The top brass also viewed it as a drain on everdwindling manpower. Next week, the 30,000 visitors to the Windsor Castle Royal Tattoo - including most of the Royal Family and celebrities from Coldplay's Chris Martin to Alan Titchmarsh - will watch two 18-strong teams of the Royal Navy's finest crashing around the main arena and performing a series of Formula One-style pit stops with a Victorian cannon. On this occasion, the gun was pulled by 4 oxen who were detached from their harness before one round was fired and the sailors manhandled the gun out of the arena to great applause from the audience. Why was the Royal Naval Field Gun Competition stopped? It looks like the cannon is setup purely for this race. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. 4 years ago. To an outsider, this brutal event raises several questions. This comprised of cutlass drill and gun drill by forty ratings from HMS Excellent. A 'lucky' 50 would be selected and subjected to six months of intensive training before the Royal Tournament itself. Today 21 strong teams compete over an 85 yard long flat track, a total run of 170 yards. This was considered to be an easy jump for an ordinary man. The average time for the Run Home was 21 seconds. This was exceeded in seven subsequent years and eventually in 1938 HMS Excellent achieved 1 minute 13.40 seconds. The limber is run back and hooked to the gun then every member of the crew strains to accelerate the gear over the finish line. Currently only Wellington College and Portsmouth Action Field Gun Crews run the 'command' style of Field Gun Run. In a rearguard action enroute they have to overcome the same obstacles. The youngest member of the team, Leading Physical Trainer, Matt Short, 27, is also in charge of team fitness. But there is no prize money. The programme from the 1896 Tournament states: The guns are brought in and, after a short march around the arena, are cleared for action and one round is fired. A similar "Command" Field Gun, is still being run by civilians as Wellington College (cadet-size) and Portsmouth Action Field Gun (full-size). On their return home, the sailors from the Naval Brigade paraded their guns through London and appeared at the Royal Naval and Military Tournament at the Agricultural Hall, Islington. They were inconsolable. "We have been on a knife-edge ever since then. To excel at this sport, team members need the explosive speed of a cheeta, the strength of a weightlifter, and the precision of a ballerina. After four consecutive nights, the winning crew will receive a trophy from the Queen and, perhaps, a drink from their commanding officer. The original stipulation by Brickwood that the trophy was only open to teams from within Portsmouth continued until 1975 when the competition was widened to include bases from around the country. It was an Army affair, but proved so popular they decided to expand it into a tri-service event - just like the Royal Tournament - for 2009. In 1896 the first all-naval display appeared in the programme of the Tournament. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The U.S. Army tried the long-range gun again from the early 1960s to the late 1970s with the M107 175 mm gun. The race was continued on the return journey, the team first crossing the original starting line being awarded one point; the team which secured the biggest number of points throughout the run of the Tournament. It ended in controversy as all three crews wore black armbands during the run, even after they were told by the MOD not to, but whatever anybody did it would not change the future. However, instead of checking on the collapsing sheer legs and passing on the outside of them he went through the middle. The competition simulates the drill which would have been undertaken to bring a naval field gun into action during the march to Ladysmith. The gun is run to the end of the track, turned and stopped. The course was changed in 1908 with a chasm replacing the plank obstacle. Being a charity, it's been a real challenge, and a great triumph that we've got through to the millennium. His eyewitness accounts, from the 1972 Olympic massacre to Desert Orchid's finest hour, marked him out as the greatest sports writer of the age. The Royal Military Tournament of 1900 was held in Islington Agricultural Hall and featured men from HMS Powerful parading one of their 4.7-inch naval guns called Joe Chamberlain. The crew set up a wire and traveller so all 18 members of the crew and their equipment could cross the chasm. The format of the competition and drill, based on the Brickwoods competition, changes slightly due to the fact that the crews run on polished concrete surfaces. As a result, Captain Percy Scott of HMS TERRIBLE was tasked with producing plans for the mounting of two 4.7 guns for use ashore. The guns and limbers of a four-gun battery were taken over a four-foot wall in the arena at Islington. Aggregate Time and Fastest Time Cups were introduced in 1924. Moment commuter blasts eco-zealots, Student kicked out of school for 'there are only two genders' t-shirt, Russian freight train derails and bursts into flames after explosion, Royal superfans camping on The Mall ahead of King's Coronation, Women's rights activists and pro-trans campaigners separated, Cambridge students party in the park during annual celebrations, Saboteurs wreck Russian train cut power cables 37mi from Ukraine, Hundreds of Household Division members rehearse for coronation, Moment large saltwater crocodile snatches pet dog off beach in QLD, Devastating tornado picks up car and hurls it through air in Florida, Unseen footage of Meghan Markle during her teenage years, Historic chairs to be reused by the King for the coronation service. In 1896 the first "all-naval" display appeared in the programme of the Tournament, which comprised of cutlass drill and field gun drill by forty ratings from HMS Excellent. When the commentator announced it was to be the last time we would ever see the Men of Field Gun, the whole arena showed their anger by stamping the floor or banging their chairs. In British use, a field gun was anything up to around 4.5inches in calibre, larger guns were medium and the largest guns were heavy. 