< Previous42 An afternoon's shooting in the true Bank Holiday spirit was enjoyed by those members of Prescot and District R.C. whose holiday a r r a n g e m e n t s a l l o w e d t h e m t o t r a v e l t o H o y l a k e a s t h e g u e s t s o f Hoylake and West Kirby Women's Home Defence R.C. The 82nd (Liverpool) H.G.R.C. and Wallasey Ladies' R.C. were also repre sented, but the last-minute hitch which caused the absence of Pilking- tons' representatives caused some re-arrangement of the programme! It had its compensations, however, as it permitted those present to indulge in more shooting than would otherwise have been possible. Twelve cash and two special prizes were offered and resulted in some keen shooting in which Mr. J. G. Breen (82nd), whose 98 on a metric target is worthy of special note, won the prize for the highest aggregate in class- A, while Mr. J. W. Breen took the aggregate prize in class B. Miss M. Jones, of Wallasey Ladies, did particularly well to secure the aggregate prize in class C, as she was making her first acquaintance with both " time limit " and " metric " targets. * * 1 - The members of Logie-Dumo S.B.R.C., Pitcaple, are greatly indebted to Mr. James E. Lawie, of Legatesden, who has presented a cup for annual competition among the members. Needless to say, this gesture is highly appreciated, and should do much to foster the art of shooting. Thank you Mr. Lawie. * * * Thirteen-year-old Billy Baxter, Montrose's amazing schoolboy rifle shot, has again caused a sensation. Competing against opponents up to 20 years of age, from clubs throughout Dundee and Angus, he has brought to Montrose for the first time the Little Trophy. In the final he met R. Poustie, Park Wynd. They tied and the cup was awarded to the Arbroath boy. Then a protest was lodged by the Montrose officials, the Association altered its decision and the cup w^ given to Billy instead. So he rounded off a season in which, firing aloj^ide adults, he gained the prize in the Montrose club's Second Division individual league, as well as its junior championship. Son of Mr. James Baxter, 63, Baltic Street, one of the stalwarts of the Montrose M.R.C., Billy has had a phenomenal rise to fame. He began to attract attention towards the end of last season. This season he started in the " C " team and did so well that they had to promote him. By the end of the season he was shooting alongside his father in the " A " team. Now the Little Trophy, in Montrose for the first time, has a place alongside the Frank Potter Cup and the Tyro Cup, all won by him during the year. * * » The Isle of Man Legislative Council on 30th April accepted the Keys' point of view about practising rifle shooting on Sundays. The Council wanted to make such practising legal ; the Keys refused, and continued in their refusal after a conference. Moving that the Council agree, the Attorney-General expressed the hope that in the future there would be a change of mind. * A fitting result to the conclusion of the season's indoor rifle shoot ing was witnessed on the occasion of a rifle match between the Ports mouth City Police and the City Rifle Clubs, when these teams appeared in the final of the Duttson Challenge Cup. The match was keenly contested, both teams having previously struggled for supremacy in Division 1 of the Portsmouth and District Rifle League, in which the Police team had to be satisfied with second honours. However, on this occasion the Police reversed the tables by winning the challenge cup by one point—395 v. 394. Special honours go to Miss M. R. Hart, who recorded a possible score thus enabling the Police team to come home first. Miss Hart had shot consistently well in the pre liminary rounds, has represented the Police team in all league matches, a n d i s t h e fi r s t w o m a n s e l e c t e d t o r e p r e s e n t t h e P o r t s m o u t h a n d District Rifle League in the Cities and Boroughs Competition, an all-Britain competition, in which the recognised best ten shots in the district are selected to take part. # A l l H o m e G u a r d R i fl e C l u b s i n D o r s e t h a v e r e c e i v e d a l e t t e r from the Dorset T.A.A. informing them that until such time as the future policy of Home Guard Rifle Clubs is decided, all those who were members of the pre-war Territorial Army will be allowed to b e c o m e f u l l t i m e m e m b e r s o f c l u b s . * * As champions of Division B II of the National Special Constabulary Small Bore Rifle League, comprising teams from Cambridge, A and B, Bradford, Norwich B, Metro II and III, Oldham B and C, Liverpool B, Glasgow B, Brighton, and Nottingham, the last-mentioned team went through the season all conquering and have won the cup, and have been awarded medals. In ten matches Nottingham returned an aggregate of 4,812 out of a possible 5,000 points. It was necessary for the team to shoot a deciding match against the leaders of B I (Cambridge A) and Nottingham were the winners 966—957. The Summer, 1946. champion team and the individual averages are : Scrgt. G. F. Frost (captain) 97.5 (two possibles). Inspector A. F. Morgan 96.9 (one possible). Inspector E. V. Hewlett 96.5, S.-c. N. Croft 95.6, S.-c. N. Elliott 95.1, Sergt. E. J. Marshall (res.) 94.75. » Lytham St. Annes M.R.C. held its annual meeting at the Public Library, Lytham, on 29th April. It was stated that the " A " team had won the county summer and winter leagues, and that the women's team had occupied first place in " D " division of the winter league. During the last three years the club had won the S.M.R.C. National Shield for marksmanship badge shooting. The juniors had finished 21st in the junior national section. R. C. Jacklin had won the club championship, R. Cookson being second, and W. Jacklin third. The Mayor (CJoun. J. Simpson, J.P.) was elected president, Mr. Fred Mayor, chairman, and Mr. R. Cookson, hon. secretary. * » " The first season has firmly established our club, and I think it is without undue pride and exaggeration to say that, despite its youth, it can be looked upon as setting a worthy example to any club in the country," said Mr. A. J. Smart (hon. secretary) at Northampton R.C.'s annual meeting at the Gas Office Hall, Wellington Street, Northamp ton. Mr. Smart said that the cHib team reached the last 16 of some 500 clpbs entered in a national championship, and twice beaten Olney i n " s h o u l d e r - t o - s h o u l d e r " m a t c h e s . H e a l s o m e n t i o n e d t h a t h e had won the County Championship cup, and Mr. V. R. Sherwell the " Manning " cup for being the best shot in the club. Lieut.-Col. Leslie Barnes (president) congratulated the secretary on his success, and also said that the club wished to place on record its indebtedness to Lieut.-Col. O. K. Parker . * * * Romsey R.C. has won the Hampshire Small-bore Rifle Association Postal League, Div. I. Although considerably depleted during war years, the club kept together, and to have averaged 490 out of a possible 500 for each match throughout the season, speaks well of the marksmanship of the team : Messrs. J. C. Wort, L. C. Wort, F. Stainer, V. M. Tate, W. R. Short, and G. Hayter (captain). * * R e - o p e n i n g D e a n R a n g e o n E a s t e r M o n d a y w i t h t h e fi r s t s h o o t of the season, the Meon Valley R.C. members were able to appreciate the improved conditions which the alterations to the butts and marker's gallery provide. Col. J. H. Norton (the President), firing the first shot, registered a " bull." He expressed satisfaction at the pro gramme of competitions provided for the meeting. These included Pool Bull and Deliberate for exponents of the full-bore, and Deliberate for the .22 experts. * * * Practice ranges used by the Army in Southern England—often in places of great beauty or historic interest—may not be handed back to the public for many months. And some may even become per manent ranges. Ranges sq far cleared and released have mainly been the smaller ones. Many deputations for the release of in dividual ranges have been seen by War Office chiefs, and.a survey of the whole position is now being made. But final decisions will not be reached until the size and nature of the peace-time Army are fixed. » The annual meeting of the Farnham R.C. was held in the Con gregational Hall recently, when Major H. C. Patrick was in the chair, and the Rector (Rev. G. N. Selby-Lowndes) presented the prizes. A brief report of the year's work was given by Mr. E. Kilburn (hon. secretary and treasurer). In the accounts he stated that the balance in hand at present was £16 6s. lOd., this was only a few shillings less than last year's. The price of ammunition had risen, this part of expenditure being £35 7s. 6d. The total for the year was £58 12s. Id. Membership had dropped from 64 to 40 said Mr. Kilburn. The accounts were adopted. Mr. E. H. Buckingham (club captain) gave a satisfactory account of the club's progress and outlined arrange ments for the coming year. In League and friendlies, 65 matches had been fired and of these 45 were won, 2 drawn and 18 lost. In the Surrey Summer League " A " team in Division 2 finished second with 6 wins out of 10 and a gun average of 488.5. " B " team in Division 10 won the division with 3- wins out of 10 and an average of 474.3. " C " team won the 13th Division with 9 wins and 1 draw and 1 match lost and an average of 460.6. In the Surrey Winter League " A " team was promoted to Division 1 and did exceptionally well to finish fifth out of 11 teams with 5 wins out of 10 and an average of 489.7. " B " team in Division 5 was second with 7 wins out of 10 and average of 479.2. " C " team was third in Division 8 with 8 wins out of 10 and average of 471.4. The report expressed thanks to the ladies who served refreshments on various occasions, special mention being made of Mrs. T unn. T H E R I F L E M A N WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK43 In the eleventh round of the Notts. S.B.A. shoot the Cafferata's R.C. ran through the shoot with a possible six wins, their best achievement of the season. With the exception of an additional match against Nottingham City Police for " B," the round was an inter-club shoot against Raleigh's. Of the 30 counted cards 24 were 94 or over, and included a possible by R. Smalley, 99 G. W. Caficrata, 98 R. Smalley, 97's J. Dobbs, W. Greenbury, E. P. Brown, A. E. Bullock, W. Burn, Miss E. Ankers, T. Vessey, D. Fox, and 96's W. Wilson, T. Vessey ' and F. Watson. Caflcrata's scored 2,365 against Raleigh's 2,337. » » ' » The Metropolitan Mayors, at their last meeting, decided to revive i the Inter-Borough rifle Shooting competition for the " Datvnay" Cup, which is valued at £250. The competition is open to rifle clubs in the 28 London boroughs and the outlying boroughs of Wimbledon, ■ Richmond, Hornsey and Ealing. Full particulars concerning the I competition can be obtained from the Mayor's Secretary, Municipal Buildings, Wandsworth, S.W.18. >|e * « In a Derbyshire R.A. competition in which riflemen from all Home Guard battalions in the county took part, Rolls-Royce gained six firsts and a number of seconds and thirds in a series of shoots. At the annual meeting of the Framlingham R.C. it was decided to give full support to the local Sports Club. Captain G. R. Vale (hon. secretary and treasurer), in his report, stated that there had been a membership of nearly 50 during the past year, and the accounts showed a balance of £28 14s. Officers were re-elected for the ensuing year, except for slight alterations in the Committee. Warm thanks were expressed by the Chairman (Mr. Geo. Nurse) to Captain Vale and Mr. T. C. Brand for their good work on the club's behalf. « « The Ulster R.A. held a meeting at Ligoniel recently. The following were the leading scores :—Hewitt, 101.79 ; D. Walsh, 100.70 ; John ston, 100.50; Jackson, 97.71. * * The junior members of Honiton M.R.C., although all under 16, are shaping well and give good promise of becoming marksmen. D. Locke has won the Skinner Challenge Cup and the silver and blue enamelled medal. The latter becomes his personal property. » With the approach of the summer season, thoughts of members of the Alexandra Palace R.C. are turning to long-range shooting, and efforts are being made to put the 50 and 100 yards butts in order. Members have been asked to turn out to help in this and other urgent work before the start of summer leagues. A full programme has been arranged with a new innovation