(Afghan Hound Database and Breed Information Exchange)
(UK Acklam Afghan Hounds) (By Steve Tillotson and Lyall Payne October 2014) Page1
1. INTRODUCTION I was researching the Molly Sharpe project and encountered Mohammed Ali Of Acklam in Molly's breeding program, and I wondered how Molly was able to meet up with Mrs Gibson to arrange a breeding because Molly llived in Scotland and Mrs Gibson lived in the Channel Islands, just about as far away from each other as the geography of the UK allows.. Then I remembered, Mrs Gibson lived in England in the 1930's before she moved to Jersey so she probably got to know Molly Sharp in those earlier days. During WWII Mrs Gibson had to temporarily move back to England to escape the German occupation of Jersey. (Molly Sharpe also temporarily moved during the war - to Ireland, before eventually returning to Scotland after hostilities ceased.. 2. BIO/NOTES (temporary info, further research currently in progress) Betty Howard Gibson 's husband and his brother, Sir John Gibson, were the engineers responsible for such major projects as the construction of the Senner and Gebel Aulia Dams on the Blue Nile and White Nile respectively and for the construction of the Mulberry Harbour used in the invasion of Normandy in 1944 (source Nick Waters) . Mrs Betty Gibson and Mr Howard Gibson settled in Acklam, a small village in north east Yorkshire, England after they married, and they adopted the name Acklam for their kennel. The Gibsons first lived in England (Marton-in-Cleveland) through to 1934-36, then they moved to St Peters (D'Auvergne House, St Peters ) in Jersey during the 30's and later, moved to St Lawrence ("Acklam", St Lawrence ), Jersey by the late 40's. Mrs Gibson was the first female President of JKC and was elected in 1952,
3. THE FIRST AFGHAN HOUND Afghan hounds were not the Gibsons first breed/show dogs, they bred and exhibited English Springer Spaniels as early as 1927.
Mrs Gibson acquired her first Afghan Hound - Hassan Of Acklam bred by Mrs M B Cooper (de Flandre, UK) , (born 27/2/1927 Mustavi or Mustapha Of Ghazni x Tarza), a blue (or chinchilla) dog from a Ghazni/Bell Murray breeding. There were no offspring of Hassan as he was not bred from. .
4. THE FIRST LITTER Mrs Gibson next acquired her foundation bitch, Wanawallari Of Geufron (born 28//1934, Omar Of Geufron x Sheba Of Wyke) from Mrs Drinkwater (Geufron). Wanawallari's breeding involved a Ghazni/Shahzada/Bell Murray blend on the sire side and pure Bell Murray on the dam side.. Wanawallari was a well coated cream with a typically refined Bell Murray head .
The first Acklam litter was born 25/5/1939 involving the breeding of the external stud dog Westmill Ben Havid to the Gibsons foundation bitch Wanawallari Of Geufron which produced a litter of nine, the most significant in the litter was Mitzou Of Acklam
Photo above of Mitzou, taken in December 1946. Mitzou was exhibited in Surrey, England, having spent the entirity of the war in German occupied Jersey
Photo above is of Mitzou on the seafront at Jersey after being shown at the Jersey Dog Club Show in April 1940. This photo was taken just a few months before Germany invaded and occupied the island.Mr and Mrs Gibson travelled back to the UK mainland shortly after this photo was taken, and before the German invasion occured. Both hounds are just under a year old in this photograph. This was the last JKC show before the occupation. The first post occupation JKC show, was held on 5th September 1946 and the show was won by Mitzou of Acklam. Photo below is of Mitzou's littermates Sheba and Mamouna who also survived the invasion, along with Mitzou
5. THE SECOND LITTER Margaret Niblock in her book writes - "Determined to make Mitzou a champion, the Gibsons persevered over the almost insurmountable difficulties of travelling and Mitzou won her qualifyihg CC in 1938 at the ripe old age of nine, as well as having whelped a successful litter by Turkuman Dammar Pine Tree as a severn year old". That litter included two champions - The black and tan bitch Tanza and the dog Mohammed Ali Of Acklam.The litte alsor included the black and tan dog Amanullah Khan of Acklam who was exported to Mme Deckers in Belgium where became a Belgium and French champion.
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