< Previous24 T H E R I F L E M A N September, 1943. R e a l W a r P r a c t i c e S O L D I E R T H A N K S R I F L E C L U B . Mr. Ivor L. Roberts writes to the South Wales Evening Post from De-Ia-Beche Street, Swansea, enclosing a letter from a bombardier in an R.A. camp in England, who took part in Swansea's " Wings for Victory " rifle competition, tendering appreciation of the hospitality extended to him on the range, and saying that he learnt much on the four evenings which he was able to spend at the Swansea R.C. —this in spite of several year's experience of small game shooting in different parts of England. He continues :— " At the moment I am waiting to go abroad. I can only hope that my brief experience as a rifleman will be put to good effect in helping to win this war. " What a pity more cannot be done to train men in the use of their weapons, to give their greatest effect, instead of looking upon their rifles as something extra to clean each day." Expert Rifle Shot N a m e o f M a s e fi e l d i s k n o w n i n N e w Z e a l a n d r i fl e - shooting. An Anzac, he was (and maybe still is) champion of the Dominion. His nearest opponent was his son. Lieutenant Ben Masefield, of the N.Z.E.F. Now the son has been killed. A random Japanese shell, in the Solomons area, was the cause. Masefield was leading a unit of Tongans. They are volunteers from the Tonga, or Friendly Islands, of Poly nesian stock, and allied to the famous Maoris. H E N E V E R M I S S E D . When Masefield's patrol encountered a Japanese machine-gun post the Tongans would attack with desultory fire, keeping the Japs busy. Then Masefield would work his way through the jungle to the rear of the enemy ; one by one he would pick off the gun crew. The Tongans claim that he never missed. Little wonder that the Tongans were devoted to this 22-year-old New Zealander. The Friendly Islands, a British Protectorate, are a kingdom ruled by 43-year-old Queen Salote, whose consort is a high-ranking chief, also Prime Minister. The islands lie about 1,600 miles west of the Solomons. Masefield Evening News, 14th August. 1943. One Shot In Greece a weary British rearguard slogs over a bridge of the Corinth Canal. Engineers remain to lay demolition charges. Before they can be fired German parachutists shower down, seize the bridge. Engineer Lieut. Rawling- son escapes, hides in a hole. The Germans search franti cally for the hidden TNT. Suddenly Rawlingson spies one of the distant detonators—no larger than a cigarette, hanging by the connecting wire against the grey stone of the bridge. Raising his rifle, he sights carefully—fires ' A deafening roar. Bridge and Germans fall, a tangled mass, into the Canal. The British trudge on towards their ships—saved by a rifleman. (This is a true story, except for the rifleman's name from the September, 1942, issue of The American Rifleman.) The Canadian S.B.R.A. Classification System {Continued from page 11) he frequently wins the major prize and gains glory which is not rightfully his. With the C.S.B.A. System, as in (8) above, the top honour always goes to the best marksman. (10) With the C.S.B.A. Classification System, four class champions are declared in each match, instead of the conventional one. The class is always indicated in the engraving of prizes and in press notices, so that the " A " Class champion loses nothing in prestige, while three other less proficient or less experienced shooters can boast of having won a championship title. (11) In all but "A" Class the champion almost certainly advances to a higher class, thus leaving the field open for a new champion the next year. Thus in the course of a few years, honours are widely distributed among the shooting fraternity { In concluding this rather lengthy article, we of the Canadian Small Bore Association earnestly recommend that it be considered by any club or association that is looking for a way to encourage its less experienced members. Even if your club has only 20 members and four prizes to I award, it will be more conducive to general enthusiasm to I award the major prize to your best member, and the three remaining prizes to mwnbers of varying ability, than to award all four prizes to your four experts. • A New Book by A. G. BANKS T O B E P U B L I S H E D 2 0 C h O c t . Random Writings on Rifle Shooting In this companion to "A.G.'s" Book of the Rifle the articles (forty-four in number) are grouped under four headings— I. Military and Sporting; 2. Technique of Shooting; 3- Technical; 4. Discursive. New matters are introduced and certain aspects dealt with more fully than was possible in the previous volume. 7s. 6d. ; by post 8s. " A . G . ' s " B o o k of the Rifle Add "A.G.'s" book to your library if you are an old hand. Buy it as a start to your library if you are a beginner.— £. H. ROBINSON in the N.R.A. Journal. Second Edition 7s. 6d. ; by post 8s. JORDAN & SONS, LTD., lie Chancery Lane, W.C.2. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSeptember, 1943. T H E R I F L E M A N 25 Chart for Calibration of .22 Rifle Sights for the Longer Ranges The effectiveness of reasonably [heavy and correctly proportioned .22 ralibre rifles, when sighted for use at ranges up to fully 300 yards, is now becoming gradually recognised in this country, mainly owing to the persistent advocacy of A. G. Banks, in his writings on the .22 rifle as a weapon suitable for the sniper and the small-game hunter. The universal and well-deserved popularity of the .22 as a rifle for short- range target shooting practice and competition work is probably responsible for its neglect as a serious lethal weapon, for use up to distances that cover - an overwhelming proportion of the actual range requirements in modern warfare and sport. The facts that the ordinary " .22 Long Rifle" cartridge giving about 1060 ft. per sec. muzzle velocity to its 40 grain bullet shows a penetration of about 2 inches of dry pine at 300 yards range (whilst a similar penetration of 1 inch is accepted as equivalent to a dangerous wound) and that the packets of standard brands of American .22 cartridges of similar ballistic properties are clearly marked " Dangerous within ,one mile," sufficiently indicate the respect due to the .22 rifle as a lethal weapon ; whilst its accuracy up to about 300 yards is approximately equal to that of a good Service Rifle. In order to record or mark the sight settings necessary for shooting at the longer ranges, by means of test groups fired at the 25 yards range, it is usual to employ what have been variously termed strip-targets, thermometer-charts, ladder-diagrams, or calibration-charts, consisting of a vertical line crossed at progressive intervals by short lines which indicate the sighting for various ranges, reckoned from a marked zero setting. These diagrams appear in various publications and are quite easily read at 25 yards if telescopic sights be used, but they arc not easy to read with normal vision and " iron sights " whilst some discrepancies between dia grams by different authorities are apt to be confusing. In view of oflficial recognition of the .22 Service Rifle as a useful sniper's weapon for certain operations, and of a growing appreciation of its suitability for longer range firing in competitions and in small game shooting, it was considered desirable to produce a Calibration Chart based on actual test firings with normal .22 Long Rifle" ammunition known in the Services as " Rim Fire .22 inch Mark 1," so drawn as to be readily visible for sight setting at the 25 yards range, without optical assistance, and embodying a concise explanation of its use. The resulting diagram, here shown, is reduced to exactly half size scale copy of the original, and is so fully dimensioned that anyone can redraw it full size or can have it enlarged to correct dimensions by one of the numerous photographic enlarging processes now available. By its use a . 