whereby each league team will be answerable to a separate coach-captain elected by the teams and responsible to the club captain. An internal league will be run, also on these lines. * * » The armual meeting of Sandwich R.C. was held at the Drill Hall. The retiring Captain (Mr. J. Head) said the club tied with Middle Deal R.C., winners of the Newpoit Cup competition, on matches won, but Iqst the trophy on aggregate scores. Mr. H. Grigg won the club individual handicap (Rose cup) with Mr. C. Goodwin runner-up. With 38 members the club had a successful season. ' * * Elected : Earl of Home as president Berwickshire M.R.A. >|! * * Before the Earl of Jersey announced his decision to give his resi dence, Osterley Park, to the National Trust, His Lordship, who is President of Heston and Hounslow R.C., had agreed to allow the use of a small section of his estate for the purposes of an open-air range for the club. At the club's dinner, dance and presentation of prizes at the Lion and Lamb Hotel, Hounslow, recently, the Chairman Mr. G. Furneaux, in a toast to the President (who was prevented from attending in consequence of a prior engagement, but who sent his best wishes for a happy evening) said Lord Jersey's munificent gift to the National Trust had acted as a boomerang, on the club as the land on which they had hoped to have the range was part of that handed to the National Trust. They still hoped however that the range would be realised. This hope was also expressed by Aid. J. Woulfe, a vice-president, who considered there was no need for fears, particularly as Lord Jersey had taken such an interest in the club. Possession was nine points of the law, and the Borough Council, who would administer Osterley Park in conjunction with neighbouring councils and the National Trust, always looked at the law very careffilly, particularly as it affected the borough. In fact he thought the range would be safe for the club. Guildford British Legion Club have been refused permission to erect a 25 yards rifle range at the rear of 14, Quarry Street, on the grounds that th6 noise would be detrimental to the amenities of the neighbourhood. Merrow Home Guard R.C. are to be allowed to reconstruct their range on the south-east corner of the Merrow cricket field, subject to approval from the War Office and the police. * * * In recognition of services rendered during his long association with the club, an engraved telescope was presented to Mr. F. C. Walters at the annual prize distribution and dinner of the Harrow R.C., held at the Gayton Rooms, Station Road, recently. Mr. Walters holds the position of captain, but will be retiring from office in the near future. Colonel P. E. Colman, formerly Commander of the X Sector of the Home Guard, proposed the toast of the Harrow R.C. He said the small-bore rifle clubs were playing an important part in the country and were beginning to create international interest. He hoped the sport would be encouraged and interest taken in it by authorities like the War Office. Mr. E. M. Lake, president of the club, responding, said he was proud to know that the Harrow R.C. formed over 39 years ago, had been shooting without a break through out the war. He regretted that "he would soon have to resign from the office of president as he was taking up a post with the Boy Scouts' Association which would involve much of his time. Mrs. K. D. Lake, hon. secretary, proposed the toast to " Our Guests," and Mr. Tucknott, in reply, outlined the aims of miniature rifle shooting and the honours which could be obtained. Mr. L. Hughes, national champion for 1945, also spoke. The leading awards were won as f o l l o w s : — Club Championship—1 L. O. Hughes, 2 C. F. Carr. Rifle Championship—1 C. F. Carr, 2 E. H. Abbott. Sholl Cup—1 C. F. Carr, 2 E. H. Abbott. Balmer Cup—1 F. C. Walters, 2 C. F. Carr. Donald Bowl—1 Mrs. Hughes, 2 Mrs. Weaves. Salmon Cup—1 Mrs. Lake, 2 E. H. Abbott. Charles Cup—1 Mrs. Hughes, 2 H. Archer-Thomson. Rapid Cup—1 Mrs. Hughes, 2 E. H. Abbott. Duelling Trophy.—H. Archer-Thomson. * * » A new challenge cup for the Colts section of the Tonbridge R.C. was offered by the chairman of the Council (Mr. D. G. Le May) at the annual meeting recently. The following officers were elected : President, Major Sir H. d'Avigdor Goldsmid ; chairman, Mr. L. A. Le May ; captain, Mr. A. Bathurst; vice-captain, Mr. Cheseman ; hon. treasurer, Mr. R. Warrener ; hon. secretary, Mr. A. E. Minton ; assistant hon. secretary and match secretary, Capt. G. Alderman ; statistical officer, Mr. H. Annison ; armourer, Mr. Randall. 4 c 4 1 Parkstone G.T.C. R.C., who last season won the second division of the ladies' championship, have been notified by the Women's Rifle Association that they have been promoted to the first division for the coming season. As the number of teams in each division has now been reduced to six, this means that the Parkstone girls now find themselves among the leading half-dozen ladies' clubs in the British Isles Miss Dot Harman has been re-elected captain and is fortunate in having her team still intact, namely the Misses Joan Eckton, Peggy Bryant Betty Belben and Audrey Eckton. During the winter the team has kept in its hand and eye by shootmg under the guise of Bournemouth Ladies in the Hampshire League and has given a good account of itself. A second team has also been entered for the championship and, with a number of promising young markswomen, should do well in one of the lower divisions. * * The annual general meeting of the Falkirk Lord Roberts R.C. was held at the range, Oswald Street, Falku'k. Mr. W. E. Sharp presided, and Mr A Wright, treasurer, submitted his report, which was con sidered very satisfactory and unanimously approved. Mr. Sharp was re-elected chairman, and Mr. A Wright, 9, Dollar Gardens, secretary nnri frf-iCIifcr Thc followlng members were elected to the commit tee SrV. R. Izatt, W. Dick, A. Somerville, L. Lawson and G. Robertson. In reviewing the activities of the club during the past vear the chairman pointed out that continued success had been obtained in local and national competitions. For the third year in tiiippi^ccinn the club had won the Scottish League Shield, and were runners-ut) in the first divisioip of the National League. Club mem bers had had many successes at open meetings, Mr. A. Wright win ning the Scottish Championship. The County Team Championship had also been won by the club, and Mr. G. Robertson had gained the Countv All-Range Cup. In the recent Stirlingshire Team competition the club had been successful, and had won the West of Scotland League Championship. The Kennard and Kelso Trophies had been .won this year by Mr. R. Izatt. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK44 The Chertsey R.C. H.G. cup for small bore shooting, and the Ladies' cup, both of which are awarded for the best aggregate of 10 cards time limit and 10 cards deliberate over a period of 6 months, have been won this time by Mrs. M. J. Duncan (Ladies' cup) with a s c o r e o f 1 , 9 2 5 o u t o f a p o s s i b l e 2 , 0 0 0 , a n d A . J . H a w k i n s ( H o m e Guard cup) with a score of 1,969 out of a possible 2,000. The runner- u p f o r t h e L a d i e s ' c u p w a s M r s . D . M . P u l l e y n w i t h 1 , 8 8 5 , a n d f o r the Home Guard cup Mr. G. L. Pulleyn, with 1,935. * Pride of place in the small bore reports goes to the Dumfries Ladies' R.C. for their outstanding performance of the season. Enthusiasts of the sport can appreciate the splendid effort necessary to get a team average of 97 x 100. Miss Kivlichan, captain and secretary, would like to communicate with any other ladies' rifle club in Scotland with a v i e w t o a r r a n g i n g a c h a l l e n g e m a t c h o n c l u b c o n d i t i o n s . D u m f r i e s Ladies' record score :—Mrs. S. Howat 98, Miss F. Hughes 97, Miss B. Clark 97, Miss F. Little 96—388. Dumbreck R.C., 378. Sir Richard Pim, Inspector-General of the R.U.C., attended for the first time in his new capacity the final shoot of the Ulster Special Constabulary (Belfast) .22 Rifle Shooting Competition in Tamar Street (Belfast) Drill Hall and presented the. awards. Antrim Road sub-district won the team cup with ^ total of 390 points, followed by Strandtown (374), Ballynafeigh (350) and Shankill Road (297). Sub-district Commandant T. M'Millen (Strandtown) emerged victor in the individual shoot after a tie with Special Constable Drummond (Strandtown) (64 points). Platoon-Sergeant W. Patterson (Antrim Road) was third with 60 points. Colonel H. R. Charley, C.B.E., Belfast City Commandant, said that the occasion marked the 20th year of the competition, during which time Antrim Road sub-district had been in the final seven times, winning it six. Corresponding figures for the other three teams :—Shankill Road : In final six times, but have yet to win ; Ballynafeigh : Five times, winners once ; Strandtown : Ten times, winners seven times. « At the annual meeting of the Tickenham R.C., held at the Star Iim, it was reported that, after being in a state of suspended animation throughout the war, the club would resume its normal activities. Shooting practices would eommence, and it was hoped to enter the Somerset and Bristol leagues when the season commenced in October. The treasurer, Mr. R. Lang, reported a satisfactory financial position, stating that there was a balance of approximately £8. Mr. L. Nunn signified his willingness to continue temporarily as secretary, and other officers elected were President, Mr. H. Armstrong - vice- president, Dr. R. S. Renton ; chairman, Mr. W. McEwan Smith ; vice-chauman, Mr. R. Lang; captain, Mr. L. Nunn ; committee' Messrs. L. Tiley, R. Haskins and N. Bond. * Once more " riding the ranges " is Captain W. V. Richards, M.C., veteran Weymouth marksman. Recently he opened up the .303 range at Chickerell for civilian sharpshooters, and no doubt he will have the support of many former members of Dorset Home Guard Captain Richards has also recently devised a 100 yards miniature range at Lynch, and when a colleague saw him a few weeks ago he was cycling out there, with slung rifle, to give it a try-out. * * Recently a team from the Oban and Lorn M.R.C. visited the range of the Easdale Club to shoot a friendly Shoulder-to-Shoulder match. Oban team won the shoot by the narrow margin of 6 points the scores bemg Oban 662, Easdale 656. Top scorer was H. Gray, Oban with a score of 99. Easdale Club visited the Oban and Lorn Club's range for a return shoot when Oban again won, the scores being Oban 679 ; Easdale 654, a difference of 25 points. Ton scorer • G. A. MacLeod, Oban, 100. » * With the end of the war, the Old Dunstabllans' Club is showing revived activity under the inspiration of a new honorary secretary Mr. Fred A. Austin, of Rothesay Road, Luton. Mr. Austin, who entered the school in its first year, 1888, says in a circular that the curtailed activity owing to the war has not diminished the interest of old boys in the club and the school. Mr. Austin mentions a proposal to form a dramatic society and the revival of the rifle club section Rifle shootmg is one of his life-long hobbies. He was secretary of tte Beds Rifle Association for 28 years, and has also filled similar offices for the Luton Town and Christ Church Rifle Clubs Mr Austin is also a member of the City Rifle Club, Bisley. He returned to Luton last October after an eight-years' absence in the London area on engineering apoointments. » * * Those who took an interest—active or otherwise—in the Glaston bury and District M.R.C. before the war will be pleased to learn that the Club has been re-started. Founded in 1933, the Glastonbury Club became one of the most successful in Somerset in an amazingly short time. It became affiliated to the S.M.R.C. and County League in 1934, and between that year and 1939 the Club twice won the league cup and were twice runners-up. In 1937 trophies were won in three different competitions, these successes being particularly noteworthy as, with about three exceptions, all the members joined the club as novices. Although shooting takes place in the Drill Hall, the club is, of course, an entirely private one and in no way connected with the military. A hearty invitation is extended to all ladies and gentlemen, "cracks" or novices, interested in small-bore shooting to join the club. If sufficient lady members arc enrolled, a ladies' team wilUbe formed. Novices will be gladly taught by the older members and further information can be obtained from the hon. .secretary, Mr. W. J. Colenutt, 30, Norlhload Street, or any club member . 