9-pounder and 12-pounder guns were used in the displays. The 1914-1918 war stopped all such events for its duration but the competition returned with the new Royal Tournament of peacetime. I have managed to gather the above information from a number of sources. ), - 1948 - 1957 - 1970 - 1975 - 1981 - 1984 - 1986 - 1987 - 1997 -. No one is hurt (if they were, they would probably keep quiet). The course was changed in 1908 with a chasm replacing the plank obstacle. Both wheels are shifted. The Interport ("Command") Field Gun competition was established in 1907 and was a highlight of the Royal Tournament until the Last Run in 1999. The Brickwoods Trophy Competition sponsored by Whitbread was instituted shortly after its Big Brother, the Inter-Command Competition was first performed at Olympia in 1907. After the war, with a different course and drill, Victoria Barracks achieved 1 minute 27.40 seconds in 1954. Sadly all things have to come to an end at some time. Military Life. That has changed. RNRMC (Brickwood's) Field Gun - Current Crews: Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Having covered every sport on the planet, and all the legends therein, the late Ian Wooldridge could offer a pretty reliable perspective on all things sporting. The Naval involvement in the Victorian campaigns usually involved the landing of the Blue Jackets of the Naval Brigade with their portable field guns alongside their comrades in the Army. The Royal Navy landed two 4.7 inch guns and four 12-pounder field guns. The winning crew was awarded one point; the crew with the most points over the period of the Tournament was awarded a trophy. Everyone (except me) relishes the cry of 'Drill! Only two crews run during each performance. Man power: Robert Hardman (right) trains with the Portsmouth team. A spin-off, the Junior Leaders Field Gun Competition, using the Brickwoods format, was held for the 1st time in 2007 and is still held today. Result Charging flat out with a ton of gun and turning it on a sixpence while simultaneously taking off the wheels is still a feat of titanic choreography. The clock was stopped as the teams crossed back over the start line. the ships company for their part in the saving of Ladysmith. The origins of Royal Navy Field Gun lay in 1899, in the Second Boer War, and in particular the epic 119-day Siege of Ladysmith. The record for the fastest run at the Royal Tournament was set by Devonport in 1999, the competition's final year, with 80.86 seconds for the "Run Out", 58.65 seconds for the "Run Back" and 20.92 seconds for the "Run Home", an aggregate of 2 minutes, 40.43 seconds.[4]. One story tells of sailors carrying one of the 12pounder guns for 2miles after one of the wheels collapsed. Video 3 below shows a run between Devonport and the Fleet Air Arm from . 1906 - on the 17th May, the Royal Naval and Military Tournament moved to and opened at Olympia, and the men from both establishments (Excellent and Victory), in a combined display, took the guns over no less than two walls and two bridges. They owed their salvation, in part, to 280 Royal Navy sailors, even though Ladysmith is 100 miles inland. With the displays of field gun drill now a firm favourite with the audiences at the Tournament, the first competition was staged in May 1907. 1925 - Individual Silver Medals were introduced - initial winners being HMS Excellent. Until his dying day in 2007, he was always looking for new heroes to add to his pantheon of greatness. The origins of the field gun competition lie in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Both at Devonport base, HMS Drake and at Earls Court there was a very subdued atmosphere. There have been many changes to the competition. The "Command" format, negotiating walls and a chasm, was held annually at the Royal Tournament in London solely as a public display and as recruitment purposes from 1907 until 1999, apart from the periods during the World Wars. The following is the chronological evolvement of the competition, as we came to know and love it: 1900 - 4.7 Guns were hauled into the arena by four span of Oxen and Sailors, the animals were then out-spanned as though out to graze, the Sailors fired one round, and then manhandled the Guns out of the arena. The Naval Brigade consisted of 750 ratings and Royal Marines and fought with distinction in several parts of the country. He reached the home ramp and released the ten-foot spar he was carrying as his drill required and ran on down the ramp. 1940 to 1946 - 2nd World War, therefore no Tournament, which recommenced in 1947. The guns and limbers were then dismantled and carried to the top of a ramp on the "home side" of a 28-foot (8.5m) "chasm". The gun is brought to the back of the limber and connected, then both are run forward. The two weeks of blood, sweat and tears were starting to take their toll and the crew of 99 just wanted to forget about the future without field gun and try to remember all the good times they had at Devonport, Portsmouth and the Fleet Air Arm. 2nd Advance, 1st Action And yet, as far as Woolers was concerned, the men of the Royal Navy Field Gun competition were way out in front when it came to nominating 'the toughest sport in the world'. This was an outdoor event involving rival naval bases racing over a flat course. The field gun race harks back to the relief of Ladysmith in 1900 by Royal Navy gunners during the Boer War. It was Scott, then a Lieutenant, who