22 rifle of " Service " or equally robust pattern, with a barrel that IS in proper shooting condition and is correctly stocked, can be sighted to give closely approximate results at the ranges noted. CALIBRATION CHAR T. for use on the 25 yards' range in obtaining sight settings for '\Service " pattern and simiiar .22 Rifles, to,shoot at ranges up to 300 yards with normal ammunition giving about i060 Ft. per Sec. muzzle velocity for the 40 grain bullet. Note At 300 yards range, with a good .22 rifle, the shots can be placed within a 12 inch circle and will penetrate 2 inches thickness of pine at that range. To u s e t h e C h a r t ; — and firmly ot the Zero line on the % r:lri^;te?^airr on the Chart ; then remov'thl (4) Set the Chart right side up. and on c plain sheet of same size having a single aiming mark only, shoot groups with the backsight set to each of the range marking found in (3), to check results with the indications of the Chart. (5) The sighting of the rifle will then be approximately correct for ranges up to 300 yards. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK26 T H E R I F L E M A N September, 1943. The Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs A N O U T C O M E O F T H E B O E R W A R By E. J. " N the last years of the last century Great Britain became implicated in a war in South Africa, mainly with the Transvaal and Orange Free States. Their capitals were Pretoria and Bloemfoiitein, with Paul Kruger and Louis Reitz their presidents, respectively. Briefly this is what happened. After some diplomatic haggling, on October 11th, 1899, the Boer forces invaded Natal. With mercen aries and rebels from the Colonies they numbered some 60,000 with 100 guns, their artillery, modern and more powerful than any the British had at the outset. Some photographs extant about 1900 showed a few who had been captured at Paardeburg. They might well have been ministers of the gospel, their black frock coats, top hats, trousers tucked In top boots, a coffee pot hanging from the saddle, a blanket enclosing a Bible, a Mauser rifle slung across, with some biltong, etc., in their haversacks. Very early in the campaign a considerable British force marching parallel with the railroad to Johannesburg, found the Modder River banks occupied by the Boers, the mile or so in front offering no shelter. Here the British were to receive a grim reminder of their rifle shooting at Majuba Hill 18 years before. As General Methuen reported, no horseman was able to ride within 1,000 yards, and oiir infantry was definitely stopped by rifle fire and forced to lay with their faces tight to the ground until sunset. General Methuen was wounded a n d a n u m b e r o f c a s u a l t i e s w e r e I n fl i c t e d . For the next six months the British forces were hemmed in, Kimberley was besieged for four months, and Mafeking seven months, besides many reverses. At Colenso, in Natal, casualties were 1,126, one of which being Field Marshal Lord Roberts' only son, killed, at Nicholson's Nek 1,385, Maghersfonteln 971, Paardeburg 1,535, Spion Kop 1,734. Few of those alive at that time will forget London's black Friday, nor the consternation throughout the British Empire. While miich public criticism was showered on the Army at the time, the opinion . was unanimous that the Boer rifle fire was superior to that of the British. Not forgetting the British long bow and Agincotirt, such a hold had this idea on the public that several organisations comrnenced almost simultaneously to promote rifle clubs with the intention of removing this stigma from the British peoples. During the South African War the advantages of accurate rifle shooting and the shortcomings in the matter of marksrnanship of so many of our countrymen who volunteered for service with the emer gency forces which was raised at the time, was the subject of universal attention and not a little concern. At the Primrose League meeting in 1900, at which the writer was present, the late Marquis of Salisbury, then Premier said : " If once the feeling can be propagated abroad that it is the duty of every able Englishman to make himself competent 10 meet an invading enemy if ever, God forfend, an invading enemy should appear—if you once Impress upon them that the defence of the country is not the business of the War Office but of the people them selves, learning in their own parishes the accomplishments which are necessary to make them formidable in the field, you will then have a defensive force which will not only repel the assailant if he comes, but w i l l m a k e t h e c h a n c e s o f t h a t a s s a i l a n t s o b a d t h a t n o a s s a i l a n t w i l l ever appear." Concurrently with the great outburst of military ardour created by the war, this speech gave rise to the Civilian Rifle Club movement in Britain, and similar movements took place on the Continent, in America, and our Colonies. France, in particular, as long ago as 1895, had developed a miniature repre.sentation of its Service rifle firing an Inexpensive cartridge of .22 calibre, and the French Government issued a Manual for the instruction of pupils in the primary schools, and this had been systematically carried out and the results very favourably reported upon by the Minister of War. While the main object of the Civilian Rifle movement is the culti vation of marksmanship with the war weapon of today, the dearth of suitable ranges and the cost of ammunition places such difficulties in the way of any considerable development of war rifle practice In this country as to direct attention to other and cheaper means of attaining the same end. Competent authorities agree that the fundamental principles if not the entire art of markstnanship, may be acquired by means of low-power rifles on short ranges as well as by higher power military weapons upon longer ranges, and mtiny influential noblemen and gentlemen, upon the initiative of General C. E. Luard, interested D, Newitt themselves in the formation of this Society with the object of intro ducing and encouraging it directly upon sporting lines in the hope of popularising it by means of the Britiah characteristic love of sport. In March, 1901, the late Sir Frank Green, then the Lord Mayor of London, presided at a meeting at the Mansion House in which the objects and aims of the Society were announced, and a resolution calling the Society into existence was passed. Hitherto the work of the Society had been largely the development of suitable apparatus for short range shooting, the dissemination of litei-ature upon the subject of shooting appliances and generally Instructive of the methods of forming and managing shooting organisations. A few years later (1906) some 350 rifle clubs, having 30,000 members, were affiliated to the Society, and it could not be doubted that its efforts had led to many thousands of young men learning something of shooting who would not otherwise have been able to do so. At the same time It laid the foundation of a permanent movement which has proved its vitality and is steadily developing. From its inception in 1859 the National Rifle Association charged by Its charter with the duty of " giving permanence to 'Volunteer Corps and encouraging rifle shooting throughout the King's Dominions," has had added to its responsibilities the handling of the Service Rifle Club movement, but it was felt by Lord Roberts aiid his friends that some introductory form of shooting for the " man In (he street" should provide a driving force complementary to that of the N.R.A. Whilst not seeing eye to eye with the senior Association, a certain amount of co-operation was inevitable, but a definite arrange ment for the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs to conduct a joint annual National Small-bore Rifle Meeting during the fortnight at Bisleywas not put on a regular mutual basis until the year 1922. On the last week of March, 1903, the first open rifle meeting by the