4: 4 : The annual prize-giving of the Hull Police R.C. took .place at the Police Sports Club, Inglemire Lane. The Stipendiary Magistrate (Mr. J. R. Macdonald) presented the Dr. Cumming Cup to Insp. MacRae. Others present were P.c. J. Lawson, Sgt. M. S. Harper, ex-Station Sgt. T. A. Sawdon, Dr. J. Cumming, Major R. W. Gleadow, and the chief constable (Mr. T. Wells). * * * Field-Marshal Lord Birdwood, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., distributed the prizes at the Hampton R.C. annual meeting. Councillor W. J. Slade presided, supported by Mr. J. A. Gould (president), Mr. A. F. Wyatt (secretary). Captain L. W. Taylor (treasurer), and a good attendance of members. The president, in paying tribute to the officials, said the club had used 80,000 rounds of ammunition during the past year. He appealed for more lady members now that the range had been opened to them. Commenting on the progress of the juniors, he said that Master Branscombe had obtained a 100 per cent shoot. He hoped the juniors would be encouraged in all ways possible to continue their interest, as they were the future mainstay of the club. The secretary, in a detailed review of the past year, stressed the progress the club was making and the many notable per formances of members. He mentioned that Mr. Williams was second in the all-England pistol shooting competition. A new cup had been presented to the club by Capt. Home-Gall in memory of his father, who was one of the founders of the original club in 1903. This would be contested for by the novices. The balance sheet showed a balance in hand of £66 14s. 6d. Officers for the ensuing year were elected as followsPresident, Mr. J. A. Gould ; chairman. Councillor W. J. Slade ; secretary, Mr. A. F. Wyatt; treasurer, Mr. L. Branscombe ; club captain, Mr. F. Gray ; vice-captain and match secretary, Mr. H. Clynes ; co.mmittee, Mrs. P. Monk, Messrs. G. H. Austin, S. Tapley, F. Williams, £. Wood, A. H. Tilbury, and Master G. Branscornbe. Lord Birdwood, in presenting the prizes, em phasised the important part marksmanship with rifles had played in the British Army in various campaigns, and thought the whole country was indebted to the various small rifle clubs. * ■ ' At the recent small-bore meeting at Mather Avenue Drill Hall, Liverpool, organised b^ the Association of West Lancashire Rifle Clubs, first prize in Competition No. 1 (10 rounds at 25 yards, own handirap) was won by Mr. H. Blinkhorn, of Southport Home Guard Rifle Club, with a " possible." Among those who also scored 100 but were gauged out " was Mr. J. Peddar, of the Southport Club. In Competition No. 3 (unlimited entry) Mr. H. Gallie, of the Southport Club, scored 100, but was "gauged out" along with 16 ° Wraighte, of the Southport Club, won third prize in the Good Luck " competition with a score of 62. In the team shoot, Southport aggregated 769 points; * * * u '!^^.H®t)den Bridge many people have been intrigued by the new building which is being constructed on the Holmes near to Falling- royde Bridge, between Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd. Guesses at tne purpose of the premises seem to vary between a new factory and prefabricated houses. Actually the new building is to be the shooting range and headquarters of the Wood Top R.C. * * * Section R.C. held its annual general meeting at the Marquis of Lorne clubroom ; Mr. E. W. Wright presiding. Reports were presented by the secretary (Mr. R. H. Bazeley) and treasurer (Mr. G. R Dowding), who were thanked for the hard work they had put in. Officials for the ensuing year were elected as follows Chairman, Mr E W. Wright; secretary, Mr. R. H. Bazeley: r 9-] I^°wdmg ; captain, Mr. A. J. Seaman ; range R O E - C . C o r d e a u x , a n d M e s s r s .R. G. Hutton, C. E. Land, H. K. Chapman, W. Hart, and G. C. Balls. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSummer, 1946. Australia cannot send a team to Bisley in July. Mr. H. B. Jamleson, of the Commonwealth Rifle Council, says there are 50,000 riflemen without rifles, because the Federal Government will not remove the ban on rifle shooting. * * * The Skegness and District R.C. (which includes full bore, pistol, and small-bore shooting) got into its stride for the current year at a meeting held at the British Legion Club recently. Mr. H. R. Searby was elected patron ; Mr. F. P. Kirk, president and chairman ; Dr. W. Brownlie, vice-chairman ; Mr. F. C. Thody (Lloyds Bank), hon. treasurer ; and Mr. Norman Royle, hon. secretary. The committee is composed of:—Miss Margaret Piatt (ladies' secretary), Mrs. M. Piatt, Insp. J. Kitchen, Messrs. C. N. McTier, R. Scott, W. C. Miller, S. Blaze, W. G. Hazard, W. G. Lillyman, H. Thompson, E. M. Major, and J. Marshall. Mr. C. E. Piatt, M.C., P.A.S.L, is superintendent and chief range officer, Det.-Sergt. Trout is range warden, and Mr. Cartwright coach. The ranges at Gibraltar Point were open for p r a c t i c e f r o m M a y 1 2 t h . Proposing the " Newhaven H.G.R.C.", Mr. Ravenshear congratu lated them upon winning the Challenge Cup for their section in the Sussex County Small-Bore Riffe League, during which they were undefeated in all their matches. This, in their first season against some very fine shots, was a splendid achievement. Newhaven had always stood high in connection with riffe shooting. He recalled the days of 1928 when he and his old friend, the late " Billy " Brewer, of the Bridge Hotel, did their best to arouse some enthusiasm in the R.N.V.R., and how the sport gradually took on until the Newhaven Sniall-Bore RiHe League was formed. This league, he said, became one of the best in Sussex. One of the teams was that of the Customs and Excise, of which the Chairman that evening was a member, and it was one of their rifles that the club was using at the present time. It was good to see that the old spirit of comradeship among the Home Guards was being carried on. The new club had some very fine officers, and in their President, Mr. J. L. Jackson, they had one who had been invaluable to him (the speaker) and Major Guy Janson in the grave days of the Home Guard. He regretted that he had been unable to take par t in their shoots, but he hoped to do so later on. With regard to the range, he had been told that Messrs. S. Benger and J. Taylor had put in some wonderful work to make the range a credit to the club. He wished them every success and- hoped to see many more trophies at the next annual dinner. Responding, Mr. J. L. Jackson said they were very pleased to welcome Mr. Ravenshear. In the Home Guard days he had been most tactful in his criticism and generous in his praise. With regard to the Rifle Club they were now carrying on the spirit that was born during the war. Shooting was a capital sport that was never finished with. In the old days of the Newhaven League they had three ranges for the eight to 12 clubs, but now there was only one range, but thanks to Messrs. Benger and Taylor, it was a very fine range. Although the club went on from strength to strength, said the speaker, no club could prosper without a good secretary, and in Mr. V. Bourne they had one of the very best. The present gathering was a fitting place to acknowledge their debt to him. Mr. Bourne said, in giving his services, he had met good fellowship and that was an ample reward. He hoped to be the secretary for many years to come. They had started the club by their own efforts with very little help from outside, and it was hoped to extend those ef forts. » * • * Mr. G. D. C. Stephen was winner of the Wolfenden Cup, opeit, to members of riffe clubs in Strathspey and Badenoch, three repre sentatives from each club being allowed forward. His score was 296 out of a possible 300. Runners-up were : F. Q. Clark, Kingussie, 291, and A. Fannery, Kincraig, 288. The shoot in the Drill Hall was the final for the season, and the scores indicate the continuous improvement in marksmanship since the re-opening after the war. Kingussie, Kincraig and Grantown are at present the only clubs re opened in the district, but next year may see a wider representation and keener matches as the supply situation betters. » * * Marksmen from Saltash, Looe, and Kiskeard were present at a meeting at Liskeard in Marph, when it was decided to wind up the East Cornwall Rifle Club, and to carry^pn as Liskeard and District R.C. The meeting was convened by Mr. A. M. Evely, former vice- chairman,, who spoke of the members who had died since 1939, when the club ceased its activities, and reported that there was a credit balance of £14. Mr. R. S. Morgan was elected chairman, and Mr- L. B. Rapson suggested, before proceeding further, they should discuss the future of the East Cornwall R.C. Mr J. A. Bryan (Salt- ash), pointed out the Cornwall R.A. had divided the county into areas corresponding with the old Home Guard Battalion areas, that 45 a S.E. Cornwall area club was in existence, and in the circumstances it was agreed to change the name of the club to Liskeard and District. Mr. Bryan then read the regulations laid down by the Cornwall T.A.A. governing the activities of the C.R.A. and affiliated clubs, c o n f e s s i n g t h a t a l t h o u g h c i v i l i a n s w e r e p u s h e d i n t o t h e b a c k g r o u n d , o p e n a n d m i n i a t u r e r a n g e s w e r e a v a i l a b l e o n a p p l i c a t i o n , a n d r i fl e s a n d a m m u n i t i o n w o u l d b e i s s u e d f r e e . M r . E v e l y w a s a p p o i n t e d v i c e - c h a i r m a n , a n d i t w a s d e c i d e d t o a s k M r. R . R a w l i n g s . h o n . secretary of Liskeard H.G. Social Club, to act as hon. secretary and treasurer. Of the committee of eight, the meeting appointed four— Messrs. J. Pengelly (Looe), W. R. Mutton (Millendreath), J. A. Bryan (Saltash), and L. B. Rapson (Liskeard) ; the Social Club to b e a s k e d t o n o m i n a t e t h e o t h e r f o u r . * » Mr. John Ritchie, Carden Place, -Aberdeen, is one of the finest gun shots in the north-east. For many years, shooting has been his hobby, and both he and his son Frank, whom he taught the art of hitting a moving target, have competed successfully at sporting events. One of their most spectacular feats is hitting a penny thrown into the - air, with a .22 rifle. Father and son are ingenious inventors, and have invented several gadgets, including a moving target, which was displayed at Olympia. » * # In the British short-range individual championship, H. S. Yeoman, captain of Twickenham R.C., had very hard luck in not keeping the trophy in Twickenham. Last year's winner was L. S. Hughes, secretary of the Twickenham club. Yeoman tied with S. Alexander, of Cardiff, and M. Cann, of Leicester, with a score of 298, but on a re-gauge the trophy was awarded to Cattn, Yeoman and Alexander being joint runners-up. F. J. Barrell, last year's runner-up, also a member of Twickenham Club, was 4th with 297, and L. S. Hughes 8th with 295. Three men placed in the first eight in a British cham pionship is a record of which Twickenham can be justly proud. » The competition for the Strathcona Challenge Shield, an event run by the Scottish Riflle Association for Scottish Cadets, members of the J.T.C., and A.T.C., has been completed, and the results are n o w a v a i l a b l e . T h e S h i e l d w i n n e r s a r e N o . 