeer wasn't a succes.
"The breeding couple before World Ware II of Jan Aarden: three musketeers"
"Dikke Blauwe" NL 36-37251
"Fietsvlieger" NL 36-37252
"Schoone Blauwe" NL 37-2128
Father: "Blauwe Ost-Roe" B 34-621537, further information about the "Blauwe Ost-Roe" can you find in the previous text.
Mother: "Oude Reyduivin" 3-28-C-1523, further information about the "Oude Reyduivin" can you find in the previous text.
"Two basic couples"
The base of the breeding loft of Jan Aarden was made at the end of the 1930 by the blood of Ost-Roe, the blood of Henrey Rey, the superbreeding hen of De Cock, the "Campdoffer" from Willem Van Campenhout and in 1938 their was also the two pigeons of Hermansen from Antonie Wagemaker and Tiest Stok. Jan Aarden formed with this mixture a very hard flying loft. His breeding capacities ware based on his natural talent, his large experience and his grand know-how of the geneology. He was in favour of inbreeding. His two basic couples had some same bloodstrains.
First Jan Aarden coupled "Blauwe Ost-Roe" with the "Oude Rey-duivin". A great succes in this combination. The most famous son of this couple was the "Fietsvlieger". He won from Noyon with seven minutes in advance to the rest of the concours. The Aardens won a bike with this prestation. After the WWII the Fietsvlieger came back to the loft Aarden and bred some magnificent birds. His nestmate "Dikke Blauwe" was a very good racing pigeon and was superior in breeding. A year later he bred the "Schoone Blauwe" out of this couple. This racing pigeons got always first prizes on the club olympiads. The "Dikke Blauwe" died in World War II, but the three musketeers became very important to the rest of the Aarden-story after World War II.
The second basic couple was composed out of the "Reydoffer" and the "Belske" from Ost-Roe. Also their youngsters knew how to make perfect prestations. The "46" was the best son out of this couple, in the young bird competition in Steenbergen he won the young bird competition with the 1st, 9th, 14th and 45th price. A full sister of the "46" was the "Orleanske", the "Orleanske" won three years at a row very early prize from Orléans.
The "Fietsvlieger" was coupled to the "Vetkont" of De Kock. And with this couple the third basic couple was formed and bred some fine and good racing pigeons. The most famous hen out of this couple was "De Verkeerde Duivin" one of the best racing pigeons ever on the Aarden loft.
The "Dikke Blauwe" coupled Aarden to "Duveltje" from Ost-Roe and the next good breeding couple was formed. Out of this fourth basic couple was born "Mooike".
The breeding concept of Jan Aarden was very clear: the base line of his colony was formed on the sons, daughters, grandsons and granddaughters of the "Goede Lichte" from Jules Roeckaert. In the years 1938 and 1939 nobody could fly to the breeding products of Aarden. In 1939 already Jan Aarden played his racing pigeons on widowhood.
For the first time to St. Vincent
On a certain Willem Van Campenhout visited Jan Aarden. He was very impressed by the quality of the Aarden pigeons. Jan Aarden found Bordeaux to far for his pigeons but it was Willem who convinced Jan to play for the first time from St. Vincent. Jan and Antoon basketed four pigeons from St.Vincent. Jan Aarden had basketed the "Verkeerde Duivin", "Schone Blauwe", "Dikke Blauwe" and "Mooike" to St.Vincent. The flight was very hard... 136 pigeons came true on the same day from the 2183 old birds. There was rain on the whole flightline. The birds were sent free on saturday, on tuesday the race was closed. At three o' clock in the afternoon the first national was known. Jan Aardens first pigeons was his second signed "Verkeerde Duivin" and came around six o'clock in the evening. She won the 59th national. Jan Aarden was now convinced about the quality of his racing pigeons because the "Verkeerde Duivin" wasn't tired at all. The "Dikke Blauwe" won the 95th national price. But the Aarden family made a mistake they tought that the flight was closed... Monday "Schone Blauwe" and "Mooike" arrived and would have won still nice prices. This was the start of a very nice nevery ending story...