Society in conjunction with the National Rifle Association, and the first of its kind In this country, was held at the Crystal Palace. It was opened by General Ian Hamilton, supported by Earl De Gray. Mr. H. Marks, the S.M.R.C. secretary, and his staff handled the statistics. Of 25 competitions 13 were for individuals and 11 for teams. Entries to the number of 1,971 were accepted from members of 48 rifle clubs. Targets were at 25 and 50 yards. At the former moving, dis appearing and stationary target; were used in the prone position, at the longer distance the kneeling position was also used. The dimensions of the targets, bull's-eyes and scoring rings were proportionately reduced from the targets used at Bisley with the Service rifle at longer distances. Shooting was restricted to miniature rifles, those mostly in use being the Winchester Model 1890 repeating rifle, .22 calibre, or the Service rifle equipped with Morris tube, the latter not exceeding .23in. calibre, weight 8 lb., and a trigger pqll minimum of 4 lb. Aperture sights and orthoptic spectacles were not permitted. Most of the shooting at 20 yards was done in the standing position, and at 50 yards in the prone, save in the Championship in which the kneeling position was also adopted. The first of its kind, this meeting was undoubtedly successful and a precedent for further meetings. In 1904, from April 25th to the 30th, an Open Meeting was held at the Headquartdrs of the London Rifle Brigade in Bunhill Row. Mr. Arnold Forster, Secretary of State for War, Earl De Gray, Lord Cheylesmore, Earl Waldegrave, Col. Crosse, Viscount Colvllle of Culross and other notabilities visited the range during the shooting Of the 18 competitions 12 were open to Individuals and 6 to teams. The feature of this meeting was the introduction of several low power cartridges with projectiles of the same calibre as the rifle barrel, but the difficulty of adopting a cartridge of this kind to a high-power rifle cannot be said to have been at all satisfactorily solved. Since these cartridges cost 45s. to 50s. per 1,000 as against the 12s. a 1,000 of the .22 rim fire cartridge, and were all easily beaten by it at all distances, they are at this date (1943) entirely forgotten. In other respects the conditions of the contests did not differ in any way to the ideals originated at Wimbledon and Bisley. The writer, recognised as a reliable knight of the trigger, had for many years been studying as to why under the N.R.A. shooting ideals, one might develop ability to hit Bisley bull's-eyes at all distances, and still fail when firing at a natural objective at the shortest of distances. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSeptember, 1943. T H E R I F L E M A N 27 being Shooting Editor of Country Life, at Southnelds he had collected a number of enthusiasts ready to study with him the ideals he had propounded. Many of them were novel and continued to prove so far satisfactory that the Southfields Rifle Quhs tearns quite easily heat the teams of other rifle clubs with a large margin. Its example was soon followed by other rifle clubs with similarly excellent results. During this time he had made the time Organising Secretary of the Working Mens Rifle Clubs. He was unquestionably an ex ceedingly capable young man. At his invitation the writer was introduced to several of the notabilities concerned with miniature shooting and at their request joined the Council. The list being as follows SOCIETY OF MINIATURE RIFLE CLUBS. With which IS incorporated the Society of Working Man's Rifle Clubs with the British Rifle League. ■ Offices ; 20 Bucklersbury, London, E.C. Its First Council and Officers. Patron : H.R.H. THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT. President : Field Marshal EARL ROBERTS, K.G. Vice Presidents : The Right Hon. Viscount Colville of Culross The Right Hon. The Earl Grey The Right Hon. The Earl of Meath The Right Hon. The Earl of Scarborough The Right Hon. Lord Annaly. The Right Hon. Lord Iveagh Admii^il Lord Charles Beresford General Lord William Seymour Lieut.-General Sir Ian Hamilton Major-General Sir Alfred Turner Col. Sir Howard Vincent Sir Lewis Mclver, M.P. Lietit.-Col. L. Longstafi" Dr. G. B. Longstaft" Tr u s t e e s : His Grace the Duke of Norfolk K G His Grace The Duke of Westminster ' Council : His Grace The Duke of Norfolk, Chairman. xi W estminster The Marchioness of Londonderrv The RL Hon. Viscount Colville 'of Culross (Vice) Lieut.-Gen. Sir Ian Hamilton Major-General Sir R. B. Lane Major-General Sir Alfred Turner Lieut.-General W. W. Biscoe Lieut.-General Sir F. Lance Major-General C. E. Luard Major-General W. H. Mackinnon Colonel E. C. Garstin Major Sir W- Evans Gordon, M.P. Mr. G. T. Biddulph Mr. F. Collins Mr. Douglas Eyre Mr. Everard A. Ford Mr. F. S. Hay Mr f' {^""n-Holland, Vicc-Chairman of Committee Mr. E. J. D. Newitt Norman Mr. G. H. Ranking Mr' Fi J' S'rachey Mr. Fleetwood H. Williams "-'Z" S'™". London, W.C. E.C. ^^raggs, Turketine & Co., Coleman Street, Solicitors (Honorary) : Hawkesley. Jnkr"'" ' B. Praed, Esq. (Manager Lloyds Secretary : Mr. H. Marks. In 1903 the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs was incorporated as a Company Lirruted By (juarantee on the application to the Board of Trade by the seven gentlemen whose names are marked above. By the Articles of Association the Society's Advisory Committee on technical matters was given olficial standing, and this subsequently Messrs. Hollams, Sons, Coward & evolved into automatic representation from every County Association the two oldest members today being Messrs. F. Crocker of Derby and C. Laywood of Doncaster. Some time after Mr. Newitt decided to lay before the Council the principles to which the Southfields Rifle Club attributed its unquestioned success. At a meeting of the Council he detailed the innovation he asked the Society to accept as its own policy. After a sub-committee, consisting of Viscount Colville of Culross. General Sir F. Lance, Mr. R. Martin-Holland. Mr. Fleetwood Williams and Mr. Secretary Marks, a draft was adopted and the Council passed the following resolution :—"To'be published The Citizen Rifleman by the author, on the suggestion of the Council of the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs, in the hope that it may be of some assistance to those interested in the formation and subsequent management of Rifle Clubs using low power rifles at short ranges." Field Marshal Viscount Roberts, V.C.. wrote a Preface on Sept. 4th, 1906, and it was published by Messrs. George Newnes Ltd. A first edition appeared in December, 1906, and was very well received by such important newspapers as The Morning Post, The Standard, The Field, The Pall Mall Gazette, The Spectator, Arms and E.