Pigeons in war Written by PAM PREEDY, historian & author. The messenger birds. Pigeons have been used to send messages since around 1200 BC. By the 1800s AD the French had an official pigeon postal service, and in Britain pigeon fancying and racing has long been a popular hobby. What many people don’t know is that pigeons were a tremendous asset during the World Wars. In World War I carrier pigeons transported messages back to their home soops behind the lines. Got the British this would be in a stationary…