why was the royal naval field gun competition stopped
1940 to 1946 - 2nd World War, therefore no Tournament, which recommenced in 1947. By moving the guns from point-to-point during a battle, enemy formations could be broken up to be handled by the infantry or cavalry wherever they were massing, dramatically increasing the overall effectiveness of the attack. Both Gun Wheels are shifted. Crews were not permitted to use any additional equipment to assist in transporting the gun and limber across the chasm. The course was then negotiated in the opposite direction with the winner being the first crew to cross the original start line. Information on the period 1908 to 1922 is scanty,[3] but it seems that apart from the periods of war the Brickwood Trophy was competed for each year. Their train was the last to complete the journey to Ladysmith on the 30th October just as the siege and bombardment started. 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. Archived. The origins of the field gun competition lie in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march, that when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances (field artillery), as opposed to guns installed in a fort (garrison artillery or coastal artillery), or to siege cannons and mortars which are too large to be moved quickly, and would be used only in a prolonged siege. 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. The Royal Navy's command field gun competition was a contest between teams from three Royal Navy commands, in which teams of sailors compete to transport a field gun and its equipment over and through a series of obstacles in the shortest time. The news of the relief of Ladysmith was greeted with great jubilation in Britain and Queen Victoria sent a telegram to the Naval Brigades thanking them for their invaluable assistance. Posted by. In the final stage, the Run Home, men, guns and limbers passed back through the hole in the home wall and then the teams hook up and pull for home. In 1900 following the relief of Ladysmith during the South African campaign, Seaman from HMS Powerful brought a 4.7 inch gun into the arena at the Tournament. ), (having been presented at the British Trade Fair, Copenhagen the previous year), 1993 - Royal Tournament cut from 3 to 2 weeks, hence. The display was so popular that it was repeated in 1897 and subsequent years. At this speed, the process can, literally, cost an arm and a leg. The Royal Navy Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC) have taken over as the main event sponsor but the Brickwood's trophy remains. The Aggregate Time Challenge Cup is awarded to the crew who has the lowest aggregate official time over the 16 competition runs; the record is held by Devonport at 39 minutes 20.34 and the trophy is now held by Devonport. Once all the crew and equipment were back on the home side of the chasm, the wire and traveller were dismantled and three more rounds were fired in a rear guard action. For the final part of the journey, sailors from the Naval Brigade manhandled the guns over very difficult terrain. In September the decision to despatch more than 10,000 troops to South Africa from home and abroad was made in London. The Second World War stopped play for a second time, but the resumption saw two important changes: the venue was Earls Court in1950 and by now the Royal Tournaments Field Gun Competition had been joined by a team from the Fleet Air Arm. It was at this point that the Royal Navy was called into action. 'One or two men might think "Hmmm?" 'It was like winning or losing the Cup final,' recalls Grassy. The average time for the "Run Out" was 85 seconds. And so the Field Gun race has carried on, kept alive by more than 20 volunteer crews. 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. 114. On 20th July 1999 the Government confirmed what many people had been dreading for months, the fact that the field gun competition would come to an end in August 1999. Why hasn't it been banned on health-and-safety grounds? There are 34 possible penalties. The competition evolved during the early years of the 20th century. and should it fall a great moral victory could be claimed by the marauding Boer forces. Before the First World War the competition was moved from the RN Barracks to Whale Island, where it continued until 1973; the following year it transferred to HMS Collingwood, its famously large parade ground reputed to have once held as many as 8,000 ratings is the perfect setting for the event. The 1907 challenge involved a team of 17 scaling a 5-foot-high (1.5m) obstacle on a 75-yard-long (69m) course and returning. This is why it will always remain in the bodies and souls of all field gunners. It was obvious what the Royal Navy could bring to it - the famous band of the Royal Marines and historic Field Gun competition - and last year's Brickwoods Trophy finalists, Sultan and Portsmouth, were invited to take part. Following the Second World War, the first post war Tournament was held in 1947 at Olympia with the addition of a crew representing the Fleet Air Arm. At each performance of the Royal Tournament, two crews competed to transport a 12pounder field gun and limber over a series of obstacles. From the start line in front of the Royal Box, the crews pulled the guns and limbers to the end of the arena where they turned and carried themselves and the equipment over a 5-foot (1.5m) wall. In a combined display, Seamen from HMS Excellent and HMS Victory took their guns over two walls and two bridges. The clock was stopped as the teams crossed back over the start line. 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. The average time for the Run Out was 85 seconds. Seaman from HMS Victory (RN Barracks, Portsmouth) introduced a further obstacle in the form of a bridge, too narrow for the guns to be hauled over in the usual manner.The following year, the Tournament was relocated to Olympia in West London. (The procedure adopted in the event of damage to the gun wheels). This is called: Out, Back and Home. In addition two five-foot walls were rigged at the ends of the arena. Displays of field gun drill continued in subsequent years. In 1900, the entire British Empire rejoiced after British forces, besieged inside the South African town of Ladysmith for 119 days, were finally relieved. Unfortunately in the memories of all field gunners and supporters 1999 proved to be one of the saddest years of their lives. And after just a few minutes in their company - during which I tweak a hamstring and nearly get run over - I conclude that Woolers was, as usual, spot on. 