\plosives, The Sporting Goods Review, The Review of Reviews, The Rifleshot, and many others. ■ The Citizen Rifleman proved in fact the low power rifleman's Magna Charta. It introduced the policy, inter alia, of promoting several Open Meetings each year in different centres, of mobilising the abilities of civilian riflemen to improve rifles, ammunition, ranges, conditions of competitive contests with the least possible restrictions. Short of publishing The Citizen Rifleman again it would be impossible to deal with the steps incidental to the formation, manage ment, range management, prize matches, statistics, handicapping, etc., covered in Chapters I, II and III. Chapter IV suggested ranges to suit most circumstances and was exceedingly important ; Chapter V dealt with targets, of which the following is a brief extract :—" The nature of the target used for the study of marksmanship is a factor of great moment, undoubtedly requiring more careful consideration than it usually receives. For, though many insist upon the necessity of using for instructional purposes the identical weapon upon which to attain skill is the ultimate end of all instructions, little is ever said in favour of practising at objects similar in appearance to those which will be fired at with that weapon when used in earnest ; but it will be appreciated, without much'argument, that the object fired at exercises has as great an influence upon results as the rifle fired with. The inanimate bullet is quite indifferent in its selection of a billet, but the aiming capa bilities of the human eye vary enormously with the conspicuousness of the object and its contrast with the devices used for aiming the rifle. Immemorial custom has established the usage of a circular black bull's-eye upon a square white background as a target, and the back ground has been divided in various ways by rings, and marks are awarded for determining the relative merits of marksman's perfor mances. Needless to say, neither in war nor in sport will the marks man 'ever encounter such an object for his aim. This form of target may be said to have grown, unconsciously perhaps, from efforts to overcome the natural limitations of the human qye and'the defects of rifle sights. The black bull's-eye and the black rifle-sights are rendered unnaturally conspicuous by the contrast afforded by the white target ; aiming is immensely facilitated, and results are obtained which are quite impossible when shooting at natural objects amidst their natural surroundings. It is obvious that if the marksman's education is confined to practice upon such wholly artificial objects he rnay become a skilled specialist under those conditions, but as a practical marksman under war conditions his training is far from complete. For this reason targets imitating nature as nearly as possible have been developed. Other chapters dealt in comprehensive detail with rifle ranges, competition regulations, etc., and it will suffice to indicate that in 1906 the Society really got going. PRIZES S . M . R . C . C l u b Ti e ( o n e c o u p o n ) . . . . 4 s . 6 d . e a c h O r n a m e n t a l S p i l l H o l d e r s ( p o s t 4 d . ) . . . . 3 s . 6 d . , , B o x e s o f s i x P l a i n Te a S p o o n . s — C h r o m e . . 1 2 s . O d . p e r b o x Boxes of six Plain Tea Spoons—E.P.N.S. .. 10s. Od. ,, ,, Silver and E.P. Cups and Replicas (details on a p p l i c a t i o n ) £ l 1 7 s . 6 d . t o £ 1 2 I 5 s . l O d . Silver Medals (non-shooting design) .. lOs. each aphrox. Silver Gold Centre Medals (non-shooting design) 15s. ,, ,, Engraving 1 - per doz. letters (approx.) WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK28 T H E R I F L E M A N September, 1943. Parkeriflinq A G A I N M A K E S N E W S : ''His wonderful shooting and the present condition of the barrel is a striking tribute to the excellent workmanship and materials/'—S^M.R.C. This valued appreciation of Parkerifling was recorded after Mr. F. H. Bowden, of Brighton, had fired in the " News of the World " Individual Competition—and here are the facts : Mr. Bowden scored 298 points ex 300—on his 71st birthday—with a gun Parkerifled THIRTEEN YEARS ago. We now quote Mr. Bowden after his remarkable teat " 1 first started shooting in 1927 with a new gun, shot with it for three years, then had it Parkerifled in 1930, since when I reckon I have put at least 70,000 rounds through it and the barrel is is still in perfect condition as you can tell by my present shooting—in the last Summer League my aggregate was 1088 for 11 matches." F u l l d e t a i l s o f t h i s s e r v i c e c a n b e o b t a i n e d f r o m t h e S O C I E T Y O F M I N I A T U R E R I F L E C L U B S WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSeptember, 1943. T H E R I F L E M A N C l u b A w a r d s W i n n e r s 29 Y e a r N a m e o f C l u b 1943 Aberfeldy 1942 I Air Service Training 1942 ' Alexandra Palace 1943 Arbroath 1943 I Atlas and Norfolk 1943 B Coy. 32nd Bn. Warwicks H.G. 1943 Bishop's, Hull 1943 I Bolton and Harwood 1943 j British Legion, Motherwell 1942 i British Legion, Sudbury 1942 ! B.T.H. (London) 1943 ! B.2 Post R.O.C. (Amble) R.C. 1942 Byco (H.G.) 1943 I Caputh 1942 i Carlton 1943 Chambon H.G. 1940 Chloride H.G. 1941 Chloride H.G. 1942 : Chloride H.G. 1943 Chloride H.G. 1942 City of Newcastle 1943 ' City of Nottingham C.D. B Coy. C.C. 1 9 4 2 C o l n e Va l l e y H . G . 1941 Coronation 1942 I Coronation 1 9 4 1 D o n c a s t e r C o m r a d e s 1 9 4 2 i D o n c a s t e r C o m r a d e s 1942 ' D Platoon C Coy. 6th London H.G 1943 ; Dragon School, Oxford 1940 Dunblane 1943 I Durris 1943 : East Ham (South) Wardens 1943 , Eltham A.I.D. 1943 I Finchley Auto and Gen. Eng. Co. ■ 1942 ! Flettons Ltd. 1943 I Forest of Dean Spec. Constab. 1943 i George Watson's College, Edinburgh 1943 ! Glasgow Railwaymen's 1943 Grandtully 1 9 4 3 H a l i f a x W . R . P o l i c e 1943 14th (Hampstead) Coy. H.G. 1943 Harrow 1943 Hemel Hempstead 1943 j Hereford Cathedral School J.T.C. 1943 Honiton 1942 I.C.I. Lime 1943 I II ford Sub-Divn, Police 1943 I King Edward VIL School Club 1943 I Lanarks Steel Co. Ltd 1943 I 16 PI. 90th Co. of Lanes. H.G. 1 9 4 3 I L e e d s H a r e h i l l s C o m r a d e s R . C . 1942 [ Leyland Motors . 1943 Lincoln Centre 1942 i Littlehampton S.R. H.G. 1942 j Llwchwr H.G. and C.D. 1943 Logie-Durno 1942 L ydgate 1 9 4 2 M a l t b y C . D . 1943 Masonic, Edinburgh 1943 ] Metro. Police C Division 1941 Metro. Police, D Division, Maryle- bone Lane • 1942 ' Metro. Police, D Division, Maryle- bone Lane 1 9 4 2 M e t r o . P o l i c e J D i v i s i o n 1943 Metro. Police J Division 1943 Met. Police M Division 1942 Naval Yard Admiralty Overseers 1943 Naval Yard Admiralty Overseers 1943 N Coy. 26th Kent H.G. 1943 Newton Town 1942 N.N. 10 New Eltham Wardens 1942 Oldham Special Constab, D a i l y M a i l No.Certificate 1849 D. Wishart 2868 J. Squires 171 G. Ellwood 1972R. A. Grace 1221H. V . Claxton 3822 E. H. Spurr 3425E. C. Burford ^ 2304 S. Smith 2824J. W . Porter , 9 7 1L. D. Bell 3201 R. Reekie 4049D. Baston 1828J. Whitcher 11 4 1J. Cross 3338G. H. Saunders 2002 J. T. R. Smith 1261T. B r o w n 1261 C. H. Beckett 1261S. W ebster 1261R. A. Harvey 69 R. A. Morris 1 3728 K. Pike 1 3934 H. Reading 2251G. Short 1 2251 H. H. Biggs 2797S. Newsome 2797 R. D. Hall 3884 C. H. Wakefield 1274T. Y a t e s 2810T. L e a d b e a t e r 3834 K. Shepherd 3644 Miss T. Kelvin 3520 S. Freeborn 4035 W. Edwards 326J. Read 3781 P/Sgt. Morris 1437R. G. Scott 2230 G. Macaulay 11 7 8 A. D. Stirling 1556 S. Woodcock 3264 H. J. Clancy 463 1517 K. Bailey 4047M. Rogers 443 H. Dunsford 197 S. S. Hedgecoe 3310 C. Carpenter 370 T. B. Stephen 869J. W alker- ; 3 7 6 9 W. D. Williams ; 2831S. J. Stott 161 J. Pye ' 3 6 2 3 E. Metcalfe 3253R. Dunster 3294 C. Ackland ' 2 2 1 6 A. Glennie 1542 T. W o r t h 3311 C. Y oung 1409 J. B. Ainslie 2848 E. Wellard , 1450 H. Chafer 1450 J. Bailey 3895C. Clark 3895 H. Leveridge 2260A. Lillico 3369E. T. T urner 3369A. H. T urner 1010J. Parker 186 H. R. Balhatchet 3792A. Nisbett 14981. Shadford Daily Telegraph Certificate W. C a m e r o n G. Davis G. Ellwood W. W i l l i a m s o n A. Goodwin B. Morgan 1. E. Pollard W. O . Y a t e s A. R. Sneddon R. Griggs H. S. Clif ford R. English G. Clowe J. S. Robertson C. Buxton A. C. Thorpe R. M. Robson S. W ebster C. H. Beckett V. A . L o r d G. A. Pringle S. A. Holland G. Braybrooke E. Evans R. McKay S. Aikens F. Bandy A. Dickson W. Ta y l o r J. Masson J. Westbrook C. A. Bowdler E. A. Stent S. Colbon L. A. G. Davidson G. Macaulay A. D, Stirling E. Colley G. M. Ainsworth C. Stevenson A. M. Hubbard C. H. Ockey J. Phillips G. S. Horner R. Randall P. Charnley J. Wilson T. H. Carey H. Ballanson G. Barrand R. Moon E. O. G. Randall E. Griffiths J. M. Roble W. S m i t h H. Lambton J. B. Ainslie E. Curling A. T. Sadler F. H a r r i s J. Chetter R. Denny O. Harris A. H. T urner A. J. Liggett W. P a u l s o n A. W. H. Christison P. W. Shildrick L. Jones News of the World Certificate J. C. Cunningham J. A. Brookes G. Blumson , R. W. Cuthill i J. Hallam I H. Ebrey ; J. T. Bent J. Winward G. W. Rodger