The plan was for twelve pairs of pigeons to carry blood on their backs in a special container. ‘A taxi takes on average 12 minutes to arrive at Devonport hospital,’ said Hilary Sanders, whose idea it was, ‘and another 10 minutes to complete the journey. A pigeon would cover the two-and-a-half miles in less than five minutes.’ A hospital worker reported seeing only one pigeon take off with a sample. It was never seen again. Sarah Waddington, ‘Plymouth’s Crazy Idea to Fly Blood Samples Between Hospitals – by Pigeon’, Plymouth Herald, 10 February 2018.