had helped Captain Fisher (later Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord) establish a Gunnery School on Whale Island at Portsmouth in the 1880s. HMS Collingwood cut that to 1 min 26.8 secs in 1962. Each section is timed to the nearest one-hundredth of a second and at the end of the three sections the times are totalled. and should it fall a great moral victory could be claimed by the marauding Boer forces. It is all done in just over a minute. With its origins going back to 1899, competing in Field Gun competitions demands teamwork, leadership, and moral and physical courage. The legendary story tells of the siege of the British garrison in Ladysmith in 1899. I have come to the South Coast, with Grassy Meadows as my guide, to watch the preparations. Fortunately for the General, Captain P. Scott RN of HMS Terrible was a gunnery expert and he quickly designed a carriage that could hold 6 inch, and 4.7 inch, 12 pounder naval guns for transit and in action. On the night of Devonports last ever run the A Crew stayed in their mess for most of the day and when the moment came they all had tears in their eyes. This was exceeded in seven subsequent years and eventually in 1938 HMS Excellent achieved 1 min 13.4 secs. The race has not been seen since the Royal Tournament ended a decade ago. The teams would compete twice a day through the fortnight of the Royal Tournament and the results were signalled instantly to every ship in the fleet. Play it now! The guns and limbers of a four-gun battery were taken over a four-foot wall in the arena at Islington. Perhaps the most famous use of the field gun in terms of advanced tactics was Napoleon Bonaparte's use of very large wheels on the guns that allowed them to be moved quickly even during a battle. The display was so popular that it was repeated in 1897 and subsequent years. The larger arena allowed the display to be scaled up. Crews from Portsmouth, Devonport, Chatham and Fleet Air Arm competed at The Court until 1960 when the Chatham Crew withdrew from the competition. "I would have hoped that the Ministry of Defence would take it on (financially), but I do understand when the Chief of Defence Staff decides they need an arena where they can display new equipment. [1] A second team, Eastbourne Youth Field Gun, established 2017 and also a cadet-size formation, is the newest field gun formation in the "Command" format. A precursor to the competition lay in the presentation of Field Gun 'Evolutions' including one performed by Miss Westons Naval Boys Brigade from Portsmouth at the Royal Albert Hall on 21 October 1905 as part of the Centenary Commemoration of the Battle of Trafalgar. From information I have gathered using my collection of Royal Tournament Programmes, the following years are quite relevant to the History of the Inter-Port Field Gun Competition. The officers and men of Powerful were soon invited to a number of military and civic receptions culminating in a Royal audience with Queen Victoria where she personally thanked. Modern gun-artillery such as the L118 105 mm light gun or the M119 105 mm howitzer are used to provide fire support for infantry and armour at ranges where mortars are impractical. This evening's two-hour training session here in Portsmouth's historic dockyard - the third of the day - is a surprisingly jolly affair. However, this event would never have even started if it were not for a historic event, which happened 100 years ago: The display in its present competition form was started in 1907. inspired by the exploits of a Naval Brigade during the Boer War in 1899. The average time for the "Run Out" was 85seconds. Both wheels are shifted. Archived. The average time for the "Run Home" was 21seconds. The main Naval involvement for several years had been from 40 ratings drawn from HMS Excellent, carrying out Cutlass Drill, and a Gun Drill Display, comprising as follows: The Guns are brought in and, after a short march round the arena, are cleared for action and one round is fired. Since about the start of World War II, the term has been applied to long-range artillery pieces that fire at a relatively low angle, as opposed to howitzers which can fire at higher angles. In 1978 with HMS Fisgard's win the trophy left Portsmouth Command and HMS Gannet's win in 1997 took it north of the border for the first time. Reserve stocks are held by other former users such as the People's Army of Vietnam. Man-packed mortars lack the range or hitting power of gun-artillery. HMS Gannet's win in 1997 took the trophy to Scotland for the first time. The guns were transported inland by rail and then drawn on makeshift carriages by oxen. During the period from 1850-1914, the Navy did not fight any ship-to-ship actions, and most British seamen who were on active service in operations did so as part of a Naval Brigade. When I find the whole contraption and its 18-strong team charging along faster than I can run, I have two options: dive out the way or get squashed. This was duly done and the new brigade acted in support of General Bullers push towards their besieged comrades. The competition has its roots in the Boer War; the army needed support and called for naval guns. It's just another reason why the Field Gun is still revered as the ultimate. Displays of Field Gun drill continued in subsequent years. This is the heaviest lift of all and life gets very difficult if the gear is dropped 2nd Retire, 2nd Action Gun and limber are run towards the start line, separated and stopped. The origins of the field gun competition lie in the Second Boer War in South Africa. The average time for the "Run Out" was 85 seconds. In 1960 Chatham ran at the tournament for the last time. And next week, for the first time in a decade, they will do it before the Queen.
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