R. Griggs R. Reekie C. E. Robertson R. Lovett N. McDougall G. H. Saunders B. H. Doyle V. A . L o r d T. B r o w n R. M. Robson S. W ebster A. T . T imms R. G. Porter J. Dobson A. Percy G. H. Short T. Simpson L. E. Hill J. Cooke W. D . M e n z i e s W. G . M i l n e C. S. Wainwright H. E. T rodd R. Rosamond G. Green P. - c . B a r n e s D. S. Bennett J. Mailer J. C. McFarlane E. Holmes T. H . G i b b s L. E. Killick L. G. Leech J. Cann S. S. Hedgecoe H. Abrams J. Etkins R. McClurg W. Wa t m o u g h T. Kennedy F. M o o r e s C. B. Quincey R. Dunster , W. Wilde I J. Clark i H. G. Fenwick C. Y oung W. G . S c o t t H. Guiver I H . K i t n e y i 1 I P. M c G r e g o r ! A. Richardson T. P e s k e t t J. Fraser i W. G. Glanvill ' A. H. Turner I C. Hayward H. R. Balhatchet P. W. Shildrick J. B. Berry Chas. R. E. Bell Certificate or Medal D. Wishart D. Davis G. Ellwood M i s s J . C u t h i l l F. F l u d e G. Williams E. R. W. Phillips J. G. Leather H. Kimmins L. D. Bell ; H . S . C l i f f o r d t W. J. Auldjo j F. C. Bentley I D . E . F o r b e s i C. O'Hara I A . H . T . D e w a r S. W ebster R. M. Robson V. A . L o r d C. H. Beckett T. E . B e l l J. A. Hawkridge J. Fisher R. McKay E. Evans H. Lawson L. C. Living J. Taf fs J. C. Paterson G. Bruce A. Hendry W. J . C . O w d e n A. Rollason S. Colbon P. - c . M e r r i m a n E. S. Collins G. Macaulay R . H u n t e r ' K. Taylor J. M. Bowman K. Bailey T. J . G o d d a r d - Fenwick O. Griffin S. S. Hedgecoe J. Yardley R. E. Jacklin J. Craig A. S. Fayle A. W. Rawling C. R. Postlethwaite J. C. Allen G. Allaston A. Nuth J. Clark, jnr. H. W orth C. Young J. McKay J. Odell P. M c G r e g o r F. B e d w e l l S. W akeman R. Hopper E. Haisted A. Burnett A. H. T urner S. W . J. T urner G. E. Jordan J. Rixson P. B r o a d b e n t WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSbpti-MBHR, 1943. Ye a r . 1943 1943 1943 1943 1943 1942 1943 1941 1942 1943 1943 1943 1943 1943 1943 1943 1943 1943 1943 1942 1941 1940 1941 1942 1942 1942 1941 1942 Name of C/ah Park Wynd Peerless P o w e r fl e x H . G . Princess Louise's Kensington Regt. C.C. Royal Grammar School, Guildford S.A.S. (Hythe Wing) 1943 S.A.S. (Hythe Wing) S.A.S., Netheravon Sedbergh School J.T.C. Sedbergh-School J.T.C. Skegness and District Springfield Park Prep. School St. Anselms Prep. School St. John's Wood Police 5 PI. C Coy. 2nd Surrey H.G. Swinton Special Constables Ta f a r n a u b a c h Telephone House (U.H.G.) R.C. The New Beacon Uppingham School Vi c k e r s Walthamstow Ensign We y b r i d g e We y b r i d g e We y b r i d g e W. H . D . , M i t c h a m Worplesdon Worplesdon York Railway Inst. D a i l y M a i l No. Certificate. 111 6G. G. Home 2091 D. Chapman 3431 G. Bagg 4315 1201H. G. Gibbert 1046 ! Capt. N. W. McCaw 1046 1 O 'M/S/I. J. Bates 1352 ! B . D e a r d e n 1009J. G. Allison 1009 ; A . L . S t e a d 1927; Miss M. Piatt 34511 1462 : J. M. T. Hughes 1226 ; A. Martin 4056 , F. H . S e l l a r 3449 1 B. Clifton 3284 ' A . D a v i e s 3700 T. G r a y ! 2123 863 R. J. Hose 1914M. Carter 2741T. F. S t o f f e l l 2302 2302S. Roster 2302E. Meredith 3677Mrs. E. M. Gibbs 1298 H. Cobbett 1298 R. Button 1311S. Stockdale Daily Telef;rapli Certificate. G. G. Home D. Rees C. Mann B. T. Clarke Q/M/S/I. J. Bates Capt. N. W. McCaw P. V. H a r r i s A. L. Stead J. G. Allison C. E. Piatt J. Charlesworth A. Martin J. Osmond A. T omlinson E . J e n k i n s . R. Henton M. H. King G. Baines J. R. V. Brown C. Payne M. W ebb A. E. Dodd Mrs. E. M. Wallace L. A. Winter F. Gray S. Stockdale New.s of the World Cetaificate. R. Pouske R. Brixter S. Gregory B. A. Young Q/M/S/I. H. Thwaites C/S/M/I. W. Saunders H. Bradley J. S. Dickinson A. M. Moon C. E. Piatt C. A. Bornof f P. G . A . B l o o m e r A. Martin U. E. Cousens D. N. Hayes M. G. Talbot J. M. McCandless J. P. Robinson P. W h i t t a k e r J. Stock A.E. Dodd Mrs. M. E. Gibbs H. Cobbett F. Gray S. Stockdale Chas. R. E. Bell Certificate. R. Pouske R. T ucker F. F i s h e r C/S/M. Tomlin R. A. Levermore C/S/M/I. D. Cowan S. I. J. House P. Major A. M. Moon J. S. Dickinson K. T. Green R. M. Shires A. Martin C. G. Shaw , H. W. Bagnall L. Taylor W. Ferguson C. T. Baker-Carr A. P. W. MacLellan G. C. Ledran A. E. Dodd W. A n d r e w s . Mrs. M. E. Wallace L. A. Winter F. Gray S. Stockdale H A V E Y O U P L A N N E D Y O U R WINTER TRAINING? I M l l l W I I I l m I I M I , i j DO NOT LET BLACKOUT. LONG NIGHTS, BAD WEATHER Impair your EFFICIENCY TRAIN INDOORS WITH THE SWIFT TRAINING RIFLE AND SA VE TIME, TRANSPORT, AMMUNITION Particulars from :— T H E S W I F T R I F L E C O . , L T D London^Office : 29. Palac^Gau, London, W.8 Te l e g r a m s . S W I F T R A I N , O X F O R D D e m o n s t r a t i o n R o p m WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSeptember, 1943. T H E R I F L E M A N 31 On the permanent staff of the Home Guard as rifle instructor, Sgt. J. J. Levett of Leiston in Suffolk has become the godfather of his great-grandson, which must be a rare happening. His Comman ding Officer recently stated : " I imagine Sgt. Levett must be the oldest Home Guardsman in this country. He has trained hundreds of young men in rifle shooting since the war started." Of course he has been well known for many years in the S.M.R.C. and ever ready to coach or teach anyone to shoot. He had been a volunteer 21 years when the Territorials started in 1908 and he continued as a Territorial until the year 1917. When the L.D.V. were formed he naturally joined these war-time volunteers, but the Home Guard age limit of 65 years presented a problem which the authorities overcame on the grounds that he was a specialist and could not be spared. This year he gained the highest individual aggregate in the Suffolk Rifle League with an average score of 96 which indicates that he is as good a s e v e r . * * * The annual general meeting of the Cheam R.C. (Home Guard) was held at Banstead, when the committee reported very satisfactory progress, and whilst they lost a number of members to the Forces, others have joined and supported the new outdoor range for 25, 50 and 100 yards, recently built at Banstead. The A team has been successful in the S.M.R.C. Winter League^ whilst the B and Ladies' teams have also done well in their respective divisions. The President Major R. J. Stallard, has kindly given a challenge cup for the Cham pionship Competition, for which the whole club was grateful. The club hon. secretary, Mr. Holdron, was thanked for his services, and now that he has resigned Capt. J. E. Lister, for a number of years hon. secretary of the Embankment R.C., has taken on this position. He has recently been decorated with the S.M.R.C Distinguished • Service Award for his years of service to the Embankment R.C. Thanks were recorded for the Chairman and Captain, Mr. M. H. Sears, the Vice-Captain, G. W. Edser, and the match secretary. Miss F. Ward. We have since learned that the Ardgour School has joined as a body of collective members, whilst the A.T.C. boys receive shooting tuition twice a week from Messrs. Edser and Southey. The Southern Rly. H.G., as well as the local H.G. units, also find this club and range of 25, 50 and ICQ yards most serviceable. * * * Assistant Secretary A. J. Carpenter of the Worthing M.R.A. advises that when competing in competitions organised by the Associa tion Lf. Lush, shooting at 15 yards, Cpl. W. F. Richardson of the Southdown Motor Coach Co., and P.