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. American Reacts to The Royal Naval Field Gun CompetitionOriginal Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32s4qCCFnmk#RoyalNaval #FieldGun #ReactionTo Support the Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDv8gGPKXTuyknm_xa9cjJQ/joinFollow me on social media:Twitter: @AnEclecticBeardInstagram: The_Eclectic_BeardFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?Check out these supporters of the channel: Jamie Barnhill: https://www.youtube.com/user/jlb13085IAmSam: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBqMsOCOygbCnSbtlpDEeowYota: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf9kG5Ea6S59ElwKVAW5WvwCopyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for \"fair use\" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. The competition simulates the drill which would have been undertaken to bring a naval field gun into action during the march to Ladysmith. The team and equipment then passed through a hole in the enemy wall at the end of the arena. In 1896 the first all-naval display appeared in the programme of the Tournament. The gun wheels are exchanged with the limber wheels. The gun is unhooked and the limber is run to the 70 yard line where it is turned or spun to face the start; its wheels are removed and it is dropped to the ground. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. The "Brickwoods" trophy itself is a reproduction in silver of a 12-pounder field gun and a gun crew of seven sailors. The clock was stopped as the teams crossed back over the start line. In fact, win or lose, they made not a bean. 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. Ladysmith was the most vulnerable of the three towns. A film clip of this evolution survives from the period[2] which was filmed by Alfred J West for his popular 'Our Navy' film presentations in the early 1900s. 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. 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. The legendary story tells of the siege of the British garrison in Ladysmith in 1899. There have been many changes to the competition. After the siege of Ladysmith was finally lifted on February 28th 1900 Queen Victoria sent a telegram: "Pray express to the Naval Brigade my deep appreciation of the valuable services they have rendered with their guns ". Two gun crews of eighteen men from the commands of Portsmouth, Devonport and Chatham took part in the first competition. 'It would make your day if your lot had won,' says Grassy Meadows, who represented Devonport in three Royal Tournaments. In 1971 Brickwood's business was acquired by London-based brewers Whitbread & Co Ltd: 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. This was an outdoor event involving rival naval bases racing over a flat course. The combined weight of the gun barrel and gun carriage is 1250lb; and it goes over the wall in one piece! USPSA competitor, Any questions please email him at [emailprotected]. 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 1907 challenge involved a team of 17 scaling a five foot high obstacle on a 75 yard long course and returning. Perhaps, if they can drag themselves away from their taxpayer-funded plasma screens and patio heaters and get down to Windsor, our lords and masters might learn a valuable lesson in teamwork, public service - and downright courage. But when they signed the disclaimer they never expected a man would be killed in the toughest team sport in the world. The most common field guns of the era were the British 5.5inch, the American 155 mm Long Tom[1] (a development of a French World War I weapon) and the Soviet BS-3 - an artillery piece adapted from a naval gun and designed to double up as an anti-tank weapon. The remaining three crews participated until the final Royal Tournament 1999. The trophy left Portsmouth Command for the first time in 1978 as a result of HMS Fisgard's win. The Sunday Express Plate, which in the past has been called various other names, is awarded to the crew that incurs the least number of penalty points over the competition. A film clip of this evolution survives from the period [1] (requires Real Player) which was filmed by Alfred J West for his popular 'Our Navy' [2] film presentations in the early 1900s. "I'm very sad about it, although I have seen it coming ever since the event was shortened from three weeks to two, which was the reason for the drop in our attendance figures," said Col Ferguson. This is a competition rooted in that most politically incorrect of imperial conflicts, the Boer War. As soon as the last man of each gun crew - nicknamed the flying angel - is across the chasm, the rig is collapsed, and three rounds are fired in a rearguard action. Some of the soldiers, sailors and airmen who take part in the show are planning to wear black armbands as they go through their paces at Earls Court tonight to mark the passing of the Tournament. Starting from one end of the arena, the teams first negotiated an obstacle of planks fixed 18-inches from the ground. This comprised of cutlass drill and gun drill by forty ratings from HMS Excellent. Up until and including 1905, the Royal Naval and Military Tournament was held at the Agricultural Hall, Islington. 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. 3rd Retire and Finish Man power: Robert Hardman (right) trains with the Portsmouth team. Why would anyone want to do it? This competition involving no obstacles and run on a flat track continues to be competed for on an annual basis at HMS Collingwood as part of the HMS Collingwood Open day. It seems obvious that the Naval contribution to an event organised by the Army would include their famous guns. Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.6943, http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.5911, http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.7122, COMMAND100 - Centenary of Inter Command Field Gun, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, 2001 HMS Collingwood - the current record holders with a time of 1 min 18.88 secs. HMS Collingwood beat this by running a time of 1 minute 18.80 seconds in 2001. So, in this team, you find the 'firing number', Petty Officer Gunga Din, giving orders to the 'extracting number', Jules Stevenson, who just happens to be a Lieutenant Commander. Some members of the crew just sat and stared at their lynch pins, crying. 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. A field gun is a field artillery piece. Each set of kit weighs the same as a family car and each gun must be put together, taken apart and dragged up and down an 83-yard course, blasting off six shots in the process. In a matter of seconds the wheels are on, pins are in, and the gun crews race flat-out to the finishing line.\r\rThe average time for the run out is one minute twenty-five seconds; for the run back one minute and for the run home twenty-one seconds. Sailors had to move the guns inland from the coast to Ladysmith so formed teams and raced the guns . Lieutenant Commander 'Grassy' Meadows - a Field Gun veteran who went on to become one of the Navy's top physical training instructors - sums up the general sentiment. Sultan's crew includes many new boys, but they have youth on their side. There is nothing quite like the Royal Navy's Field Gun run, a wince-inducing display of teamwork and severed digits. This was exceeded in seven subsequent years and eventually in 1938 HMS Excellent achieved 1 minute 13.40 seconds. 2nd Advance, 1st Action The average time for the Run Home was 21 seconds. No wonder he has a bandage wrapped around what remains of his knuckles. The race has not been seen since the Royal Tournament ended a decade ago. 'You leave rank at the side of the sports field,' says Pompey's Number One, Warrant Officer Glen Young. The gun display was turned into a competition and, each year, the big naval bases would recruit teams to heave the same guns over artificial walls and across a 28-foot 'chasm'. As the evolution of artillery continued, almost all guns of any size became capable of being moved at some speed. Being a charity, it's been a real challenge, and a great triumph that we've got through to the millennium. The first men are hauled across, carrying 120lb wheels for the gun carriage. A four minute run was first recorded in 1948, and three minute run in 1962. At each performance of the Royal Tournament, two crews competed to transport a 12pounder field gun and limber over a series of obstacles. (reason why at the moment remains unclear! In addition, a Military Festival will be held each year outside London at varying locations at which the public will be able to view large-scale weaponry. The crew set up a wire and traveller so all 18 members of the crew and their equipment could cross the chasm. 4 years ago. The guns and limbers of a four-gun battery were taken over a four-foot wall in the arena at Islington. In 1999, the last Royal Tournament staged its last race. In 1903, a party from HMS Excellent introduced an obstacle into their display. Records for completing the course have continued to be broken. Flashlight/Laser Enthusiast 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. Each crew then fired three rounds to end the Run Out. The guns were transported inland by rail and then drawn on makeshift carriages by oxen. Crews were permitted to use wires, ropes, spars etc to traverse the obstacle. The Royal Tournament was last held almost 23 years ago before the tattoo was cancelled, amid reports that the services had become too stretched to spare the 2,500 personnel needed to put the event on for its usual three-week run. duration, just to share an atmosphere that can not be found anywhere else in the world. Royal Navy Field Gun. The M107 was used extensively in the Vietnam War and proved effective in artillery duels with the North Vietnamese forces. It might have been the toughest team sport in the world but it was not good enough for the Government of today. Backstage the Devonport crew should have been celebrating their New World Record and their overall success but they felt as if there was no celebrating to be done. The Royal Marines set a new record in 1924 of 1 minute 24.40 seconds. This evening's two-hour training session here in Portsmouth's historic dockyard - the third of the day - is a surprisingly jolly affair. One of the most produced field guns during the war was the Soviet 76 mm ZiS-3 with over 103,000 produced. At anchor off Capetown were the cruisers, HMS Terrible and HMS Powerful, the British Commander in Natal, General Sir George White VC, signalled the ships for assistance, particularly long range guns. Each section is timed to the nearest one-hundredth of a second and at the end of the three sections the times are totalled. The second part of the competition (the "Run Back") involved the crews taking all their equipment back over the 5ft enemy wall and then back across the chasm. Although the chasm was reduced to 28ft the competition remained fundamentally the same throughout the interwar years. In 2011 HM Naval Base Portsmouth set a new record of 1 min 17.78 seconds. Today 18 strong teams compete over an 85-yard-long (78m) flat track, a total run of 170 yards (160m). But we will NOT be brainwashed, Carried away to be raped and murdered after being sold by her mother for $10 of crack: Tragic last moments of three-year-old girl who suffered the ultimate betrayal, Woman's sixth sense saved her friends from a deeply sinister situation: 'That's my worst nightmare', Disturbing moment YouTube star Steven Crowder is caught on Ring footage berating his heavily-pregnant wife for not 'performing her wifely duties', NFL pays tribute to three University of Virginia players killed in November shooting bymaking them honorary picks in the 2023 Draft, E. Jean Carroll testifies how she was met with a 'wave of slime' after Donald Trump branded her a liar, with his supporters spewing social media attacks that made her feel 'too ugly to live', The new Sunshine State! HMS Collingwood beat this by running a time of 1 minute 18.8 secs in 2001. Article. Even the German super-heavy guns in World War II were rail or caterpillar-track mobile. Field guns also lack a specialized purpose, such as anti-tank or coastal artillery.