 She then made a speech, welcoming the people present and then requested “messengers of peace” – the signal for four boys to release four ‘doves’ from two cane baskets.The ‘doves’ were actually white homing pigeons and the idea was that the birds released during the afternoon performance would return to their roost, ready for re-use in the evening (but Bill Wagstaff always kept a few ‘spare’ birds in reserve!