-c. Mullen of the Worthing Police, shooting at 25 yards, each had the satisfaction of making the highest score of 100 points. * * Thirteen Battalions of the Hampshire H.G. took part in their first League to stimulate the spirit of friendly rivalry among these civilian soldiers. The keenness displayed by all the teams was commendable, as none failed to complete their fixtures despite some of them being unequal in strength to others. The averages for 24 matches ranged from 761 to 683 per match. The above mentioned best average being made by the winning team, the 13th Itcheu Bn., whilst the 12th Southampton East Bn. had an average of 745 per match. Team averages of 705 or over were made by no fewer than eleven of the teams. The best score of the whole series of matches was 781, the runners-up being responsible for that achievement. A pleasing feature of these matches was that so many undertook shoulder-to-shoulder match shooting as it isHully recognised that such matches stimulate a spirit of cameraderie which postal shooting cannot easily emulate. Lieut. H M Reed, the well-known contributor to The Rifleman in pre-war days, had much to do with the organisation of this League. * » * The Webb Cup was competed for with .22 rifles by teams of eight representing each Platoon of B Company of the Walsall Home Guard, and was won by No. 10 Platoon with a score of 688, an average ot 86 points per shooter. The Individual Championship Cup was won by Lt. G. Thorhum with 96 points and Lt. Taylor with 95 was a close runner-up. The supervising officials in this competition were Lt.-Col. T. S . S m i t h a n d L t . C o o k e . * * * Having the use of the A.S.T. Club's rifles, equipment and range, together with the coaching of that experienced marksman, former Warrant Officer F. H. Ford, the boys of the 1917 Squadron Hamble Flight A.T.C. and Army Cadets put up a very good performance in the S.M.R.C. Spring competition. # * * For generations the men of Looe have been famous as crack rifle shots, and in the days of peace many carried off prizes at Bisley. When the call came for national defence, and the Home Guard was formed, some of the " old stagers " joined up readily with their sons, and C Company of the 6th Battalion, commanded by Major H. E. Ross, and based on Looe, has carried on the tradition for marksmanship. On the miniature range the Company team has represented the Battalion for two consecutive years in " The Country Lite " national rifle competition, and in 1941 they were second in the Southern Com mand. On the open range at Plaidy, firing .303 service rifles, they have been equally successful in both snap and application shooting. Alto- gether'they have shot against 13 different units of the Regular Army and Royal Marines, and have never been beaten. Generally the team has been of eight or ten, but-a team of 12 can be put out. * * * A rifle shooting competition was recently held among officers and instructors pf the A.T.C. squadrons in Nottingham, for a challenge trophy presented by Mr. E. Bignell, chairman of the Area Committee. ■There were some fifty competitors, and the winner was Mr. D. Robert- sou, instructor in No. 412 (Scouts) Squadron, with a score of 97. The trophy was handed to the winner by the Commanding Officer, who expressed the congratulations of the squadron and their thanks to him for his services as instructor. Since his appointment 14 months ago Mr. Robertson had trained a large number of cadets to the standard required by the Air Training Corps, and has also trained teams to shoot against other organisations. Thanks to his tuition the squadron h a d n e v e r l o s t a m a t c h . * * * Ninety-six L.D.F. marksmen, representing the best shots of 24 districts of the four commands, in Eire, competed in the L.D. F. National Shooting Championships at (he Curragh. The miniature rifle championship (Irish Press Cup) decided m the morning session was very keenly contested, and shooting all round was ol high standard. Section Leader John Murphy of Wexford and Platoon Leader J. J. Fitz"erald of Bray tied with 47 (out of a possible 50), whilst nine oth^s tied with 45. The shoot-off" resulted ;—I, Section Leader John Murphy (Wexford), 47 ; 2, Platoon Leader J. J. Fitzgerald (Bray), 47 ; 3 Acting District Leader Joseph O'Connor (Arva), 45. Murphy won on the shoot-off. John Murphy of Wexford, the new small-bore Champion of Eire, is a foreman in an agricultural implement foundry and a Section Leader in the L.D.F., holding many prizes as a member of the Wexford R.C, including the S.M.R.C. medgl, which very few in Ireland hold. A guard of honour was drawn up at the camp side for Mr. F. Aiken, Minister for the Co-ordination of Defensire Measures and Mr. Oscar Traynor, Minister for Defence. These Ministers were accompanied by Lieut.-General D. McKenna, Chief of Staff, and other high military personages. » » * The Rev. Prebendary G. R. G. Norris presided at the annual meeting of the Young Men's Club in Crewkerne and their Army Cadets were congratulated upon their success in being placed second in a County miniature rifle competition. This was regarded as a very satisftictory result considering that the Crewkerne Corps had been formed less than one year ago. The Government's encouragement to young people was acclaimed with satisfaction. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK32 T H E R I F L E M A N September, 1943. The Lowestoft Journal is an unfailing source of shooting news relating to the doings of the rifle clubs in its area. There is no doubt that the membership of the Leiston R.C., the Lowestoft R.C. and the Blundeston R.C. have been greatly increased by the good publicity given to their activities. A recent match shot at 25 yards range by the Blundeston team of eight against a team of eight from the W.R.N.S. was only just won by four points from the ladies. Miss Stebbings headed the ladies' team with a fine 94, whilst the best score in the Blundeston team was a 95 by Mr. N. S. Lewis. A pistol shooting teams of six match between the Lowestoft Police and the Royal Navy at 10, 20 and 30 yards, resulted in an easy win for the Police with a score of 356 against 294. * * A teams of four competition representing the Home Guard, Police and Civil Defence organisations in the areas of Bamet, Potters Bar, Enfield, Hatfield and St. Albans, for a challenge trophy award by Mr. A. C. Gamby of Potters Bar has been won by the A team of the Enfield Metro. Police Athletic Club with a score of 245 x 280, whilst the runners-up were the L.N.E.R. Police with a score of 226^ the Bamet Police fo lowing closely with 224. There were 147 teams of four entered_ and the competition raised £28 for the Red Cross, Sgt. E. C. Tomlln of Potters Bar L.N.E.R. Station being the organiser. » » * Besides success in the S.M.R.C. competitions and Leagues, the Heston and Hounslow R.C., with their strong ladies' contingent, seem to go from strength to strength. In the Southall and District Indus trial League the ladies' team of six recently met a team of six of the Ealing Police, and a close and interesting match with good scores on both sides resulted in a win for the ladies by five points in a total of 578. In this match Mrs. Wilson contributed a " possible." * * * Sixty competitors took part in Forest of Dean Special Constabulary M.R.C.'s first annual prize meeting at Lydney Grammar School Sports Ground. The chief item was the team shoot for the Beaumont Thomas Rose Bowl. It was won by Tutsbill Sub-Section team, under the captaincy of P.-s. Morris, with a score of 2,187. The individual championship for F Division went to Tutshill Sub-Section. In this event P.-c. Merriman and S.C. J. W. Manson, both of Tutshill, tied with equal scores, the first award going to P.c. Merriman for the highest in the longest range. In the two range limited event S.C. R. N. Jones added further honours to Tutshill Sub-Section by securing first place. Statistical duties were performed by Lieut. H. W. L. Hayes fflome Guard) Tutshill, S.C. J. W. Manson (Tutshill), secretary to the of Dean Club, carried out his duties ably. The President of the Club (Lieut.-Colonel J. M. Colchester Wemyss, Westbury-on- Severn) and Supt.C. P. Large, Lydney (chairman of the Range Com mittee), were present. Special Sergt. W. H. Shirley, Chepstow R.C. and Bisley shot (chairman of the Club), thanked all present for sup porting me meeung, making special mention of the excellent work done by P.