The WARDRUM STAFFORDS
of Derek Smart
The late Derek Smart was the owner and breeder of his small kennel of Wardrum Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and who bred my own Wardrum Delaware. His Staffords were strongly bred to the Rapparee Staffords and other closely linked Midland strains from the ‘60s. Living with him at this time was his stud dog ‘Zac’ Wardrum Geronimo, and the bitches ‘Bonny’ Wardrum Black Bonita, ‘Dixie’ Wardrum Dixie Queen and ‘Jess’ Wardrum Iron Jess. There were plenty of other Staffords bred similarly in the Midlands area at this time, but I especially liked his bitch Dixie Queen. who I considered to be one of the best bitches I knew of at the time.
But to go back to the beginning, Wardrum Geronimo and Wardrum Black Bonita were both out of the bitch Tigers Carmen, whose sire was Ch. Rapparee Rothersyke Vow. Tigers Carmen was bred back to her grand sire Ch. Rapparee Threapwood Handyman to produce Wardrum Geronimo. Tigers Carmen was also mated to Gypsy King, who was line bred to Ch. The Black Monarch to produce Wardrum Black Bonita. When Wardrum Black Bonita was bred to Wardrum Geronimo they produced two daughters Wardrum Dixie Queen and Wardrum Lucy Diamond.
But to go back to the beginning, Wardrum Geronimo and Wardrum Black Bonita were both out of the bitch Tigers Carmen, whose sire was Ch. Rapparee Rothersyke Vow. Tigers Carmen was bred back to her grand sire Ch. Rapparee Threapwood Handyman to produce Wardrum Geronimo. Tigers Carmen was also mated to Gypsy King, who was line bred to Ch. The Black Monarch to produce Wardrum Black Bonita. When Wardrum Black Bonita was bred to Wardrum Geronimo they produced two daughters Wardrum Dixie Queen and Wardrum Lucy Diamond.
'Bonny' and 'Zac' with their pups 'Dixie' and 'Lucy'.
I first met Derek in the late ‘70s, when he was campaigning his bitch ‘Dixie’ Wardrum Dixie Queen, who would later became a Champion. I thought she was a very good bitch and was keen to get a closer look at her. I would find him sitting on her bench with her (not many people used cages back then). He informed me he intended to mate her soon and was going to use Textrix King Oberon, who was a grandson of Ch. Rapparee Rothersyke Vow. I liked King Oberon, whose dam Contessa of Textrix was actually line bred to Print of Wyncole. This was quite a coincidence, as Print of Wyncole had sired the first litter I bred in 1970.
Textrix King Oberon, owned by John and Jane Weaver. A grandson of Ch. Rapparee Rothersyke Vow. His dam Contessa of Textrix was line bred to Print of Wyncole. Sire of the Wardrum litter shown below.
The combination of the Rapparee blood and Print of Wyncole increased my desire to have one of Dixie’s pups, as this breeding would be quite similar in some ways to the Staffords I had owned and bred previously. There was some delay, but in due course Derek informed me that Dixie Queen had whelped 8 puppies, 5 dogs and 3 bitches after being bred to Textrix King Oberon.
This Wardrum litter included my Wardrum Delaware, also Abilene, Springfield, Dakota etc by Textrix King Oberon x Wardrum Dixie Queen.
Ch. Wardrum Dixie Queen a favourite of mine.
When I visited Derek to view the litter I saw a strong resemblance in type that Dixie Queen shared with her sire ‘Zac’ Wardrum Geronimo and dam ‘Bonny’ Wardrum Black Bonita. All of them were well-balanced and quite similar of many of the black brindles from the Rapparee line they were closely related to. I particularly liked their ‘type,’ that you could see in other Wardrum Staffords. They were clean about the head with typical expressions and without lippiness; another feature most of them carried was a strong and deep underjaw that was quite common in these strains at this time. Dixie Queen and her dam Black Bonita were very similar looking, but ‘Dixie’ was slightly bigger.
I had the second pick of the bitch puppies, as Derek had decided to keep a bitch puppy back. There was nothing much between the choice I had and it was my wife, who actually chose our pup as I could not make up my mind. She was registered as Wardrum Delaware and we also called her ‘Dixie’ after her dam. She would eventually grow into a replica of Dixie Queen, but in a smaller package.
I had the second pick of the bitch puppies, as Derek had decided to keep a bitch puppy back. There was nothing much between the choice I had and it was my wife, who actually chose our pup as I could not make up my mind. She was registered as Wardrum Delaware and we also called her ‘Dixie’ after her dam. She would eventually grow into a replica of Dixie Queen, but in a smaller package.
'Zac' Wardrum Geronimo, I really liked him.
Wardrum Dixie Queen had a litter sister, Wardrum Lucy Diamond, as mentioned, who I never saw, but she produced Joe Campbell’s Wardrum Settle It Samson aka ‘Sam’, a very sound and balanced Stafford, well known for his spirit. ‘Sam’ was quite a popular stud dog in the Southern Counties and he produced the pied Wardrum Smokey Joe aka ‘Oscar’ out of Wardrum Congrieve Rocket. ‘Oscar’ was owned jointly by Joe Campbell and his son Paul, again a well balanced specimen.
Wardrum Settle It Samson. Owned by Joe Campbell.
Wardrum Smokey Joe aka 'Oscar'. Owned by Paul and Joe Campbell.
Derek later mated Dixie Queen a second time, using the late Nancy Malec’s Yankeestaff Bolivar, a really good dog, and this produced Wardrum The Morrigan that Derek kept back and who he campaigned with some success. The Morrigan was the dam of the previously mentioned Wardrum Congrieve Rocket, who in turn produced Wardrum Fizzy Lady. I wanted to mention this, because Fizzy Lady produced a very good dog Wardrum Patriot, who lived near to me and he produced Mr. and Mrs. Holt’s home bred Finestock Duke of Bellie aka ‘Gunner’ a top sized and brilliant Stafford.
Later on for one reason or another Derek outcrossed his line with mixed results. This was something that seemed to happen to the old Rapparee and Gamestock lines, both of which were related through the famous Arthur Baxter’s/Peter Jepson’s Ch. Game Flash. As in all kennels the owners and dogs get older and the strains become harder to maintain, especially with a breed like Staffordshire Bull Terriers that require so much time.
Later on for one reason or another Derek outcrossed his line with mixed results. This was something that seemed to happen to the old Rapparee and Gamestock lines, both of which were related through the famous Arthur Baxter’s/Peter Jepson’s Ch. Game Flash. As in all kennels the owners and dogs get older and the strains become harder to maintain, especially with a breed like Staffordshire Bull Terriers that require so much time.
My own 'Dixie' Wardrum Delaware of Edgeworth.
Another pic of Wardrum Delaware of Edgeworth relaxing. A replica of her dam Dixie Queen.
I have selected some pictures of the Wardrum Staffords within this article that I hope will give readers an idea of their type and put some faces to names. My own “Dixie” Wardrum Delaware of Edgeworth was a brilliant bitch to own, a non stop, real live wire, like her dam. I am hoping to upload some video footage of her depending on the quality of the film. (See some of her pics and other Wardrum Staffords herein).
Phil Knowles
Phil Knowles