4 C o y. 1 s t A n g u s C a d e t Batt. (R.H.), of Forfar, with the fine total of 582 out of 600. Winners of the bronze medals as runners-up are Glasgow Academy J.T.C., with 575. Other leading scores are Dundee High School J.T.C., 568 ; C. Coy. 1st East Lothian Cadet Unit (Haddington), 561 ; No. 3 Coy. 1st Angus Cadet Batt. (R.H.), Arbroath, 561 ; Peebles shire Coy. Army Cadet Force, Royal Scots, 555. The chairman of the Stratford-on-Avon Council reported that members of the committee had attended a demonstration by the Stratford-on-Avon R.C. on the site of the suggested .22in. rifle range in the disused gravel pit near the sewage pumping station, and that the noise caused by the firing would not, in their opinion, interfere in the slightest with the occupiers of houses in Bordon Place and Evesham Road. It was decided to grant a lease of part of the dis used gravel pit to the Rifle Club for a period of seven years, with an option of renewal for a further seven years, at a rent of £10 per annum. The club now have to build the range, for which they require financial support. ^ ^ ^ Glasgow Police beat City of London Police in the final of the British Police Shooting Championship—589-588. Glasgow team score : Lieut. A. F. Howat 100, Constable A. A. Smith 100, D.C. R. Gray 98, D.C. Borthwick, Constables H. Ritchie and A. Murchison If Andrew Wright, Falkirk Lord Roberts, could spare the time to attend the Scottish and National Meetings he would do the sport a great service. In the past one has so often heard the ordinary club member say, " There is no use me going to these open meetings. What chance would. I have against the ' cracks ' with their super rifles, all the latest gadgets, shooting jackets with all the padding, etc. ?'" Andrew Wright has perhaps won more championships than any "other rifle shooter of today, and he scorns all artificial aids to shooting. His rifle was bought many years ago and is practically as it was issued by the makers, his sling is an old leather one, and his jacket just an ordinary one with no frills. In the shoot for the Captain Kennard Trophy which carries with it the Outdoor Championship of Stirlingshire, held on usual specially prepared range at Falkirk, Wright won the title and the trophy once more with the fine total of 297. The champion is now in the veteran stage as far as rifle shooting is concerned, but he is as good as ever. He proves once more that a good shooter does not require fancy gadgets to win championships. T H E a i F L E M A N WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK46 T H E R I F L E M A N Summer, 1946. Eastbourne's chances of winning the Rifle Clubs' Championship at Bisley and championship of the British Isles were commented upon favourably by Lt.-Col, T. Sutton, M.B.E., at the first annual meeting of " C " Company, 21st (Sussex) Batt. H.G. Rifle and Social Club at the Ordnance Yard, Seaside. He presented to the club the President's Cup fifer, the club championship. It was, he said, a French trophy which (as announced by the Courier in a recent issue) was looted from the Tuilleries in Paris by the Germans during the Franco- Prussian war, and it bore the date, 1860. In his first annual report, Mr. N. C. Ashby said membership was 145, and reviewed the club's achievements in various competitions. The following officers were elected :—President, Lt.-Col. Sutton ; vice-presidents, the Mayor (Aid. E. C. Martin), Brig.-Gen. E. W. Costello, V.C., Mr. C. S. Taylor, M.P., Aid. Miss A. Hudson, Counr. Miss G. L. Parker, Miss H. F. Cater, Aid. S. M. Caffyn, Mr. C. Allix, Mr. A. Bobby, Capt. R. Card well, Mr. G. Russell, and Major L. Grant Dalton ; hon. secretary, Mr. Blair Smith ; hon. treasurer, Mr. W. G. White ; auditor, Mr. F. C. Wells ; committee. Major Gower, Messrs. R. Austin, J. H. Lambert, A. C. Elphick, N. C. Ashby, J. Cooper, W. H. Stephens, J. L. Stephens, A. E. Smith, R. A. Manser, and J. T. Polley. « « # At the 45th annual meeting of Byfleet R.C., which was held recently at the club hut on the Silvermere Rifle Range, with Mr. G. Walters in the chair, the Secretary reported that the past season had been very successful, with a further slight increase in membership over the previous season. The usual club competiti'bns were held during the season and the final winners of the club trophies were :— Championship Cup, G. Brown; Handicap Cup, S. Walton; Captain's Cup, G. Lynn. A team competed in the Surrey County Summer Leagtie and was placed third in Division 7, and the club was successful in winning the only shoulder-to-shoulder match it was possible to arrange. A cup presented by the club was competed for by teams from the Byfleet and Cobham Army Cadets and resulted in a win for the latter. It is hoped to make this an annual competition at the end of each season to encourage young members to the club range. The financial position remained satisfactory with a small b a l a n c e i n h a n d . A l l t h e c l u b ' s o f fi c i a l s w e r e r e - e l e c t e d a n d i t w a s hoped to see some of the club's old members back at the range again this season. The secretary, Mr. S. Walton, of Marvyn, Hopfield Avenue, Byfleet, or the captain, Mr. G. Brown, of 49, High Street, Cobham, will be pleased to give information. New members will be welcomed at the range on the Silvermere estate. * The first annual dinner of the Stratford-upon-Avon RIC. was held at the Corona Cafe, when an excellent meal was enjoyed by 70 members and friends. The chair was taken by the president (Major J. Blower), supported by the Mayor (Cr. H. V. White), a vice-presi dent of the club, and the Mayoress. The Mayor proposed the toast of the club, expressing the hope and conviction that when the pro posed new range was complete the club would be even more success ful than in the past. Cr. E. Baildham, chairman of the club, res ponded, and outlined the club's plans and hopes. The new range, when completed, would provide accommodation for 48 to shoot at a time, and Stratford would have the finest range in the Midlands, a range eminently suitable for county, area, national and international matches. The club had always done its best to provide additional shooting facilities for the junior Forces' organisations in the- town and could do more at the new site. While the move would cost money, he was confident that rifle shooting being of such importance to the nation, adequate financial support would be forthcoming from the district. The toast of the guests was proposed by the club captain, Mr. W. B. Lyon-Smith, who said he was particularly pleased to see three members of the Warwick Police R.C., with whom there was a most friendly inter-clqb rivalry, representatives of the junior Forces in F/O. W. H. J. Woodward, A.T.C., and Capt. G. K. Boyden, A . C . F. , S u p e r i n t e n d e n t S i m m o n s a n d a c o n s i d e r a b l e n u m b e r o f o l d friends of the Home Guard days. It was gratifying to see so many ladies gracing the occasion. He hoped that more of them would join the club and leam to shoot. Inspector Cunningham, secretary of the Warwick Police R.C., replied for the guests. * The fact that the Guardian R.C. is handicapped by the shortage of range accommodation and equipment was pointed out by Mr. G. Richards-Smith (chairman), presiding at the first annual dinner of the club at the Albion Hotel, Woking. Proposing " The Club," Gen. Sir Alan Bourne (president) thou^t that the innovation of an anntjal dinner was an excellent sign that the club was on a sound footiiig and would keep people together. Mr. Richards-Smith, replying, said the club was a, young one. They were happy to have so many there that evening and proud because that evening was a milestone in its history. The foundations had been well ^nd truly laid by a band of zealous and enthusiastic workers. About two years ago, during' the " Salute the Soldier," a cup, put up for a small-bore shooting contest, was won by a team captained by Mr. Morris (the club captain) drawn from " C " Com pany of the local Home Guard. As a result that club was formed by " C " Company, and the members of the winning team gave the cup to the club. In 1945 they were second in the Surrey Winter League, IDivision 7, and last summer second in the North-West Surrey League. This year they had three teams running in the Winter League. Their membership was increasing, but were seriously handicapped by the shortage of range accommodation and equip ment. A pleasing part of the membership was the advent of young people, who kept the old hands on their toes. They had become excellent shots, and several of these were young lady members. The novices' cup was won by Miss Sheila Boreham. Recently the secre tary received a letter from an old member, Eric Plomley, who was now back in Australia, and was anxious to form a rifle club there. The committee felt they had formed the nucleus of a first-class club, but they wanted to possess their own range and to put up a member of an England side. He felt the club was in the hands of a keen, sound, and far-sighted authority, and was on the threshold of a long and distinguished career. He paid a tribute to the work of their captain, Mr. Morris. Mr. F. Coward (hon. secretary), proposing " The Visitors," said the club was proud of its friends, to whom they owed a lot for their kindness and generosity. They had a keen president and were grateful to Mr. W. A. Dixon and Mr. Fitzroy Woods for many instances of help, and to Mr. C. Miller, Mr. H. P. Tame and Capt. P. H. Jones for their help. . In his response, Mr. G. Pethard, M.B.E. (secretary of the S.M.R.C.), said in 1939 they had 2,374 clubs, 60 county associations, and 14 overseas associations. In the first year of the war they were deprived of nearly everything and were almost inclined to give 'up, but then the volunteer spirit c a m e i n t o a c c o u n t a n d s a v e d t h e s i t u a t i o n . I t s e e m e d t o h i m t h a t the Guardian R.C., like its name, was an assurance that they did not intend to drop into the slack way we had after the last war. The S.M.R.C. were just as proud of their social side as they were of the shooting. Its social contacts were the spice of life. Also replying, Mr. W. A. Dixon (chairman, M.W. Surrey League), said, having been associated with the Lion Works R.C., he realised that small bore shooting was a great incentive to perpetuate the comradeship started in the Home Guard. His four years in the Home Guard were probably one of the best times in his life. The annual general meeting of the OIney and District R.C. was held recently. A large majority of the members were present. The president (Major R. Howie), was in the chair. The secretary (R. H. Summers) gave his report on the year's working, stating that the membership was now 40. During the year a new full 25yd. range, for which the club is indebted to Mr. Dawes, had been constructed, and had been approved by the War Office. Major Howie and Mr. E. W. Ashley expressed satisfaction at the success of the year's work, and their appreciation of the work done by the officers of the club. It was agreed that youths between the ages of 17 and 19 should be admitted during 1946 for half the usual subscription. It was agreed that, as the club rifles are not suitable for match shooting, an effort would be made to obtain some better rifles for club use. Guildford and District R.C. was reported at its 47th annual meeting held at Guildford Institute to have come through the war in a sound financial position. There are about 50 members. Mr. G. Brion presided, supported by Mr. J. H. Siggs (hon. secretary). Income for the year totalled £92 16s. 5d., including £34 14s. lid. brought forward and the credit balance at the end was £41 18s. Id. Assets exceeded liabilities by £47 lis. Id. Mr. Stanley Ellis was re-elected president, and it was decided to invite the following to be vice-presidents : Sir John Jarvis, M.P., Messrs. A. Butt, A. W. Bullen, W. H. Butters, L. C. E. Currie, W. G. Ricketts, and J. W. Savage. Other elections were : Committee, Messrs. G. Brion, J. Edmonds, J. Hill, W. Magnay, H. B. Readings, O. Shrubb, C. H. Tickner ; captain, Mr. J. Edmonds; vice-captain and match secre tary, Mr. J. Hill; hon. auditor, Mr. H. Batchelor; hon. secretary, Mr. J. H. Siggs. Tributes were paid to Mr. Edmonds's service as range warden throughout the war, and he was voted an honorarium. He now wished to resign as warden, but consented to continue for another year on condition that he received help when required. Regret was expressed at the increased cost of ammunition, and it was decided to protest to the S.M.R.C., and also to inquire whether cheaper supplies could be obtained. The increase would mean raising the price to members to 5s. per 1(X) rounds, and the chairman pointed out the need to avoid making shooting too expensive. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKT H E R I F L E M A N 47 Deputy Chief Constable Hunter (Aberdeenshire), one of the most consistent shots in the north-east, is winner of the Scottish Police Handicap Competition. His score of 1,198 x 2,000 was two points better than Sgt. J. A. Pratt (Aberdeen). Constable H. Ritchie (Glasgow) was third (1,194), the other prize-winners being Con. C. Towns (Aberdeen), Con. J. Gibson (Glasgow), and Con. D. Alexander (Dundee). * 4 t It was announced at the annual general meeting of the Winchester District R.C. that the club was now open to other than former Home Guard members, and that Cadets over the age of 164, and holding Certificate " A " qualification, would also be permitted to join. The meeting was held in the Toe H Hall, Tower Street, Winchester, and was presided over by Major T. E. Baring, O.B.E. (chairman), other officials present being : Mr. A. Starr, D.C.M. (secretary), Lt.- Col. J. S. Graham (treasurer), and Messrs. H. W. Higgins, W. T. Martin, A. H. Dunk, and P. F. Journeaux (committee' members). A welcome was also extended to the president of the club. Col. O. C. Downes, D.S.O., M.C. The balance sheet showed that the main item of expenditure had been £53 3s. Id. for ammunition and targets. All officials were re-elected, and the committee remains the same, with the addition of Mr. Anderson. * * i t c In the final round of the County Winter League, Division 1, Lowestoft A won their match by beating Brandeston A by one point. The B team lost. Lowestoft A arc winners of the league. Division 1, with Leiston A second and Lowestoft B third. A. Borrett, of Lowestoft, and J. Marjoram, of Leiston A, tie for the individual aggregate with 98.9 each. In Division 2 Lowestoft C and D both lost. Lowestoft C take sixth place and the D team ninth in the league table. Lowestoft E beat Lowestoft Juniors, and their positions in the league are : E team fifth, and Lowestoft Juniors ninth in Division 3. In Division 5 the Minor team won, their opponents Able returning no cards. * Lytham St. Annes R.C. scored another big triumph when they won the Lancashire Winter League championship. Last year the team won the Lancashire Summer League championship." At the conclusion of the winter competition Lytham St. Annes had tied with Lea and District and Hutton R.C. It was arranged that the tie should be decided on Pilkington's Rifle Range, St. Helens. This decider was won handsomely by Lytham St. Annes, who scored 493 out of a possible 500. Hutton scored 485 and Lea 475. The Lytham St. Annes scores were :—R. Cookson 100, E. Marsden 100, N. Cooper 99, R. C. Jacklin 97, and W. Jacklin 97. Total 493. R. C. Jacklin and L. H. Westrey (Lea and District) had tied for the highest aggre gate prize in the samejeague, and on the shoot-off" Jacklin won. In the Winter League, Lytham St. Annes Ladies topped No. 3 Division with an aggregate of 5,259 points. In No. 1 Division where the A team were successful with 5,425 aggregate, Lytham St. Annes B team occupied seventh position, with an aggregate of 5,360 points. » * » York Railway Institute R.C. held their annual meeting, and the following officials were elected :—W. Binder (chairman), R. Rothwcll (hon. secretary), Messrs. J. Angus, S. Stockdale, and R. Fogg (com mittee). A hearty welcome was extended to new members and to W. Pinder, whose return, after prolonged absence due to illness, was greatly appreciated. The efforts of the cliib throughout the war years were reviewed, and it was generally agreed that owing to lack of members and illness it had not been able to maintain its successful pre-war standard. It was hoped with the inclusion of new members in the team that the club would once more regain their former re putation as champions in the Yorkshire League. Intending members, both railway and non-railwaymen, should contact the secretary, R. Rothwell, at 7, North Lane, Drmghouses. * * « The final round of the Surrey Winter Small-Bore Rifle League, Division 5, finds Mitcham and Tooting A team fifth, with a record of ten matches shot, six won, four lost, and a team average of 477. Two narrow defeats spoiled the team's chances in the eighth and ninth rounds, and the win in the last rourid put them four points behind the wirmers. Mrs. G. O. Salter gained a distinction, being returned fifth in' the whole division in the individual averages with 9 6 . 7 p e r c e n t . * * * Cadets of Dean Close School won the Schools' rifle shooting competitions and individual prizes when J.T.C. cadets of several West of England schools, by invitation, attended a course of training at the Royal Marines' Depot, Lympstone, near Exmouth. The training consisted of demonstrations of the Platoon weapons, rifle# sten, bren, grenade, 2-in. mortar and Piat, which cadets were after w a r d s a l l o w e d t o fi r e . C a d e t s w e r e s h o w n h o w t o c o o k t h e i r o w n meals in the field, and how to make their o\vn bivouacs. On the final day there was a rifle competition between the schools. Col. Sir Lionel Fletcher was present, and gave away the prizes. The competition was handsomely won by Dean Close School, with an average score of 47.6 out of 60. Cheltenham College were second with 44. The prize for the highest individual score was also won by a Dean Close cadet—L./Cpl. A. J. D. Taylor, with 58. Cheltenham , College won the second prize for highest individual score with a 57 by Sgt. Walker. In a re-shoot at 5M yards between all cadets who had scored a "possible" at any range, L./Cpl. H. R. Henry, again of Dean Close, won the prize with a score of 19 out of 20. » In common with other clubs in the town, the Bicester and District R.C.—one of the oldest—had perchance to close down when war broke out, but although the club ceased to exist in name, several of the rifle shots were afforded the opportunity of " keeping their hand in " by virtue of their being members of the Home Guard, who regularly used the indoor range in the Urban Council yard. Such well-known and expert shots as Messrs. G. H. Sibbring (ex-inter national), W. H. Morgan, T. Heam, and E. Ward were able to give to the Home Guard the benefit of their experience ; while the officer commanding (Major C. G. Gander), himself a member of the rifle club, greatly assisted with his enthusiastic help and interest. The result is that a number of the Home Guard, who previously had little or no interest in rifle shooting, materialised as really good shots and will help the club once again enjoy its pre-war successes and become, as it was for many years, one of the best-known clubs in the country. * » Hope that returning ex-Servicemen would take a keen interest in their activities was expressed by Mr. A. Duncan, chairman of" The Western Morning News" M.R.C., when presiding at the official opening of the club's range at Mutley Plain, Plymouth, recently. The club president. Sir Harold Harmsworth, performed the ceremony with a " utility " key to unlock the door of the range, and fired the first shot, registering a " bull." Extending a welcome to Sir Harold, Mr. Duncan said those who were privileged to remain at home during the war found in him, as commanding officer of " The Western Morn ing News " Home Guard, an excellent leader, who took the utmost interest in the welfare of his troops. That Sir Harold had always done, in the general interest of all staffs in Plymouth, and branch offices. The president recalled that in 1940, when the club was started, he performed the opening ceremony during an air raid. He was glad they were meeting under happier conditions on the present occasion. Shortly af^terwards that range was blitzed, said Sir Harold, but another small one was arranged, which was largely used by the Home Guard, and which had played a useful part in the war. It had been used by many other units and some thousands of cadets had been taught to shoot there. ^ ^ In pre-war days Cheltenham was the home of a young woman who excelled in the essentially masculine sport of rifle-shooting—to the extent of becoming National Women's Rifle Champion. She is Miss Veronica Mary Clift, who recently spent a short time at her home at Garden Cottage, Arle Road, before going to Bombay in May to join her fiance, Mr. S. Eckers. Miss Clift, "who was trained by her father. Major J. G. N. Clift, a well-known marksman in Gloucestershire and president of the Cheltenham R.C., has had an astonishing career. She started training at the age of eight, was in the county team when she was 12, and won the Ladies' Championship at 19. Educated at the Ladies' College, Miss Clift trained at the Gloucester College of Domestic Science, and held a post as house matron at the School of St. Mary and St. Anne, Abbots Bromley, for two years. Miss Clift joined the W.R.N.S. in 1941, and, as a quarters officer, was stationed in Ceylon and in Bombay. It was there that she met her fianc6, then a major in the Indian Army. * * Wren Tatiana Brown, clad in sea boots, navy slacks, and sweater, marched to the prize-giving table at Tipnor to receive from Commo dore G. A. B. Hawkins, M.V.O., of the Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth, a medal specially awarded for her performance in the Port Rifle and Revolver Meeting. During the week Wren Brown had carried off two first prizes and had competed against crack shots in both rifle and revolver events. She is one of 12 Wrens who entered and who are the first women in Naval history to compete at such a meeting Formerly resident at Craneswater, Southsea, Wren Brown's home is now at Arundel. H.M.S. Excellent won eight of the trophies awarded at the meeting, and received the congratulations of Com modore Hawkins on their achievement. Among those present at the prize-giving were Commander T. Podger (H.M.S. Excellent), and Coimnander S. J. S. Boord (R.N.B., Portsmouth). WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK48 For two and a half hours 220 children, sons and daughters of members of Kettering M.R.C., enjoyed a special victory tea and e n t e r t a i n m e n t . T h e c e l e b r a t i o n w a s h e l d i n t h e m a i n r o o m o f t h e club, which was specially decorated and the menu included ice cream, c u r r a n t a n d s p o n g e c a k e s . A f t e r t e a t h e k i d d i e s w e r e g i v e n a n e x c e l l e n t s h o w b y E r n e s t E l l i o t t ' s m a r i o n e t t e s f r o m M a r k e t H a r - b o r o u g h . T h e c o m m i t t e e r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e a r r a n g e m e n t i n c l u d e d : Messrs. A. Shacklidge (secretary), W. Sharman, L. Coe, R. Ager, J. Sharpe, H. Essam, B. Cox, E. Holmes^ and G. Downs. * The first annual dinner of the Tonbridge and District M.R. League since the beginning of the war was held at the Riverside Cafe, when the chairman (Wing-Commander Dumbreck), in addition to pre senting cups won during the past season, also presented medals for the 1938-39 season. He explained this by saying that they had been h u r r i e d l y c a l l e d a w a y t o " a s p o t o f b o t h e r " b e f o r e t h e s e m e d a l s could be given. Present with the chairman were :—Cr . D. G. Le M a y ( " C h a i r m a n o f t h e U . D . C . ) , C o l . R a d c l i f f e S m i t h , L t . - C o l . E. K. B. Peck, Supt. N. Fowler (Tonbridge Police), Mr. W. Shepherd fex-superintendent of police), Ser^.-Major Bentley (secretary of the league), and Major Dixon (statistical officer of the league), together w i t h a b o u t 9 0 m e m b e r s o f t e a m s c o m p e t i n g i n t h e l e a g u e . A f t e r a w e l l - s e r v e d m e a l , t h e c h a i r m a n s a i d t h a t t h e r e v i v a l o f t h e Tonbridge Miniature Rifle League had created quite a lot of enthusi asm. They regretted having to limit the number of people who could attend the dinner, but " you appreciate that Tonbridge is very limited these days in its accommodation," he added. If the league was to be a success, he continued, it was up to the clubs themselves to put all their enthusiasm into it. After complimenting the secretary on his work during the first post-war season, the chairman presented the Robinson Challenge Cup to Tonbridge Rifle Club, and the Smith Handicap Cup to Tunbridge Wells Police. * T h e r e w a s s o m e e x c e l l e n t s h o o t i n g i n t h e fi r s t r o u n d o f t h e Herefordshire R.A. President's Silver Challenge Tankard Compe tition. The "possible" was 100, and all who scored 91 or over qualify for the second round. The leading scorers were : A. B. Phillips (Ross) and J. Juckes (Homme Green), 99 ; H. N. Braddell (Painters), J. Hutchinson, E. Hawker, and J. Edwards (Homme Green), C. Grubb (Ballingham), A. Wethersby (Ross), T. Lane (Bromyard), W. E. Collier (Colwall). and A. C. Hoskins (Painters), 98. There were three scores of 97, three of 96, seven of 95, seven of 94, eight of 93, six of 92, and eight of 91. The chairman (Mr. H. N. Braddell) has presented a silver medal to be competed for by all those who shot in the first round but failed to qualify. Cards will be sent from the Association headquarters, and the 10 best shots will shoot another card, the three best shots to compete in the final at the county prize-meeting to be held at Bradbury Lines," Hereford, on 25th August. * * * T h e r e i s a v e r y s u c c e s s f u l Wo m e n ' s R i fl e C l u b i n I l k e s t o n w h i c h has its origin in the Women's Defence Corps and Women's Auxiliary Home Guard. When these organisations were disbanded the lady members kept up their rifle training and formed a club under the presidency of Mrs. Jessie Taylor. This club is affiliated to the W o m e n ' s R i fl e A s s o c i a t i o n a n d S . M . R . C . I t h a s a fi n e r e c o r d f o r the members have never been beaten, not even by the menfolk, in cluding the local police. The secretary is Mrs. A. M. Beardsley, 6 , H e a n o r R o a d , I l k e s t o n . * » A d e c i s i o n t o e x t e n d t h e a r e a t o i n c l u d e w o r k s r i fl e c l u b s i n Wolverhampton and other districts was made at the annual meeting of the Black Country Small-Bore Rifle League, which was held at Rubery Owen's drill hall, Darlaston. Lt.-Col. T. S. Smith, pre siding, said that if they could get more teams to enter it would be possible to make two or even three divisions of the league. He was glad to welcome the representative of Messrs. Chubb, Wolverhampton, to the league. The league in its first season had created much interest in shooting, and the competition had done an enormous amount of good among various works concerned. He saw no reason why that interest could not go on, nor why they should not get several other firms to join them and stage as good a final as they did at Witton. They were very satisfied with the first year of the competition. The president (Mr. H. R. Bewley, of Midland United Newspapers Ltd.), wrote saying that the league had made an excellent begining and he offered his congratulations to the winners of the M.U.N. Shield (Rubery Owen and Co. Ltd.). He paid a tribute to the untiring efforts of Colonel Smith and sent his best wishes for another success ful season. Mr. Fred Moss, presenting the financial statement, said subscriptions amounted to £49 6s., the total income was £78 Is. 6d., and expenditure £54 17s. 6d., leaving a credit balance of £23 4s. It was decided that all clubs should shoot at 15 yards targets in the next competition. Replying to a suggestion that the league should be extended beyond the circulation area of the Midland United News papers Ltd. periodicals, Mr. C. .1. Andrew said he felt the president would be only too willing to agree to this' proposal because he had the interest of the league at heart and would regard it as beneficial to include any interested works club from outside the wide area already agreed upon, within a reasonable radius. * * Negotiations have been completed for the purchase of the rifle range equipment at Argyle Street belonging to St. Andrews' branch, British Legion, by St. Andrews R.C. This was intimated at the annual meeting of the club—Mr. A. Mathison presiding. Arrangements have also been completed for the use of the Lade Braes open range for competition in the S.M.R.C., Scottish League. Competition in the full-bore rifle competition has had to be abandoned, because the Pilmuir Links Rifle Range is being closed down. Office-bearers were appointed as follows ;—President, Mr. A. Mathison ; hon. secretary and treasurer, Mr. A. Fleming, National Bank ; match .secretary, Mr. P. Poison ; executive : Messrs. E. Drayden, W. Fergusson, J. Doig, J. Dalrymple, A. Thorn, A. Faux, and W. Robertson. * = f = * ■ Guildford and District R.C. shot their first match of the 1946 summer season against Weybridge R.C. It was a very enjoyable event, and the more so in the view of the Guildford club, on whose ranges it took place, because for the first time since early in the war all 12 firing points were in use at once. Teams were eight aside, the best six of each to count. Guildford won by eight points. Scores :— 1,743—1735. On 22nd June the Guildford Challenge Shield is being put up for competition, open to clubs with headquarters within 12 m i l e s o f G u i l d f o r d . C l u b s i n t e r e s t e d a r e i n v i t e d t o g e t f u l l p a r ticulars from the hon. secretary of the Guildford and District R.C., J. H. Siggs, Talboys, Nightingale Avenue, 'West Horsley. * Lieut.-General Sir Miles Dempsey, whose home is in Crawley and who will be taking over the command of the Middle East next month, gave up a few hours of his leave to attend the first annual dinner of the Crawley and District R.C. He made one of his very rare speeches to the gathering in the Sun Hotel, which was presided over by Mr. Norman Longley. In introducing the General, Mr. Longley said that the members of the club greatly appreciated the fact that he had given up one of his precious evenings on leave to be with them at dinrfer,and felt it a great honour to have him to present the cups and prizes. In addition, they considered it a privilege to have him as their only life member.not just because he was a national figure where the Forces were concerned, but also because, having followed his distinguished career with the closest interest, they felt that his very life was an inspiration to all of them. After distributing the awards and congratulating each recipient. General Dempsey, who was given a particularly warm ovation, thanked the club for the honour they had done him in making him a life member and a vice-president. He was delighted it had so happened that he was in England that night and could be with them at that celebration. " Before I left Singapore in April," he went on, " I was able to fix up that match to which you must all be looking forward, between your club here in Crawley and a Battalion of the Northamptonshire R e g i m e n t s t a t i o n e d o u t t h e r e . Yo u w i l l b e g l a d t o k n o w, a s I w a s , that negotiations are going on and that you will be able to have your match with the boys soon. I think it would be a very good thing to keep up this sort of link, and have matches like this between the m e n o f t h e r i fl e c l u b s a t h o m e a n d t h e F o r c e s o v e r s e a s , " h e s a i d . " You have a very fine spirit here and it would create an excellent spirit abroad. I am very keen on clubs like this personally, and I think it would be a splendid effort if such links were kept up." After saying that most of those present had been through two wars now, the General said : " After all is said and done, you and I are really and truly men of peace, and we consider that the best way to prevent another war is to show the rest of the world—^by such things as rifle clubs—that we are always ready and prepared to defend ourselves. We are ever ready to defend our rights, and, although we have certain i ideals, we show the world that we are ready for any occasion, which may arise again. Our friends and comrades have died for those ideals, and now we say that we shall stand up for them by showing, in full measure, that we are not going to have it again. We should keep clubs like this going in the spirit which you in Crawley have achieved, so that they may train young people in that spirit; so that they might train the young men of England to shoot straight and to think straight. It is clubs like yours, with a spirit like yours," the General added, " which will play a very big part in preventing the o u t b r e a k o f a n o t h e r w d r. " WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSummer, 1946. T H E R I F L E M A N 49 In the Kcnnard Trophy shoot which took place at an open-air range at Falkirk last week. Miss J. Weir, Stirling Ladies, won the Ladies' Section with a score of 294. Mrs. A. J. Brunton. Falkirk Lord Roberts, finished second with 292. Other ladies' scores were : M i s s J . H e r b e r t ( S t i r l i n g L a d i e s ) , 2 8 8 ; M i s s C . M . M o r r o w ( B r i d g e of Allan). 288 ; Mrs. B. G. Given (Stirling Ladies), 287 ; Mrs. A. Herbert (Stirling Ladies), 279 ; Mrs. J. King (Bridge of Allan), 278 ; Mrs. W. King (Bridge of Allan), 274. F e l t o n a n d D i s t r i c t R . C . h a s h a d a v e r y s u c c e s s f u l s e a s o n . A team competed in the Second Division of the Northumberland County Small-Bore Rifle Association League, which came out top, never losing a match, and so winning the challenge shield and silver spoons. F e l t o n a c h i e v e d f u r t h e r h o n o u r s b y p r o v i d i n g t h e t w o w i n n e r s o f the competition for the highest individual aggregate scores of the season. First prizewinner was J. Temple, with an average score of 98.09, and second was R. Kidd, with an average of 97.909. A remarkable coincidence is that Mr. J. Temple won the same prize 10 years ago with exactly the same average score, when shooting for the East Chevington Club. Felton now has two teams competing for the Morris Cup and both have reached the second round. * * * The old A Company of llth Berks Bn. Home Guard, which now forms the Sunninghill, Ascot and Sunningdale R.C., held its annual general meeting in its own social clubroom which was pro vided and built by members of the club. It may be remembered by the club's friends, the Guards at Windsor, that the old A Company, llth Berks Home Guard gained some renown for its miniature range shooting, both .22 and .303, when its members won all the competitions in the sub-ai;ea, and in one case in the Aldershot area, from 1942 to 1944, but failed always to beat their old friends at the Victoria Barracks, Windsor. When the club was formed 12. months ago they had no accommodation and no site upon which to build a rifle range. After a good deal of searching a site was pro vided by the directors of the Ascot District Gas and Electricity Com pany. Three Nissen huts standing in the grounds of a large house in Ascot were then purchased, dismantled and transported to the new site and one of them has been completely rebuilt, attractively decorated, furnished and equipped with a bar ; this will form the social part of the club, and the building of the miniature range is now proceeding. The work has been done by the members them selves. * Members of Blackpool H.G. R.C., Drill Hall, Talbot Road, Blackpool, have noted with interest the popularity of miniature rifle shooting in Barrow and District. A few postal matches to bridge the time lag between the finish of the S.M.R.C. Winter League and the start of the Summer League would be welcomed by the Blackpool H.G. R.C., if one or two of the many teams in Barrow could find time for an additional match of this kind. In anticipation of a favourable response the following team averages are given for the guidance of club secretaries :—Teams of five, range 20 or 25 yards. A Team, 490 ; B Team 470 ; C Team 440. Cards and/or corres pondence to above address. * * * Recently, 34 members and friends of New Brighton M.R.C. enjoyed their third club social. More of these welcome breaks are to be arranged. Club members are busily engaged in practising for the club competitions, viz. : The President's ■ Challenge Cup and the Club Championship Cup. Vacancies exist for keen rifleme.n Contact Mr. C. V. Wernhan, 3, Evesham Road, Wallasey. * * * The winter season of the Association of Calder Valley Rifle Clubs closed on 22nd May with some keenly contested matches, and the successful teams are :—Competition 1 (side by side) : Halifax Post Office A (Eastern Section), and Wood Top A (Western Section). The individual top scorers are : H. K. Sutcliffe 990, F. W. Uttley 985, and J. Smith 977. * * * S m a l l - b o r e s h o o t i n g i n i s t h e b l o o d o f t h e N i c o l l family, who live at Mount Tabour, Kinnoull, Perth. Mr. J. D. Nicoll, who has just won the championship of Dundee and Angus ■ Association of small-bore rifle clubs at Dundee, makes shooting his hobby, and with over 30 years' practice behind him it is not surprising that he is an outstanding exponent. In 1937 Mr. Nicoll had a four months' trip to Australia, and whilst there took part in numerous .303 shooting competitions. Shooting with him at Dundee were his two sons, A. J. and S. D. ; the first named, recently demobbed, has been shooting for ten years, and in 1942 won the championships at Glasgow. The younger son, S. D., has every appearance of up holding the family range tradition. The " Mason " Cup, which is being shot this year on a handicap basis is due to start, and is restricted to member^ of the Worthing M.R.A. only. It should prove to be a ver>' interesting competition. * * Chatsworth Rifle Club had a Gala night at Heene range recently when they held a novelty competition, followed by a supper. Mejsrs. Bevan, King, and Co^mbes were 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively, and M r. B e v a n r e c e i v e d t h e C l u b C h a l l e n g e Tr o p h y w i t h a r e p l i c a . * » Bridport H.G. R.C. has had a \ery successful first year's shooting. The club entered three teams in the Dorset Home Guard League, A and C teams finishing at the top of Divisions 1 and 4 re spectively, while B team was third in Division 2. In addition, A team were runners-up in Division 5 of the S.M.R.C. Winter League, making the excellent score of 493 out of a possible 500 in their last match against a London team. Individual scores were :— J. B. Bonfield 100, C. G. Little 100, W. H. Little 99, F. A. Sweet 98, A. E. W elch 96. * » » A growth in membership from 37 to 169 during the year was reported at the annual meeting of Messrs. Huntley and Palmers' R.C., held in the reception hall at the Factory, under the chairmanship of Mr. F. G. Yates. -The report, which was presented by the hon. secretary, Mr. A. Taylor, pointed out that the departmental com petition for the Howard Palmer Shield attracted 24 teams. It also stated that one of three teams entered in the Industrial League of the S.M.R.C. won their division, although none of the team had fired in this class of competition previously. » Barrhead have won the I.C.I. Shield Division C championship. County of Lanark League, and Dumbreck have won the Association S h i e l d f o r D i v i s i o n 11 , S e r v i c e s L e a g u e . » A meeting of the league was held at the Bull Hotel, Dartford, on 15th May, the chair being taken by Mr. E. A. Gates (Maidstone). Shields were presented to the winning teams of the three divisions. The presentation was performed by the vice-president, Mr. C. F. H. Bayly, first Kent winner of the King's Prize, and the winning team \vcre :—First Division : Dartford and Services R.C. ; runners-up, Plumstead Police ; Second Division : Royal Obser\er Corps R .C. ; runners-up, Dartford Services " B ". Open Sights Division : 57th Kent Home Guard (Northern) R.C. ; runners-up, 56th Kent " A." The winner of the individual championship of the league was Captain Hallam, of Tonbridge R.C., with an average score of 98.7 for 25 matches ; runner-up, Mr. M. Chitty, of Dartford Services R.C. There are now 42 members of the newly formed Hereford M.R.C., and there will be two practice nights at the Drill Hall range ; Monday from 8 to 9.30 p.m., and Wednesdays 7^.30 to 9.30 p.m. A well-attended extraordinary general meeting of the Canterbury R.C. was held at the County Hotel on 14th May, when it was decided to re-start the club and to carry on all its pre-war activities. In the absence of Mr. Vaughan Page, the chair was taken by Mr. N. Bear who extended a hearty welcome to the Mayor, who was elected president. In his report, the hon. secretary (Mr. J. A. Boyce) re called that the last general meeting of the club took place in February 1939 and firing continued up to September of that year. The club was 'then firing on the St. Augustine's range at 25 and 50 yards. When that range was taken over by N.A.A.F.L, it was found impossible to carry on, and firing ceased during the war years. In October of last year the club was fortunate to secure the use of the 24-yard range at the Drill Hall on Monday evenings. Office-bearers for 1946 were elected as follows at the annual general meeting of the Perth and District H.G. R.C. :—Patrons, the S Hor 1 ord Forteviot, Col. R. G. Dawson, Col. P. C. Hunter, Lt-Col A D. Hunter, Major J. V. Marshall, and Captain John Little -'nresident, Major F. B. Smith; vice-presidents, Mr. C. Brand and Mr J. D. Nicoll ; committee, Messrs. C. Campbell, D. B. Crockart P. S. Dow, J. Methven, A. B. Millar, W. Rattray, and Maior s' Henderson-; secretary and treasurer, A. D. Miller, 10, Fairies Road, Perth ; assistant secretary and treasurer, G. D. Dickson, "Rockbank," Murrayshall Road,^ Scone. Kettering has won the championship of Division 14 of the Midland Small Bore Rifle I^eague. They will receive a set of five medals and will' be entitled to shoot for the Pethard trophy. The winning team comnrised : F. Rabbitt, R. Tingle, J. Stanton, L. Parkes, and R. Cooper who defeated Biggleswade 382—358 in the final round. Kptterina's record was as follows Shoots 11, won 10, drawn 0, lost 1 • aggregate 4,219. Peterborough H.G. "B" team finished sixth 'winner of the individual averages of the best teii competitors WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK50 who shot in at least eight matches was R. Tingle, of Kettering, with a score of 94.6. J. Stanton, L. Parkes, and R. Cooper, all of Ketter ing, scored 93.28, 93.10, and 92.46 respectively. * • Dr. C. Heygate Vernon, who presided at the annual meeting of the Bournemouth and District Small-Bore R.C. held in the Winton Y.M.C.A., was re-elected president, and thanked for his services s i n c e t h e c l u b w a s f o r m e d i n 1 9 2 7 . T h e P r e s i d e n t s a i d t h e r e w a s a lively interest in rifle shooting but he deplored the lack of support f r o m t h e l o c a l a u t h o r i t i e s i n p r o v i d i n g s u i t a b l e a c c o m m o d a t i o n . Reports were presented by thehon. secretary (Mr. L. T. Mallett) and the hon. treasurer (Mr. F. C. Bright). The Vernon Cup for the club championship was presented to Mr. L. W. Avery, who also received the Maxwell Cup. Mr. R. E. Allfrey received the Lilliput Handicap Cup, and Miss E. Belben was presented with the ladies' cup. » It is interesting to hear that the Liverpool University R.C., which was suspended in 1939 owing to the difficulty of ammunition supply, will soon be revived. Membership will be open to both men and w o m e n , w h o w i l l c o m p e t e f o r t h e B e l l ' M e d a l a n d t h e L a d i e s ' M e d a l , a n d s h o o t i n g m a t c h e s a r e t o b e fi x e d w i t h t h e u n i v e r s i t i e s o f L e e d s , Manchester , Nottingham, and Sheffield. The W alnut Street minia t u r e r i fl e r a n g e w i l l b e u s e d , a n d , u n t i l t h e c l u b ' s o w n r i fl e s a r e r e turned by the War Office, arrangements will be made for others to b e a v a i l a b l e . I n s t r u c t i o n c l a s s e s a r e t o b e h e l d , b u t t h o s e s t u d e n t s w h o h a v e r e t u r n e d f r o m t h e b a t t l e f r o n t s t o r e n e w t h e i r s t u d i e s a t the University are not likely to need any instruction of this kind. * Competing in her first open contest, fifteen-years-old Miss Margaret Brown, of Perth City and County R.C., was successful in winning the ladies' open championship (Arthur A. Miller competition) in the three days' open meeting of Dundee and Angus Association of Small- Bore Rifle Clubs. The meeting was held at Midmill Range, Dundee. Gaining the same total—386 out of a possible 400—as Miss N. Kemlo, Montrose, Miss Brown beat her opponent on a hundred yards' shoot. She registered 99 points. Margaret, who has only been shooting 18 months, is rapidly following in the footsteps of her father, Mr. G. L. Brown, well-known marksman and president o f P e r t h C i t y a n d C o u n t y R i fl e C l u b . S h e w a s o n e o f a t e a m o f f o u r juniors of Perth clubs—all under 18—who recently carried off the British Junior Championship. About 70 teams competed in this contest. » * » The Chandler's Ford H.G. R.C., formed from members of " B " (Chandler's Ford) Company of the 11th (Eastleigh) Battn. Hamp shire Home Guard, came into existence on 5th January, 1945, and was probably one of the first Home Guard rifle clubs in Hampshire. Membership is between 40 and 50, and miniature shooting takes place one night weekly on a 15-yard range in a disused school. Full- bore shooting takes place at Romsey military range, usually on a Sunday morning, once a month during spring and summer. For .22 inch weapons the club depends almost entirely on those.issued from the T.A. (mostly Mossbergs), which are used " as issued." A team from the club entered the Southampton Rifle League (Home Guard division) and finished third, winning 13 out of 16 matches with an average individual score of 90.4 Difficulties in running a small club such as this, with no influential or well-to-do supporters, are many, but the committee are keen, and the standard of shooting is slowly but steadily improving. A member of the club, Mr. R. W. Hayward, was the winner of the " Scalp " competition organised by the Southampton and District Rifle League. * The Penzance .22 Rifle League have now completed the Winter Points League for the season 1945-46. The first place was obtained by the Penzance R.C. with an average of 569 and 36 points, and the second place by the No. 5 Platoon, " A " Company, Home Guard " A " team with an average of 557.8 and 36 points also. As this points league proved most successful, it is proposed to organise s o m e t h i n g s i m i l a r f o r t h e n e x t w i n t e r s e a s o n . * * * A meeting of the West Kent Rifle League was held at the Bull Hotel, Dartford, on Wednesday,j,15th May ; the chair was taken by Mr. E. A. Gates of Maidstone. The first business was the presen tation of the shields to the winning teams of the three divisions during the past winter. The presentation^was performed by the vire-president (Mr. C. F. H. Bayly), the first Kent winner of the King's Prize for rifle shooting, and the winning teams were :—First Division ; Dartford and Services R.C. ; runners-up, Plumstead Police. Second Division : Royal Observer Corps R.C. ; runners-up, Dartford Services " B." Open Sights Division ; 57th Kent Home Guard (Northern) R.C. ; runners-up 56th Kent Home Guard " A." It was announced that owing to the silversmiths having mislaid the league's own dies the hon. secretary had been unable to obtain the usual league medals for the winning teams, but as soon as they were obtain able they would be forwarded .to the winners. The winner of the Individual Championship of the league was Capt. Hallam of Ton- bridge R.C., who had an average score of 98.7 for 25 matches, and received a silver medal in place of the usual gold medal now un obtainable. The runner-up was Mr. M. Chitty of Dartford Services R.C. with an average of 97.9 for 26 matches. A request was made by some of the delegates for a competition to be held during the summer, but after a discussion it was decided that owing to various difficulties it would be better for the clubs to arrange friendly shoulder- to-shoulder matches with neighbouring clubs. After further dis cussion it was decided to try to arrange a One-Day Prize Meeting for members of the league clubs during July. The chief difficulty was to find a suitable range, but when a possible one w;is suggested —though unfortunately not very central—the hon. secretary was asked to arrange this meeting 'if possible. If it can be fixed up all clubs will be notified. A hearty vote of thanks—to be inscribed in the minutes—was passed to Mr. W. H. Bailey, the assist, hon. secretary, who had done all the scoring for upwards of 400 matches, and many appreciations were given of the businesslike and genial way he had c a r r i e d o u t m o r e t h a n h i s s t r i c t d u t y. * » The opening of the new range of the G.P.O. R.C. took place on Monday, 15th April, 1946. The range is located in Room 35, Base ment, King Edward Building, King Edward Street, E.C.I (nearest Tube stations, St. Paul's and Aldersgatc Street). Visitors should please ask the doorkeepier at King Edward Building to direct them. Tea was provided in the dance hall (Room 30) sub-ground floor, King Edward Building. The opening shot was fired by Mr. T. J. Gibson, vice-president and chairman of the Committee of the Asso ciation of Civil Service Rifle Clubs. A four-sided match took place for teams of six, representing the Association of Civil Service Rifle Clubs, Alexandra Palace R.C., Nortels R.C, and G.P.O. R.C. Each competitor fired 20-shots, 10 at each of two S.M.R.C. match cards, the first on a six-bull card, ten minutes being allowed for this detail ; the second on a.five-bull card—time limit, seven minutes. "Un limited " tickets (at 6d. each) were on sale and were placed on either or both of the above cards. All the takings were pooled and divided amongst not less than six highest scorers as shall be determined by the committee. A G.P.O. club medal was awarded to the highest scorer in each of the visiting teams. A Clay Disc Shoot, open to all riflemen present, concluded an interesting evening. * The secretary of the Hampton R.C., in a detailed review of the past year, stressed the progress the club was making and the many notable performances of its members. He mentioned that Messrs. L. Branscombc and H. Clyne had been chosen on several occasions to shoot for the county with rifles, Mr. Clyne for the county with pistols, and Messrs. F. Williams and A. Leighton to shoot for Surrey County with pistols. No less than 15 highest possible scores had been recorded by members when shooting in the various matches. In the all-England pistol competition, which was won by Mrs. Moorshead of the Twickenham Club, Mr. Williams was placed second and Mr. Clyne foiuth. A new cup had been presented to the club by Capt. E. R. Home-Gall in memory of his father who was one of the founders of the original club in 1903, and at one time editor of The Rifleman. This would be contested for by the novices. He also compared the prize list in 1944 (comprising The President's Cup and three medals) with the one on this occasion. Capt. L. W. Taylor (treasurer) reported that the club was financially sound, the balance being £56 8s. 8d. as against £22 15s. Id. in 1945. Officers elected for the ensuing year were as follows :—President, Mr. J. A. Gould ; chairman, Cr. W. J. Slade ; secretary, Mr. A. F. Wyatt ; treasurer, Mr. L. Branscombe ; captain, Mr. F. Gray ; vice-captain and match secretary, Mr. H. Clyne ; committee, Mrs. P. Monk, Messrs. G. H. Austin, S. Tapley, F. Williams, F. Wood, A. H. Tilbury, and Master G. Branscombe. Lord Birdwood, in presenting the prizes, emphasised the important part marksmanship with rifles had played in the British Army in various campaigns, and thought the whole country was indebted tp the various small rifle clubs. * * * The annual general meeting of the Kodak R.C. was held in the club room on 25th April, about 20 members attending. The election of new officers created keen interest owing to the resignation of Mr. H. E. Rogers from the office of secretary, which he has held for ten years. The Kodak R.C. owes much to Mr. Rogers during these ten years, which have included the difficult war years, for he has been a keen worker and spared himself no effort for the benefit of the club. Although we are.sorry to lose his work, we feel he has earned a rest from responsibility, and we shall look forward to seeing his WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSummer, 1946. T H E R I F L E M A N 51 cheery face in the range as often as possible. We are of the opinion that rifle clubs near and far, who have had associations with Mr. Rogers during his term of oflice, will wish to join with us in thanks and good wishes. New officers elected as follows :—Chairman, Mr. K. N. Harris ; treasurer, Mr. J. A. Jertcries ; hon. secretary, Mr. G. Pither ; captain, Mr. A. Wheeler ; vice-captain, Mr. D. Rogers ; committee. Miss M. R. Coleman, Mr. R. Anderson, Mr. E. Johnson, Mr. J. Easy, Mr. C. Gramlich, and Mr. E. K. Miller. Mr. Pither has a high standard to maintain in following Mr. Rogers as secretary, and we all think he has lots of pluck and wish him-" Good luck." Two challenge cujjs have recently been presented to the club, one by Mr. McMastcr, until recently the Kodak Works manager, now deputy chairman of the company, and the other by the Kodak Recreation Society. These with the challenge cup presented to us some time ago by Mr. A. L. Addis, form a basis for some good competitions. » The annual dinner and prize distribution of the Sheffield and District R.A., combined with the City of Sheffield R.C., was hold on 15th March. Col. E. W. Wilkinson (president) presented the Association trophies and Mrs. Shaw those of the City of Sheffield R.C. Major R. W. Gleadow, proposing the toast of the Associa tion, spoke of the increased popularity of rifle shooting. In reply, Col. Wilkinson paid tribute to the work done by the secretary (Mr. D. Parkin) and treasurer (Mrs. R. B. Shaw), and said that with an open-air range available he looked forward to a successful future. In proposing the toast of the City of Sheffield R.C., Col. T. S. Smith said there would be no more war when every man and woman was .rifle-minded. His account of how he won the King's Prize at Bisley in 1939 was both interesting and amusing. The chairman (Mr. L. R. Wood) proposed " Our guests " and was replied to by Mr. A. Traies of the I.C.I., Birmingham. Songs and recitations which added to the success of the evening were provided by Mrs. J. Strafford, Miss Madge Tym, Mr. Chas. Metcalfe, and Mr. W. Holmes, with Mr. F. H. Singleton at the piano. * The first annual general meeting of the 3rd Bn. Herts H.G. R.C. was held at The Eastern Hotel, Hertford, with H. R. Turner, Esq. in the chair. Apologies of absence were received fVom Vice-Presi dents Brigadier J. A. Longmore, M.B.E., T.D., and Major G. Swann. The treasurer presented the balance sheet, showing a satisfactory balance on the year's work of £58 13s. 4d. • The chairman referred with regret the death of Lt.-Col. O. R,. McMullen, C.M.G., who had shown so much interest in the Home Guard and the Rifle Club. In reviewing the year's work he mentioned that membership had been up to 180, divided into seven sub-unit clubs at Bengeo, Staple- ford, Tonwell, Sacombe, Amwell, Hoddesdon, Rye House, and Datchworth. The club was affiliated to the S.M.R.C., the N.R.A. and the Hertfordshire Small Bore R.A. The club had the use of the Port Hill miniature range on three evenings each week and the use of a full-bore range each month. It was hoped shortly to have miniature ranges approved at Amwell, Datchworth, and Sacombe. Insurance had been effected covering all members against injury whilst on the range. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year :—President, Brig. Sir G. S. Church, C.B.E., A.D.C., M.'C. ; vice-presidents. Brig. J. A. Longmore, M.B.E., T.D., Majors G. Swann, W. E. Blackett-Ord, S. D. Palmer, C. A. Marquis, M.B.E., A. C. Elliot, M.C., C. C. Champion, D.S.O. ; chairman, H. R- Turner ; secretary, G. W. Brighten ; treasurer, H. R. Turner. ^ * At the annual general meeting of the L.N.E.R. Temple Mills R.C- it was unanimously agreed to present a cheque to Mr. H. J. Watts, retiring hon. secretary of the Great Eastern Railway Mechanics Institute R.C. Owing to a sale of property this club has lost its indoor range at Stores Street, Stratford, E.15, and the old club, to which Mr. Watts was for 20 years the hon. secretary, takes a fresh lease of life as the L.N.E.R. Temple Mills R.C. Mr. Watts' quiet efficiency and sympathetic personality are of the rock on which successful clubs are built. Faithfully he steered the club through the difficult war years of 1939-45, ably seconded by the assistant hon. secretary, Mr. R. Spalding. To his willingness and tact Harry Watts added the unswerving enthusiasm of a lover of sport, and he characteristically has offered to help the club still as far as he possibly can. We are pleased to announce that the S.M.R.C. have presented him with their Distinguished Service Award—the Double Ten-Year Bar. The presentation was made at the prize-giving at the club headquarters at the L.N.E.R. Wagon Shops, Ruckholt Road, Leyton, E.IO at the end of April. The first post-war general meeting of the Walthamstow Fn<;ign , R.C. was held at the Plough Inn, Wood Street, E.17. The secretary . read the minutes of the last annual general meeting, which were duly j passed and signed by the chairman (Mr. R. M. Davidson). The ' cash statement was presented for the period March 1941 to February 1946. Mr. R. W. Brown proposed and Mr. F. Man seconded tjhe I adoption of the accounts, and they were duly passed unanimously. The secretary gave the meeting a short report of the activities of the club during the preceding five years, and expressed on behalf of the club the appreciation of the services rendered by Messrs. Man, Brown, and Watts. The club also wished to convey their gratitude to mem bers on leave from the Forces for their team support, and in par ticular to Messrs. J. R. V. Brown and A. Thorogood. Mr. R. W. Brown proposed and Mr. A. Thorogood seconded that a vote of thanks be accorded the secretary for his services during the past five years, and this was carried unanimously. Election of officers :—It i was proposed by Mr. R,. W. Brown and seconded by Mr. C. Miller, I that the president and vice-presidents be re-elect^ en bloc and I w a s c a r r i e d u n a n i m o u s l y . P r e s i d e n t : M r . D . W h i t e h e a d . V i c e - i presidents : Messrs. Knell, Manning, Rogers, Abel, Davidson, Man, and Hackney. Treasurer : Proposed by Mr. H. J. Knell and seconded j by Mr. .E. Dumont that Mr. F. Man be re-elected and was carried i unanimously. Captain : The present captain not standing for re- I election was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his services, and i it was proposed by Mr. T. Stoffell and seconded by Mr. E. Dumont I that Mr. C. Miller be elected, and was duly carried tuianimously. Secretary : The present secretary did not offer himself for re-election, and it was proposed by Mr. C. Miller and seconded by Mr. F. Man I that Mr. E. Dumont be elected, and same was carried imaitimously, I and a vote of thanks accorded to the retiring secretary. A strong I committee was ttlso appointed. It was proposed by Mr. R. W. i Brown and seconded by Mr. T. Stoffell that the committee should meet the first Wednesday in each month, and was carried unanimously. It was proposed by Mr. C. Miller and seconded by Mr. F. Man that Messrs. R. W. Brown and T. Stoffell should represent the club at the Essex County Meeting, with full authority to act on behalf of the club, and the proposal was carried unanimously. Other questions i raised in connection with the insurance and repair of the 25-yard firing point, renewal of fencing, and the inclusion of other interest in the club activities were referred to the next committee meeting. » » The City of Birmingham R,C. is now alive again, and the range was re-opened for practice on Saturday, 6th April, 1946. It is hoped that members will respect the privilege extended by the management of I.C.I. Ltd. (Metals Division) to enable the range to be reached through the works and will keep solely to the road leading to and from the range, especially until certain fences and gates can be re placed, which were removed under compulsory war-time emergency regulations. There are over 70 members, and in order to give regular shooting to as many people as possible ten teams have been entered for the National League. The teams are five strong (all to count), but the reserves will also shoot a set of imitation match cards to show their ability. Practice and Trial Shoots are held on Saturday after noons from 2 p.m. to dusk. All who can do so are invited to attend, so that some indication of performances can be obtained to help in team selection. For this season it is suggested that teams shall be composed as far as possible, from the membership units of the various winter clubs, mostly because of transport difficulties. The tri^s on these two days will consist of a competition over the " Dewar Course " (two nominated targets at 50 yards and two at 100 yards). Entrance fee 6d. Prizes first and second and then on the " category " principle of every tenth place afterwards, according to the number of entries. There will be a monthly shoot-through-the-ranges on handicap terms arranged by Mr. Adderley. Entrance fee 6d. Nominated cards to be shot at any time during the month. It is suggested that a Disc Shoot shall be held once a month. Because of possible congestion, members are asked to be prepared to shoot " to the clock," i.e. seven minutes will be allowed for the firirig of each card of ten rounds. For those friends and visitors who wish to practise, but who do not feel that they can attend regularly enough to become members at 5s per annum, it is now arranged that such will be welcomed on payment of a range charge of Is. per person per day, which will cover the cost of targets and ordinary facilities. » * Scottish Meeting at Edinburgh.—Will the competitor who in advertently took away an Army 3-draw Signalling Telescope from the Competition Tent on Friday, 21st June, at the Scottish Open Meeting please return same to W. E. Brooks, " Prospero," Heath Road, Runcorn, Ches. 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