-c. P. F. Foice (Lydney) in preparing the ranges. » * r u fatality was reported when C, S M. Robin Salter of the R.A O.C. was found shot on August 1st in the miniature rifle range on the roof of a depot in West London. Apparently he had invited seme ladies to practice on the range and, besides coaching, he was marking the scorp and changing the targets. It appears that the bolt action had a light trigger and the rifle was dangerous, because occasicnally when the breech was closed the cartridge would be fired. The rifle belonged to the Depot. Of course, a verdict of accidental death was recorded but the lesson to be learned is again one of strict range regulations. In no circumstances should a loaded rifle be on the firing point whilst anyone is in front of that point. The regulation in rifle clubs is that rifles unloaded and with breeches open should be n'vira^fon ch ""f' changed. Unfortunately if, as this one was, are often treated in a casual manner. Whilst we are glad to say accidents are extremely rare in rifle clubs, of and the careful routine which officials exercise as a ffino fro f'h'h® necessary to emphasise the unre mitting caie which must always be practised * * ' p ' " i t h e E l e c t r i c D e p a r t m e n t R.C. make a regular Rifleman s contribution as follows : f® sequence that should'invariably be followed when imparting musketry instruction ? iif Explain carefully what you wish to achieve • (b) rnrffdemonstrations diagrams, etc., correct positions and rn-iBrfms tit inf ' ,^t"dcnt tries to copy the demonstrations and h S o r b e d t h i C o m ' ' ^ ^ ' " d e n t Next Question : What value are muscle exercises ? A lesson a week does nobody any harm ! From the " Walsall Observer " of the 21st August we learn that the Walsall M.R.C. have nowhere to shoot in the winter time. It will be remembered that the Walsall Corporation inaugurated a rifle range off Broadway, but this is an open air range for summer weather shooting. They appeal now for a room or cellar for indoor practice during the winter months, biit it seems that the town is badly off for any spare space that can house a rifle shooting club. Using .22 Con verted Lee-Fnfield rifles some competitions were recently shot in which Mr. W. B. Godwin, the keen hon. secretary of the club, won the expert individual section with a score of 98 x 100. The Tyro section was won by Messrs. S. Brandrick and H. Coleman with equal scores of 97, and the team shooting event by A. S. Smith and Sons A team 386 x 400, who were followed by the Walsall M.R.C. with 369. Lt.-Col. T. S. Smith, the last King's Prize winner, who was res ponsible for the inauguration of the existing range, is appalled by the Ignorance of the average British man or woman in the effective use of firearms. He feels that everyone should learn to shoot almost as much as they should learn to read and write. He points to the Australian method of Government support of rifle clubs as a distinct encouragement towards making the people of a country weapon minded. * * # There was a colourful blend of the different uniforms of the TOmpetitms at the Miniature Rifle Tournament of the Hyde Home Guard, Cheshire, during its Stay-at-home Holiday Week. The competitors included A.T.S., Polish W.A.A.F.S., R.A.F. personnel members of local regular units of H.M. Forces and Polled, Home, Guards, and badged marksmen of well known miniature range rifle clubs. They presented a picturesque and animated scene to the onlooker throughout the whole, of the afternoon, during which time more than 500 individual target scores were recorded. The range used was 25 yards and the targets S.M.R.C. 5-bull sighter cards, the competitors being allowed two sighting shots and a total of 10 scoring shots two on each bull. The winning team was the 39th Cheshire Bn. H.G. with a score of 364 x 400. * * * By no fewer than 110 points Stoke Newington Civil Defence R.C. beat the Electricity Department Unit of the Home Guard at Albion ■ '■®®®'?"y- The match was refereed by Deputy Town Clerk Mr. E. J. Pitt, who is the hon. treasurer of the Civil Defence Recreational Organisation. The conditions of the match were 15 shots per marksman, five shotS' each application shooting and snap (3 seconds per shot). * * » DoHy Mail Certificate for the highest nett score at Holm- rooK K.C., Cumberland, there were quite a good gathering of com petitors when Mr. F. Bailiff won with a score of 114.4. Miss Lumh, the only lady competitor, was fifth with 111.2. * * * Based on foe " Own Start " principle of choosing a handicap the 1st Dorset Battalion Home Guard has just completed a three counties cornpetitmn in a savings campaign, this time for the Wings-for-Victory week. The competitors included Home Guards, Royal Ordnance Corps, Army Cadet Forre and Air Training Corps, and there were t®am and individual sections. Over two thousand targets were used and the shooting was good as a number of cadets made the highest possible score, which was most encouraging to those who would not have been able to do so without the competition start allowed. Three members of the Beaminster R.C., Messrs. J. W. R. Newman L G. Hussey and S. D. Hussey, were the adjudicators. The finals were shot Bndport range, the winner of the Individual competition bein^g C.Q.M^. Sweet, and of the Teams competition No. 3 Platoon C Company D team. * * * District R.C. combined their presentation of trophies with a dance which was well supported. Mr. C. A. Greene, the Chairman invited County Councillor E. Rowland, the President of °''®'" "^® P^zes. The Club Championship for the S, ^ by Mr. S. Broughton, the Gent.'s Cup, presented by Miss Frances Day, the well-known actress, was won by Mr. L. E. Gray, the Ladies Cup, presented by Mrs. Greene, was won by Mrs. W. Diamond, the Junior Cup, presented by Mr. F. W. Diamond, was won by Llesmond Dare. Other winners were Miss Jean Diamond, who ? M a r k s m a n B a d g e , L e s l i e G r a y, F. W. D i a m o n d , J. W Chaplin, J. Chandler, T. G. Bowles and W. B. Dare. The Secretary reported that 22 S.M.R.C. badges had been won in the MarKsman and Efficiency Test competitions of the Society. Five teams were running in the S.M.R.C. Leagues, and in the National Cup- tie competitions The club had reached the last sixteen places out of 610 teams for the National Short Range Competition and the last in the National Own-Start Competition. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSeptember, 1943. T H E R I F L E M A N 33 The City of Bradford Special Constables Association M.R.C. although only formed in May last year, is progressing very satisfac torily. It has now 58 members. Monthly team competitions are now arranged between Sub-Divisions, and also individual ones for which prizes are to be given. Acknowledgment is made of the help of the I^gular Force and others and to the Committee for spade work put in. Two teams were entered for the S.M.R.C. " Choose Your oW Start competition, and although both are now defeated, the A team had the honour of being the last Special Constables one to lose. Special Constable A. Lambert has already obtained two H.P. certificates from the S.M.R.C., and others are trying very hard to obtain same The hon. secretary, Mr. W. E. Allsop, address, 25, Thorn Lane, Haworth Road, Bradford, Yorks., would be very glad to arrange postal matches with other Special Constables Rifle Clubs, either on gup score or " Choose Your Own Start " basis. * * * ' Chief Constable G. C. Vaughan, O.B.E., on Wednesday, 1st September, presented on behalf of the S.M.R.C. the Distinguished Service Award to Sgt. Patterson at the conclusion of the West Riding Constabulary's 20th Annual Meeting, when he was able to express the appreciation of the members of the club for the secretarial services rendered and also mentioned the gratitude of the S.M.R.C. At the same meeting P.