Published registration records prove most kennels heeded advice to curtail breeding at the outbreak of war, those for Rough Collies dropping, at one point, to less than 100 in the year, Smooth Collies were in an even more desperate position with a mere 54 registrations recorded during the period January 1940 to December 1945. Many fanciers were compelled to disperse their entire stock, of these a few made some attempt to rebuild their lines, with varying degrees of success, after the cease-fire was called, but the majority never returned to the show world. Those which doggedly clung to a few remnants of their original kennel, breeding an occasional litter to maintain valuable bloodlines, were much better placed to re-establish their kennel’s fortunes once hostilities were at an end. Of the prominent pre-war Rough Collie kennels only BEULAH and ALPHINGTON were able to retain any resemblance of a breeding enterprise, enabling both to quickly established dominance in the immediate post-war show scene. Smooth fortunes rested with the REDEVALLEY and HEWBURN kennels who were best placed to pick up the standard in 1946. To these kennels we can add the names of DANVIS – HELENGOWAN – LADYPARK – LYNCLIFFE — WYCHELMS – WYTHENSHAWE and Mrs M. I. Rhys with her newly acquired HUGHLEY affix, who all retained pre-war interests, the latter three dedicated to Smooths. Newcomers to the Rough world included MYWICKS – RIFFLESEE and WEARMOUTH.