-c. Snow, Rotherham Division, was announced the winner of three trophies, including the Open Championship Compe tition for the Remington Wilson Cup. The Association's Silver Medal of the S.M.R.C. was the personal award for the latter, the other two trophies were the Shaw Cup and the Tyro Cup, his score through the ranges.being 291 x 300. The Osborn Cup was won by Det Ins Woolcott, with a score of 286 through the ranges. For the teams of four competition, shooting through the ranges, for the Hargreaves Shield, the 1st Goole Division won with a score of 1126, Rotherham B being second with 1120. The postal knock-out competition final was won by Barnsley 372 against Halifax 363. Both Messrs. J. R. Clynes and B. Gough were thanked for officiating as scrutineers whilst Supt. Ingham was praised by the Chief Constable for the willing help he had given the section. * . * The Atlas and Norfolk R.C. is enjoying a distinct revival of interest through the good work of their club officials, Messrs. J. 3\'. Foster, the captain, and R. L. Haworth, the hon. secretary. The club feels honoured that their captain, Mr. Foster, was again included in the Yorkshire County Team chosen for'the Annual Postal Match with Oregon State U.S.A., whilst Messrs. J. Hallam and R. Haworth were selected as reserves. Both the latter are in their first year of shooting with small-bore rifles and to be selected as reserves for an international team match by such a widespread shooting county as Yorkshire is indeed a tribute to their skill. The anembership of the club is drawn from the employees of Messrs. Thos. Firth and John Brown Ltd. and they all enjoy similar facilities. We are glad to learn that a " Good Luck " target shooting competition in aid of the Sea Cadet Corps was organised by the club and resulted in a sum of £25 being handed over to the Sea Cadet Corps Fund. « * * One of the many rifle clubs which organised a shoot during the " Holidays-at-Home " was the Stockport Borough Police, and their tournaments held on the llth and 14th August attracted' some 300 individual shooters, who shot 771 cards to cover the eight events of the programme. P.-c. G. H. Hemingway, the hon. secretary, was ably assisted by Messrs. Morrison and Hudson, whilst the Chief Constable Mr. J. W. Barnett directed the range work, assisted by Inspr. Bickerton, Sgt. Aspinall and Commdr. Titley, Messrs. Knight and Grant ticted as stewards. The team championship was won by the Manchester City R.C. with the Stockport Borough Police, and the Oldham Borough Police running close as second and third. The Individual Champion ship went to T. Milligan of Manchester after a tie with C.S. Culf. ' The ladies' championship and individual rapid competition was won by Miss M. Wilson of Manchester City R.C., and the Home Guard Team Championship was won by the 39th Cheshires. The Rapid Competition for individual Home Guards was won by Capt. Northcote of Sector 33. With such intensive activity .22 rifle shooting makes progress. Our thanks to the organisers. * * * We are advised that the Marble Arch Unit of the Women's Home Defence has now amalgamated with the Marylebone Unit as the Bond .Street range inaugurated by Miss Com-tney of the Mayfair Unit is no longer available owing to the premises being otherwise required. The Marylebone Unit have the privilege of using the range of Messrs. D. H. Evans in Oxford Street, W.I., on Friday evenings. Miss H. Ward, of 28, Devonshire Place, and Mrs. A. D. S. Williams of 221, Park West, W.2, are congratulated on making such excellent arrange ments. i At a " Wings for Victory " shoot organised by the Dumbarton Police for teams of six firing ten shots each at 200 vards with Service rifles, the Alexandria and District Post Office R.C. ernerged the winners from an entry of 49 teams, which included the Army, Navy, Air Force and local Home Guard. This success is attributed to the'practice put in by the Post Office team on the .22 rifle range. * * * We learn from Secretary Insp. Morgan of the Special Constabulary Headquarters, Nottingham, that as it has been realised that small bore rifle shooting is not so easy as it looks, their large membership has been somewhat thinned down, but the slight falling""off in numbers has been compensated by the steady improvement in the standard of shooting in the general membership. Whilst a " possible " has not yet been made some good 97's have been registered. The 20 yards indoor range at Heathcote Street was opened by the Assistant Chief Constable, G. W. Downs, M.B.E. on Friday, llth June, the range being inspected by Col. W. B. Vince, D.S.O., O.B.E., Permanent Assistant Under-Secretary of State, on June 12th. The Special Con stabulary Band was in attendance both evenings. We are now fur nished wth an admirable card of range regulations. The club is much indebted to Mr. J. F. Seymour-Wright who has presented a splendid silverchallenge trophy and replica for individual all-round competition. One or two inter-section shoots have taken place and these were marked by the good fellowship and happy atmosphere rather than the scores that were made. Such matches have been fruitful in several ways for the betterment of the club. In common with many other clubs the transport difficulty has arisen as unless a member is in uni form he is unable to get transport home after 9 p.m. This may be a major problem everywhere this winter. * * * We are glad to learn from Ft.-Lt. W. J. Read that as he is con vinced of the valuable training obtainable on miniature ranges with the .22 rifle, he proposes to revive the Sullom Voe R.C. in the Shetlands. As the only shooting requisites they require are S.M.R.C. targets, we have been able to send them these together with some interesting ideas for competitions. Well, here's good luck to them. * * * From the excellent bulletin of the Canadian Small Bore Rifle Association we are glad to learn that the Summer Outdoor Programme is in operation whilst the Hfle clubs in Canada are being granted suffi- cent ammunition by the W.P.T.B. to permit them to carry on their shooting. Like ourselves they are rationed in a reasonable manner as is to be expected in the present circumstances. We learn with interest that the respective Winter matches were won by the following ; Team Championship.—Wyoming Ont. R.C. 1490. Individual Championship.—J. E. Webb, Vancouver B.C. 599. Club Pairs.—Mrs. M. Barnes and S. H. Thompson, Wyom ing, 1197. Club Fours.—J. R. Edmunds, M. Ostergaard, W. MacNab, L. J. McLeod, 2375. Indvidual Grand Aggregate.—J. R. Edmunds, Medicine Hat, Aha., 1796. Mixed Doubles.—Mrs. M. Barnes and E. J. Scott, "Wyoming, Ont., 1193. Ladies Individual Championship.—Mrs. M. Barnes, Wyoming, 300. Railroad Team Championship.—Wyoming Ont., R.C., 1445. Ladies Team Championship.—Wyoming Ont., R.C., 1472. Individual Three-Position Championship.—M. Ostergaard, Calgary, Alta., 845. Individual " Any Sights" Championship.—G. R. Brown, Hamilton, Ont., 599. Members' Match.—G. S. Boa. Toronto, Ont. 300. * * * Mr. J. L. Ollett, Hon. Sec. of the Bearsted and Thurnlmm R.C. is justifiably proud of his club's long life. He states that the club was formed during the South African War in 1901. Their present Hon. Treasurer, Mr. W. Hunt, was one of the founders and is still giving good service. The Captain of the Club, Mr. A. Maxted, has been in that office since 1927 which coincides with the Secretary's term of office. Apparently a former Chairman of the Club always claimed that it was the third small bore rifle club to start, Urinston being the first founded in 1899. We await with interest any comments from other clubs. * * * Mr. E. J. Elliot of Devonport, writes how pleased he is that the S.M.R.C. is still going strong, and hopes for the time when we shall again be able to give a full programme of both shoulder-to-shouldcr and postal shooting. His experience gained by competing at our \arious open meetings, enabled him to take full charge of the local Home Guard conduct of shooting. He testifies how frequently WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKNext >