The complete annual for 1946 of the wartime journal issues of the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs

< Previous38 T H E R I F L E M A N Spring, 1946. H . I n c e a l s o t o o k t h e S . M . R . C . C o u n t y S i l v e r M e d a l f o r 1 9 3 9 awarded to the best aggregate in the three stages of comp>etitors with county residence qualiﬁcations with an aggregate of 893 x 900. The gun score section of the Knock-out Competition was won by Woodall-Duckham R.C., who beat Weybridge R.C. 495—488 in the ﬁnal, and in the Handicap Section Weybridge R.C. triumphed o v e r G o d a l m i n g To w n H . G . 5 0 0 . 2 2 2 — 4 9 9 . 7 6 8 . Mention was also made of the fact that Surrey had retained the Marks Shield at our open meeting and had beaten Middlesex in a 5 0 - a - s i d e m a t c h b e t w e e n t h e l e a d i n g m e m b e r s o n a v e r a g e i n o u r respective Winter Leagues, Surrey 9810—Middlesex 9788. We planned to repeat this event this year and include Sussex in the match. To encourage representative pistol shooting in the County we had decided to award a County pistol badge to members representing their county and this would be'made retrospective to last year to beneﬁt the team that did so well at the Twickenham Pistol Meeting. The following officers were elected or re-elected :—Vice-Presidents, P. G. Richardson, Esq., E. G. Daw, Esq., Dudley Aukland, Esq., T. J. Gibson, Esq., G. F. Rogers, Esq., O.B.E., Air Vice-Marshal Sir Philip Game ; trustees, P. G. Richardson, Esq., F. Reed, Esq., E. Wallis, Esq. ; chairman, E. Wallis, Esq. ; captain, W. V. Knight, Worplesdon ; vice-captain, E. H. Buckingham, Famham ; hon. secretary, V. H. Gilbert, Ham and Petersham ; hon. treasurer, R. P. Haskell, Woodall-Duckham ; Advisory Committee representative, V. H. Gilbert, Ham and Petersham ; statistical ofﬁcer, G. Sanders, Ham and Petersham; hon. auditor, T. S. Macadam, A.C.I.S., A.P.A.A. ; committee—S.W. area, F. Kilbum, Famham, L. Winter, Worplesdon ; N.W. area, J. Stock, Weybridge, A. Coxon, Pirbright; N. area, A. B. McWade, Hawkers (Kingston), H. E. Lester, Cheam ; N.E. area, B. C. Wheeler, B.L. Wallington, W. H. Still, Croydon " A " Dist. Wardens ; S.E. area, not elected. Regarding the Summer programme, the meeting decided to run a short range league again with smaller divisions so that teams can meet twice and to increase entry fees by 2s. 6d. to cover the extra c o s t o f p r i z e s i n v o l v e d . ^ It was also decided to run an inexpert meeting for members in May, on the 18th and 19th, shooting at Ham and Petersham on the Saturday and at Worplesdon on the Sunday. The County open meeting was ﬁxed to take place at Ham and Petersham on the 20th and 21st July when a similar programme and even bigger prize list than last year can be anticipated. Will all sm al l- b o r e ri ﬂe m e n b oo k tb ese dates. The following amendment to Bye-Law 4 was approved. At the end of paragraph (b) add the words " and as deﬁned in 3(b) above." Afﬁliations now total 76 and any Surrey clubs not afﬁliated are invited to join or send for details of our Summer League with a view to early affiliation, to me—V. H. Gilbert, 180, Twickenham Road, Isleworth, Middlesex. Sussex County Small-bore R.A. County League. The presentation of trophies and certiﬁcates to the winning teams and the nmners-up were made by Lt.-Col. T. Sutton, M.B.E., the president, and took place at Highcroft Drill Hall, Dyke Road, Brighton recently. League tables Divisions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 :— Tr o p h y , d i v i s i o n The Daily Telegraph Shield. 13 Brighton B.B. Old Boys Chatsworth Brighton Crescent A Fittleworth A Midhurst A L e w e s A . . . B r i g h t o n E l e c t r i c i t y A . . . H o r s h a m A Eastbourne H.G. A Brighton Crescent B C r a w l e y a n d D i s t r i c t A Lancing H.G Chichester Police Wo r t h i n g P o l i c e Petworth and District A Brighton Electricity B Trophy : The Grirawood Cup. Southdown (Portslade) Southdown (W orthing) Lewes B Littlehampton A H o r s h a m B Brighton Police F i t t l e w o r t h B . . . Lindﬁeld S. W. L.D.p. Agg. 77 0 0 144079 7 ■ 4 3084072 74 3084063 7 43084051 73 4 0 64035 7340 64024 7 250 4 4022 7 1602 3988 DIVISION2. ' Cup. S. W.L.D.P. Agg. 77 0 0 14 4056 7 520 10 4022 752 0 104014 7430 8 401 1 72 5 0 4 3979 7 25 0 43875 715 1 33982 715133944 DIVISION 3. S.W. L.D.P. Agg. 7700144044 75 20104023 74 3084023 74 3083991 74 3 083967 734063990 7 16023939 7 07003879 Tr o p h y : T h e S o u t h d o w n C u p . DIVISION 4. S.W.L.D.p. Agg. S o u t h w i c k A 86 20 12 4582 Eastbourne H.G. B86 2012 4521 C r a w l e y a n d D i s t r i c t B8 53010 4541 We s t Ta r r i n g A . . . 8 53010 4508 Eastbourne Old T own H.G.8 4 4 08 4534 Handcross 8 44 08 4519 L e w e s H . G . A8 4408 4493 Midhurst B83 50 6 '4530 Littlehampton Police 5 32 06 2820 Brighton Police B 8 0800 3693 DIVISION 5. Trophy : The Popley Shield. S.W.D.L.P.Agg. Balcombe 761 012 3966 S h o r e h a m H . G . A7520103942 H a i l s h a m A 7520 10 3910 H o r s h a m P o l i c e743083922 L i t t l e h a m p t o n O l d S c o u t s A . . . 74 3083913 Petworth B724153897 S h o r e h a m P o l i c e 7 16 0 23805 Brighton Crescent C706113819 DIVISION 8. S. W. L.D.P.Agg. Midhurst C 88 0 0 164453 L e w e s H . G . B 8 ' 5 3 0 10 4416 S h o r e h a m H . G . B . . , 85 3 0 10 4335 H a i k s h a m B85 3 0 10 4321 Heathﬁeld84 4 084299 L e w e s H . G . C8 4 4 0 84263 Ve n a d v e n 8 44 0 8 4236 Littlehampton C 8 350 64353 Battle A8 2 6 04 3668 15th Brighton H.G. 817024173 Tables of the other Divisions will be given next issue. T h e E x e c u t i v e C o u n c i l w i s h t o t h a n k M r. S t a n d e n a n d m e m b e r s of the Petworth R.C. for holding a dance at Petworth in aid of the funds of the Association, and for raising from the proceeds the sum of £17. , The Executive Council wish also to thank Mr. G. Russell, of Eastbourne H.G. R.C., who has donated an antique china bowl to be known as " The Dragon Bowl," and is to be used as a trophy for Division 9 of the County League. Will club secretaries please note that the S.M.R.C. are not running a Summer League over 15, 20 or 25 yards ranges this summer. The county will enter a county team this year in both the County and B.S.A. Cup competitions. s. Wilts County M.R.A. In the second round of the knock-out competition a most interesting position arose ; Nondescripts (Biddestone) A and 8th Bn. Wilts H.G. (Salisbury) A scored an equal number of points, and in the resultant shoot-off the result again ended in a draw, 564 points each, and in the second shoot-off 8th Bn. Wilts H.G. won by the narrowest of margins, 1 point, the scores then being 580 to 579. The winners thus meet J. Coy. H.G. (Swindon) in the third round. S c o r e s : — FIRST SHOOT -OFF . 564 95 95 95 94 94 91 Nondescripts R. J. Hibberd F. B a r t l e t t R. G. Hibberd T. Ta y l o r A. Neal P. J . H . G u n t e r 564 97 96 95 94 92 90 SECOND SHOOT -OFF . 580 Nondescripts579 99F. G . B a r t l e t t . . .98 97 R. J. Hibberd97 97R. G. Hibberd...97 96P. J . H . G u n t e r97 96 T. Ta y l o r 97 95A. W . Neal ...... .93 8 t h B n . W i l t s H . G . G. E. Harrold E. H. White K. Bright ... J. Noyce L. A. W. Sankey J. D. Morton 8 t h B n . W i l t s H . G . , G. E. Harrold H. Stratton L. A. W. Sankey J. D. Morton J. Noyce E. H. White In the third round, 8th Wilts H.G., Salisbury, and J Coy. H.G., Swindon, ﬁred a tie of 566 points each, and the winner of the re- shoot will meet Devizes and Depot B in Round 4. Swindon G.W.R. a n d D e v i z e s a n d D e p o t A s h o t t w o t i e s i n t h e t h i r d r o u n d but Swindon G.W.R. won the third shoot-off by a margin of 14 points, and thus meet Marlborough in Round 4; Devizes A shot much below their usual standard. Nalgo A, Trowbridge and Wilts Constabulary, Trowbridge A, both won their fourth round matches, and these teams meet in the semi-ﬁnal. The remaining match in the semi-ﬁnal, which has become rather complicated due to the large number of ties, will be Swindon G.W.R. or Marlborough v. J Coy. H.G., Swindon, or 8th Wilts H.G., Salisbury, or Devizes B. Possibles were made by E. I. Day (Swindon G.W.R.) and W. H. Winchcombe (Devizes). Result of re-shoot :—Wilts Constabulary, Trowbridge, A v. Nalgo County Hall, Trowbridge, A ; Marlborough A v. Devizes and Depot B or 8th Bn. Wilts H.G., Salisbury, A. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSpring, 1946.T H E R I F L E M A N 39 L e a g u e c h a r t s t o 2 3 r d F e b r u a r y : DIVISION 1 S.W.D.L. P. Agg. Nalgo, Trowbridge 77 0014 4088 Constabulary, Trowbridge 7 50 210 4061 Marlborough6 4I1 93491 Swindon G.W .R.64 11 93479 I.H.W.S., Netheravon 63 I27 3439 Constabulary, Swindon 621 3 5 3446 N a l g o , T r o w b r i d g e , B . . .6 204 4 3429 R.A. School of Surv., Larkhill 3 T 0 2 0 1704 8th Bn. H.G., .Salisbury 5 104 22820 Devizes and Depot 6 I0S23414 Swindon Rocket Battery DIVISION2. 6 0 0 6 03300 S.w.D.L.P. tlli D e v i z e s a n d D e p o t B 6 6 0 012 I.H.W.S., Netheravon, B 54 018 2828 C o n s t a b u l a r y, Tr o w b r i d g e , B . . 5 4 0 18 2805 Nondescripts, Biddestone, A4400 8 2260 1 3 t h B n . W i l t s H . G . A53026 2791 We s t b u r y R . a n d S . A 52 0 3 4 2759 8 t h B n . W i l t s H . G . B 5203 4 2638 Constabulary, Salisbury, A 6 0 0 603174 Purton A5 0050 2664 5th Bn. H.G., Swindon, A 4004 0 2173 DIVISION 3. S.W.D. L.p. Agg J C o y. , H . G . , S w i n d o n , A 7 7 0 014 3903 I.H.W.S., Netheravon, C 760 12 3845 Marlborough B6 501 103275 Tr o w b r i d g e H . G . A6 402 83273 I.H.W.S., Netheravon, D 640 2 83063 C h i p p e n h a m A73 0 46 3690 Spitﬁre, Trowbridge, A 620 4 4 3051 Nondescripts, Biddestone, B6 I052 3026 5th Bn. H.G., Swindon, B 610522928 Westbury R. and S. B 5 1042 2560 8th Bn. H.G., Salisbury, C DIVISION4. 60 0 6 0 3101 S.w.D. L.P.Agg. Tu r l e i g h A 66 00 123146 K i n g t o n L a n g l e y A6 6001231 13 1 3 t h B n . H . G . , S w i n d o n , B . . 660 0 12 3103 South W raxall A5 3 0 2 62504 8th Bn. H.G., Salisbury, D ... 5 3 02 62477 8 t h B n . H . G . , S a l i s b u r y, E . . 6 20 44 2929 K i n g t o n L a n g l e y B 6 20 4 4 2864 L a c o c k H . G . A5 10 4 2 2420 8th Bn. H.G., Salisbury. F ..5 1 0•422340 Cholderton H.G. A 50 0 502333 Cholderton H.G. B 500502228 Yo r k s h i r e M . R . A . S H O R T R A N G E I N D I V I D U A L P O S T A L C O M P E T I T I O N . County Championship, 1945-46, First Stage scores of 300 to 296 ;— C. C. Sonley, East Hull, 300 ; J. W. Tweed, Bradford, 300 ; R. Barker, Wood Top, 299 : P. Smales, George Mann's, 299 ; J. Hustler, Leeds R. and R.C., 299 ; W. Jackson, Leeds R. and R.C., 299 ; F. W. Utley, Wood Top, 298 ; W. F. J. Tindall, Leeds R. and R.C., 298 ; W. H. Edmunds, Harrogate, 298 ; T. J. Wood, Brighouse, 298 : F. Timmins, Shefheld City Police, 298 ; G. F. Barker, Rotherham, 298 ; W. McCloud, East Hull, 297 ; F. Rogers, Hillsboro, 297 ; J. S. Grace, Bradford, 297 ; W. Aired, Bradford, 297 ; G. R. Wilkinson, Harrogate, 297 ; J. F. Barber, Maltby, 297 ; E. Barber, Maltby, 297.; R. Staniforth, Atlas and Norfolk, 297 ; C. W. Dunn, East Hull. 296 ; H. K. Sutcliffe, Wood Top, 296 ; G. W. Newsham, Hillsboro, 296 ; F. B i n g h a m , . D o n c a s t e r C o m r a d e s , 2 9 6 ; S . A i k e n s , D o n c a s t e r C o m r a d e s , 2 9 6 ; E. Bagley, Leeds R. and R.C., 296 ; H. V. Sheard, Leeds R. and R.C., 296 ; V. Free stone, Bradford, 296 ; J. Shaw, York L.N.E.R., 296 ; C. W. Wilkinson, Harrogate, 296 ; R. Monson, North Hull, 296 ; J. Hallam, Atlas and Norfolk, 296 ; F. Mortimer, A t l a s a n d N o r f o l k , 2 9 6 . Second Stage scores and prize list;— 1. C. C. Sonley, East Hull ("Scarborough Townsmen's" Challenge Cup and £21 302.2 2 . W . J a c k s o n , L e e d s R . a n d R . C . ( £ 1 ) 2 9 8 . 8 3 . T . J . W o o d , B r i g h o u s e ( 1 5 s . ) 2 9 8 . 2 4 . G . F . B a r k e r , R o t h e r h a m ( 1 2 s . ) 2 9 7 . 1 5 . W . H . E d m u n d s , H a r r o g a t e ( I D s . ) 2 9 6 . 9 6 . J . H u s t l e r , L e e d s R . a n d R . C . ( 1 0 s . ) 2 9 6 . 8 7 . W . F . J . T i n d a l l , L e e d s R . a n d R . C . ( 7 s . 6 d . ) 2 9 6 . 7 8 . F . T i m m i n s , S h e f ﬁ e l d C i t y P o l i c e ( 7 s . 6 d . ) 2 9 6 . 7 9 . W . J . T w e e d , B r a d f o r d ( 7 s . 6 d . ) 2 9 6 . 0 1 0 . P . S m a l e s , G e o r g e M a n n ' s ( 7 s . 6 d . ) 2 9 5 . 7 11 . F . W . U t l e y, W o o d T o p 2 9 4 . 6 12. R. Barker , W ood T op 291.0 Winter League, 1945-46. Final results :— DIVISION 1. East Hull Leeds R. and R.C. Bradford Shefﬁeld City Police Wo o d T o p R o t h e r h a m . . . Shefﬁeld Transport .. A t l a s a n d N o r f o l k We s t H u l l H . G . Hillsboro D o n c a s t e r C o m r a d e s Maltby C.D. S.w. L,D. p. Agg. 225034130.5 22 ' 17 50 34 12966 2216603213014 22 1660 32 12967 22139026 12949 2213902612932 22 10 102 2212945 22 8 13 1 1712672 227150 1412774 2251701012288 224 17 1 910987 224180 8 11 9 5 1 DINTSION 2. S.W.L.D.p. L e e d s A l p h a 20182036111 2 5 L e e d s R . a n d R . C . B2015 5030 11 6 1 5 R o t h e r h a m B2014602811 5 8 6 Doncaster20 II 9 0 2211 2 7 0 Scarborough20 10 9 121 11 4 9 0 Hull T ransport 201010 020 11 5 11 Kcighley 20 1010 020 10402 Jessops 20 S120 1611 3 5 5 Brighouse 20 7 13 0 . 14 11 2 6 0 S o w e r b y B r i d g e Wa r d e n s . . .20415 I 95733 Wa k e ﬁ e l d H . G2021804111 6 4 Wo r s b o r o u g h w i t h d r a w n . DIVISION 3. S.W.L.D. p. Agg. Harrogate 2018 203611 7 6 8 B r i t i s h G a s L i g h t C o . , H u l l 20 17 30341111 8 L e e d s H a r c h i l l s C o m r a d e s2014512911 4 4 3 Leeds R. and R.C. C 2012802411 4 1 2 W a k e ﬁ e l d H . G . B . . . 20101002011 3 0 7 Bridlington 2091011911 3 1 4 D o n c a s t e r C o m r a d e s B20 8 1201611 2 1 2 Ecclesﬁcld 20711 216 10768 Jessops B20 7 130 14 11 0 1 4 We s t H u l l H . G . B20614 0 12111 6 4 Wa k e ﬁ e l d H . G . C 200200010483 F i l e y w i t h d r a t v n . DIVISION 4. S.W.L.D.P. Agg. Shefﬁeld Transport B ti 201 1 4112707 Bradford B 2219303812768 Kimberworth221660321261 1 Malton 22 1570 3012634 B l a c k b u r n A i r c r a f t , L e e d s . . . 2215 7 030 12611 M a l t b y C . D . B 2214 802812413 Broadbents228 14 0 16 12360 Bradford Dyers 228 14 01612080 B.O.C.M., Hull227141 15 9998 Wa k e ﬁ e l d H . G . D 225 1701011 7 0 8 D o n c a s t e r B t 22 220 0410483 Birdwell Edmunds 22 2200 4 10438 DIVISION 5. S.W. L. D.P. Agg. Harrogate B 18 171 0 34 10436 Darton and W oolley 18162 0 3210364 L e e d s R . a n d R . C . D 18 12 6 02410O46 Scarborough B1899018.9983 Ecclesﬁeld B 1899 0189553 We s t H u l l H . G . C 1899 0 189463 Malton B :t. ... 18810 0166689 B.O.C.M., Hull, B18 414 0 -8 7493 B r a d f o r d D y e r s B 183 15069435 Wa k e ﬁ e l d H . G . E 18 3 150 6 9087 C. Laywood, Hon. Secretary. Trinity Hall R.C., Hanley, has decided to open the club to all women in the parish wishing to learn to shoot and it will be o]^n on Wednesday, 20th March, from 7 to 10 p.m. Mr. Reg Lewis, the club's competent instructor, will be on duty. There are also openings in the club for young men of 17 years and over. * * At the armual general meeting of the Norwich City Special Constabulary R.C., the Chief Constable (A. F. Plume, Esq.) was re-elected president. Other officers elected were:—Chairman, Chief Inspector J. L. Hanly ; captain, G. R. Bostock ; hon. secretary, Sgt. E. C. Storey. The retiring secretary, Insp. G. S. Sturgess, in making the annual report, said the A team had won the 19th Division of the S.M.R.C. 1944-45 Winter League, while the B team had won the championship of the 2nd Division of the 1944-45 National Special L e a g u e . A S p e c i a l s ' t e a m w e r e s u c c e s s f u l i n w i n n i n g t h e N.M.R.A. Lockhart Ross Cup, the ﬁrst post-war team competition run in the county. The members were greatly indebted to Mr. G. W. Cafferata for his kindness in loaning a .22 Walther automatic. This enabled them to ﬁnish second in the 5th Division of the S.M.R.C. Summer 1945 Pistol League, tieing on points with R.A.F., Halton, C, but losing to them on aggregate. Insp. G. S. Sturgess obtained the S.M.R.C. Mastershot Badge, G. R. Bostock, G. Carlick, C. H. Edwards, C. F. Greenwood, and E. G. Shave qualiﬁed for Marksman " A " Badges. The Club had afﬁliated to the N.R.A. and on the year's working there was a profit of £13, with a balance at the bank of £31. Our Contemporaries We acknowledge with thanks the receipt of the following N.R.A. Journal, The Sports Trader, Middlesex C.A. Journal, The American Riﬂeman, The Cadet Journal and The Globe and Laurel. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKT H E R I F L E M A N PA R K E R - H A L E SHOOTING EQUIPMENT AND CLEANING ACCESSORIES A B E O B TA I N A B L E T H R O U G H T H E S . M . R . C . B I S L E Y W O R K S , PA R K E R - H A L E LT D . , B I R M I N G H A M 4 . WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSpring, 1946. T H E R I F X E M A N41 Mr. H. G. Brown took the chair at the annual meeting of Heston and Hounslow R.C. at the Club range. Submitting the accounts, Mr. Bachrach (hon. secretary) said the club had had an eminently successful season and was now in a very sound ﬁnancial position. Asking to be relieved of the ofﬁces of chairman and club captain, Mr. Brown explained he was also actively engaged with the county association and would prefer to see other members take over the club duties. In his report as captain, Mr. Brown remarked that the club teams had shot splendidly throughout the year. Special con gratulations were due to the ladies who had won both the Hounslow a n d Di stri ct Sh o u l d e r-to-Shoul der League and the Sumnie rskill Bowl, this latter being competed for by ladies' teams throughout the countiy. The following ofﬁcers were elected for the ensuing year : Chairman, Mr. Fumeaux ; secretary, Mr. Bachrach ; club captain, Mr. Stewart ; ladies' captain, assist, secretary and match secretary, Mrs. Wilson ; statistical ofﬁcer, Mr. Brammer ; vice-captain, Mr. G. Flexmore ; ladies' vice-captain, Mrs. Mayor ; committee, Mr. Brown and Mr. Birdseye. It was suggested that it might be possible to strengthen the " A " team by combining the more capable shots of the existing " A " and Ladies' teams. This, however, was not considered desirable, as it would involve thebreaking-up of the present very successful ladies' team. It was ﬁnally agreed that a separate ladies' section be formed and that the teams should continue to shoot separately. A vote of thanks was passed to the ladies for their work throughout the year in providing teas at the club. ^ ^ An important step was taken by the group ofriﬂe clubs in the area of the 9th Wilts Battalion Home Guard, at a meeting of secretaries and ofﬁcials at the Cold Harbour Inn, Blunsdon, when it was decided to start a knock-out shooting competition on the indoor miniature ranges. Seven clubs will compete in home and away matches, to be concluded by the end of May, the teams to consist of ten men. the best eight scores to count in the competition. * » + Epsom Home Guard R.C. visited Dorking Home Guard R.C. and a most enjoyable evening was spent. Each side consisted of eleven members, and the match was decided on the best ten scores on either side. Congratulations to H. Day, of Epsom, who scored 99, and to S. C., Fuller, of Dorking, who scored 98. Dorking's strength imdoubtedly lies in the number of members with an average of 90 and over. Result of match ; Dorking won by 54 points. * J. Butcher of the Southdown (Worthing) R.C. heads the Sussex County League averages for the season. His average is 99.3. Second in the list is R. Cox, of Chatsworth R.C., with an average of 98.2, and ten other Worthing shots are included in the ﬁrst ﬁfty. Chats- worth, with an aggregate of 5,357, have won the Worthing League, Lancing H.G. being second.^ ^ ^ Mr. E. H. Bailey of the Borough of Wandsworth R.C., writes : " Should you have any enquiries from riﬂemen who are desirous of' joining a London club, we shall be glad to extend them a welcome, on our most central ranges at 25, 50 and 100 yards near Earlsﬁeld (S.R.) Station." * * The " Popley " shield trophy, for the 5th Division of the Sussex County Small-bore Riﬂe Association, has been won by the Balcombe R.C., members of which are to be congratulated on a ﬁne start towards regaining their pre-war skill and enthusiasm. The successful team included 82-years-fﬁd Mr. H. J. Martin, well known for his interest in the club, and Mr. C. W. Beimer, who has come to live in the village from London. Other members of the team were selected from Messrs. A. H. Coote (captain), J. Jeffrey, G. Vigar, L. Farmer, A. W. G. Smith, L. C. Duncan and R. Comber. , Unfortunately, during the competition Mr. Martin strained an eye, which will necessitate his retirement from riﬂe shooting. His skill and knowledge have been a great asset to the Club in the past, particularly during the long I period he was captain. To win the shield, Balcombe headed the 5th Division table of the League with 12 points. They shot seven m a t c h e s , w o n s i x a n d l o s t o n e . * The return Woolgar Cup riﬂe match between representative teams from the Portsmouth and District Riﬂe League and the Southampton and District Riﬂe League was ﬁred at Portsmouth on Saturday, 2nd March, when the scores were : Portsmouth and District League, 1,471 ; Southampton and District League, 1,423. * * On Tuesday, 5th March, Worthing put up a record score for the match against Petwoith. They got 1,943 points—an average of 97 per man—and beat Petworth by 33 points. Mullins, H. Walker and Bevan had possibles. v * * » Chesterﬁeld L.N.E.R. R.C. during its six years' existence has made consistent progress and has a ﬁne competition record. It has a pre sent membership of 70, including a number of promising young marksmen and several members of the recently opened women's section. Presentations of trophies, medals and certiﬁcates took place at the annual dinner held at the Station Hotel, Chesterﬁeld, on Wednesday, 20th February. Mr. F. C. Greasby was chairman, Mr. G. Freeman (president) proposed the toast of "The Club," Mr. W. Hart (hon. secretary) r< spending. The guests' toast was submitted by Mr. S. Bilton, and Mr. G. Pethard, M.B.E., the Secretary to the S.M.R.C., who responded, mentioned that the L.N.E.R. Club held a remarkably high position among the 4,300 afﬁliated clubs in the country. Entertainment was provided by Miss M. Cook, Messrs. A. Hardy, E. Holmes and C. Cooper, Mr. Cropper being the accom panist. Awards were ;— Freeman Trophy, Mr. W. R. Hart, Mr. S. Bilton ; Wick Cup Oaniors), Mr. W. Hart, junr., Mr. R. Pugh ; Hill Cup (handicap). Master J. Clark, Mr. H. Clark ; S.M.R.C. Winter League, Messrs. W. Hinksman, S. Bamett, H. Whitlam, R. Draper, A. Welton : S.M.R.C. Summer League' (runners-up), Messrs. S. Bilton, G. Fumi^, H. Clark, R. Hunt, W. R. Hart, senr., G. Freeman, Capt. A, Slack, R. Pugh, F. Garrod, W. Hart, junr., R. Draper, F. Watterson, W. Marriott, J. Kay, F. Jones ; S.M.R.C. Summer League, Juniors (winners), Messrs. W. Barker, D. Peters, M. Cowell, J. Hibberd and Master J. Clark (with special given by Mr. F. Hill). » * The 14th annual " Birmingham BLsley " will be held at Kingsbury Range, Warwickshii e, on Saturday, 15th June. The conditions for this .303 shoot are roughly as follows :—Seven shots to count at 200, 500 and 600 yarns, and ten shots to count at 300 and 600 yards. The aggregate of all the shoots will deciae the winner of the Birmingham Gazette Challenge Cup and medals. A substantial money prize list will be given, as in the past. This year competitors will be divided into two classes : Class 1—Those who have competed at an Imperial Bisley meeting prior to 1946 ; Class 2—Those who have not. The meeting will commence at 11 a.m., and ﬁiush at approximately 5 p.m. Competitors are expected from all over Great Britain, and it is hoped to have many new entrants, particularly forrner members of the Home Guard and the Services, and also present serving members. * The Windsor R.C. and the Windsor Liberal R.C. haye been taking part in a postal riﬂe shoot with the Chemsal R.C., Windsor, Ontario. In the ﬁrst match, between the Windsor club and the Chemsal team, the Canadians were in brilliant form, scoring 583 out of a possible 600, while Windsor scored 567, but in the second match Windsor Liberals were successful, scoring 577 to which Canadians replied with 571. In each match the teams were eight a-side with six to count. In the match with Windsor the ﬁrst marksman of both sides got a maximum score of 100, P. Foreman, for Windsor, and J. Hahburton for Chemsal. None of the Canadian team scored less than 94. In the Liberal Club match, the Windsorians did some brilliant shootmg, each man scoring 94 or more. The Chemsal men also ﬁred con sistently, but none made more than 96. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK42 T H E R I F L E M A N Spring, 1946. For the ﬁrst time in three years Wingham Division of the Kent County Constabulary has been defeated in the K.C.C. inter-division .22 shooting tournament. The ﬁnals were shot recently, with Tun- bridge Wells Division the winners and Wingham Division second. Ramsgate Division was third. Inspector Giles, of Ramsgate, with an average of 97.5, was fourth in the individual championship, with Police-constable Lutman and Police-sergt. Jarrett eighth and ninth respectively with averages of 97. Englishtown represented Coleraine district " B" Special Con stabulary in the ﬁnal shoot of the inter-sub-district miniature contest for County Loiidonderry at Upperlands on Monday, 24th March, as a result of a contest held in Coleraine. Th? results weie as follows; Englishtown, 383 ; Coleraine, 377 ; Portstewart, 372 ; Castlerock, 372 ; Ballinteer, 318. S.-cons. T. M'Mullan and J. M'Kirgan, both of Portstewart, and C. Hughes, Coleraine, had the best individual scores, with 65, 64 and 62 respectively. » * Eﬁbrts are being made to revive interest in riﬂe-shooting in the S t o c k E x c h a n g e . A t r i a n g u l a r m a t c h b e t w e e n t h e S t o c k E x c h a n g e R.C., City R.C. and Metropolitan Special Constabulary has been arranged to take place on 1st April at the City Range, Bishopsgate, at 6 p.m. Riﬂes and ammunition will be provided. Members and clerks interested should contact Mr. I. O. Capper, c.o. Messrs. Bis- good, Bishop and Strachan. » Teams from the Lytham St. Annes R.C. were victorious in a friendly riﬂe shooting match at the Manchester University range. The men's team won by 1554 against 1548, their scores being : R. Cookson 199, W. Jacklin 199, R. Hetherington 195, J. Mayor 194, A. Marsden 193, N. Simpson 193, N. Cooper 192, E. Yates 189. The women's team won by 1511 against 1493. Lytham scores : P. Cottrill 191, M. Holden 191, K. Yates 191, M. Brown 190, S. Yates 190, S. Loose 187, P. Kendall 186, N. Clarke 185. * * * Lady members are needed for the Croydon " A " District Wardens' R.C. At their fourth annual general meeting recently at Downsview Road Church, Mr. C. T. Dalton (chairman) said the ladies' team operated during the summer months. Mr. Dalton expressed the deep regret of the club in the untimely death of Capt. W. J. Goodman, M . C . , w h o w a s o n e o f t h e f o u n d e r m e m b e r s . H e o u t l i n e d t h e c o n tinued ﬁnancial success of the club year by year. In January, 1943, the assets were £10 5s., and today they stood at £135, a remarkable achievement for a riﬂe club in so short a time. There had been changes to the club's constitution, necessitated by the standing down of the Wardens' Service. Whilst the club retained its original name new members could now be enrolled without restriction. Mr. N. Hodges (captain) revealed that over 3,000 targets had been shot in the past year, 2,400 of them in competition for the ﬁve valuable trophies the club now possesses. Teams took part in twelve league competitions and obtained one ﬁist and second place. » * * When the House of Keys, Isle of Man, met recently, a deputation of the House went to interview the Legislative Council and discuss the Keys' rejection of the provision to allow open-air riﬂe range shooting on Sundays. Reporting back, Mr. E. W. Fargher said the Council disagreed with the Keys cutting this section out of the new Petty Sessions Bill. Mr. Fargher said there was a great deal to be said for the arguments used in the Council in favour of the facility for Stmday shooting on the range, and his own opinion was that the Riﬂe Association had to keep shooting to the forefront. A t e a m o f 2 2 m e m b e r s o f P e t w o r t h a n d D i s t r i c t M . R . C . w e n t t o Worthjng to shoot against a team from Worthing M.R.A. The Worthing team won by 1,943 points to 1,910 after the two lowest scores of each team had been counted out. Although the Worthing team won by 33 points, Petworth put up a very good performance, their score averaging slightly over 95. The average score for the Worthing team, which was drawn from ﬁve clubs, was a little over 97. * * * Women are becoming more interested in riﬂe shooting. This w^ the verdict at the aiuiual meeting of the Shefﬂeld and District Riﬂe Association. It was decided to form a women's section. Ofﬁcials invited members of the 15 clubs represented to help, with pick and shovel, improvements to an outdoor range at Birley Vale, Intake, negotiations for which were complete. Since the revival of the Association last June many successful competitions had been held, it was stated. The shoot for the Shefﬁeld Telegraph trophy produced a record entry, the Atlas and Norfolk R.C. winning again. Special attention was drawn to the prowess of the City of Shefﬁeld Police R.C., who won the Little London Shield, Walker Cup and Kelly Cup. Seventeen clubs arc now afﬁliated to the Association and the ﬁnancial position was stated to have improved considerably. Colonel E. W. Wilkinson was re-elected president, Mr. D. Parkin secretary, Mr. M. E. Shaw treasurer, and Mrs. Alexander publicity ofﬁcer. * At the meeting of Stratford-on-Avon Town Council on 12th March, Councillor S. C. Rosser again pressed strongly for information about the issue of civil building licences. The report of the Sanitary and Highways Committee stated : " The Town Clerk read a letter from the Stratford-upon-Avon R.C. asking if the Council would be prepared to grant a long lease of the disused gravel pit on the south of Evesham Road, near to the sewage pumping station, for the purposes of establishing a .22 riﬂe range, subject to the necessary range safety regulations being approved by the War Ofﬁce. It was decided to request the Riﬂe Club to arrange a short demonstration before the committee, with a view to ascertaining the nature and extent of the noise that the ﬁring would cause." * 4 : « N. Ackroyd (Croftfoot) scored the full 300 to lead the qualiﬁers in the ﬁnal stage of the County of Lanark M.R. Association Charity Cup Competition. J. A. M'lnnes (Croftfoot) and P. S. M'Kay (Glasgow Railwaymen) both scored 299. In the County Silver Medal two of the 16 qualifiers scored 300—G. A. Webster (Renfield) and C. M. Hutton (Dumbreck). Two ladies—Miss E. Key and Miss E. M'William (Croftfoot)—qualified in the first stage of the County of Lanark Declared Handicap competition. Miss Key, off 5, meets J. Hosie, Glasgow Specials (3), arid Miss M'William (5) meets J. W. Dow, Rutherglen (2). , ,1. » Col. C. L. Longstaff, C.B.E., T.D., D.L., has been elected chair man of the Staffordshire Riﬂe Association. The county full-bore riﬂe meeting is to be held on 22nd June. The date of the small-bore meeting will be announced later. Mr. Godwin has been elected delegate on the S.M.R.C. Advisory Committee. » Huntley and Palmers' Branch of the 7th Berks Home Guard Association held its second annual ladies' invitation night recently, at Huntlev and Palmers' Canteen. The visitors included the President of the Branch, Sir C. Eric Palmer, and Lady Palmer. During the evening the President presented the " E. A. Wrottesley " self- handicap shooting cup to Mr. G. Absolom. This Branch has now been in existence for over a year, and although the second ﬁnancial year has only just started, well over 100 members have already paid t h e i r s u b s c r i p t i o n s . * * * Reporting to the armual meeting of Tavistock M.R.C., Mr. T. H. Northcott (hon. secretary) said he thought the Home Guard section had been the greatest asset to the club during the year. The police section had shot for Capt. W. C. Perry's cup, which was won by Staff-sergt. J. Doidge's section, Whitchurch being the runners-up. A cup had also been given by Col. Liddell for competition among members of any section. Mr. W. Spry was the ﬁrst winner and Mr. F. Doidge was second. Fourteen prizes had been won by boys. The Liddell Cup was presented to Mr. Doidge and a certiﬁcate to Dennis Walters. Mr. C. E. Birkett (hon. treasurer) reported a balance at the bank of £19 3s. 5d. if * * We have been wondering if the activities of Creswell H.G. R.C. will stir the old members pf Worksop R.C. into action once more for at one time matches and club shoots took place both on the indoor and outdoor ranges with the utmost frequency and membership was steadily increasing before the war. The return match between the Creswell Home Guard R.C. and the L.N.E.R. (Chesterﬁeld) R.C. took place in the Drill Hall, Creswell, when some good shooting was witnessed. The visitors were the winners with an average gun score of 96, against the Home Guard's 84. The highest scores for Creswell were made by C. Rodgers with 95, S. Hague 91 and I. S. Noble and W. Glasby 90. The highest score for Chesterﬁeld and for the match was made by the oldest marksman shooting, Mr. Marriott, who, at the age of 66, scored a " possible." The winners of the " name your own start" competition were W. Glasby for Creswell and W. Hart, snr., R. Draper and F. Garrod for L.N.E.R. The visitors were entertained to a social evening at the Colliery Institute. Refresh ments were provided by Mrs. Machant, the stewardess, to whom thanks were extended. Mr. W. Glasby, the secretary, made the necessary arrangements. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSpring, 1946. T H E R I F L E M A N43 Lewisham R.C. gained ﬁrst place in the S.M.R.C. National Marks man Shield (1945) Competition ; 37 members qualiﬁed for the Class " A " Marksman badge, and eleven junior members qualiﬁed for the J u n i o r I s i a r k s m a n b a d g e . » » ' Although si,xteen cards have been shot in the Hurst Grange School Championship it is still impossible to say who will win the title. Several boys are shooting so well that only a few points separate them. A recent week's scores : Dick, 68 ; Usherwood, 67 ; Henson, 66 ; | Cameron, 65 ; Mclver, 65 ; Summers, 65 ; McKeith, 63 ; Peyrebrune, j 62 ; Morrison, 60 ; Gulliver, 60 ; Meikle, 57. At 2nd March, in the Scottish Police Handicap competition A. Hunter, Aberdeenshire, is leading with a score of 899 out of 900, ! J. A. Pratt, Aberdeen City, is second with 897, and C. Towns, also of i A b e r d e e n C i t y , h a s 8 9 5 i n f o u r t h p l a c e . i « « Glasgow Police are new British Police champions, having just 1 won the B.P.A.A. "short range championship by one point in a very ! closely contested match against City of London Police, who were j holders. The respective team scores were 589—588. A. F. Howat ; and A. A. Smith scored full points each for the winners. » * The newly-formed Stonehaven H.G. Association and R.C. visited , Aberdeen and had a shoulder-to-shoulder with their opposite number in the city. Although the Mearns team were beaten they put up a good show, and Dr. M'Pherson had the honour of being the highest s c o r e r w i t h 9 9 . G . E . C h a r l e s a n d J . S i m w e r e t h e v i s i t o r s ' n e x t best with 91. D. A. Allan and R. Inkson of the Aberdeen team were best with 98, and H. Hall and E. Davidson scored 96. » » * The 159 entries for the Aberdeen and District " pairs " knock-out handicap competition have now been reduced to eight. In the ﬁfth round there were 20 individual possibles, which included eight pairs with the maximum score of 200. J. H. Taylor and W. Gammack (Strichen) v. C. Boyle and F. Beaton (Banchory) and W. Gerrard and W. A. Maitland (Inverurie) v. G. Mearns and F. Henderson (Huntly), each had drawn matches with the possible score. * Lieut.-Col. T. Sutton, president of the Sussex County R.A., expressed the feelings of everyone present when he thanked the ofﬁcials of the Hailsham R.C. and their ladies for their efforts to make the 20 a-side match, Eastbourne v. Worthing, a social success at the new Drill Hall, Hailsham, on Saturday, 23rd February. Twenty-four people travelled from Worthing, 20 of them to shoot, and for their enthusiasm they won their match. There were, besides Lieut.-Col. Sutton—^who is an international shot, captain of England—three other international shots : Mr. and Mrs. Edyvean Walker and Mr. H. Yool, of Eastbourne. Shooting was varied, possibly too varied. Eastbourne's average was just over 95, and Worthing just over 96. Sergt. Bishop, of Hailsham, scored Eastboirrne's only " possible," 100 ex 100. Scores were : Eastbourne " 20," 1907, lost to Worthing "20," 1923. * » Last December there was a suggestion made that the Dunblane M.R.C. should travel to Perth to shoot their two Perthshire League matches shoulder-to-shoulder, which was readily accepted by Perth. To add to the enterprise, Stirling Ladies challenged Perth Ladies, and the whole affair was such a success that the Perth club promised to travel to Dunblane for the return matches in the League, and again also the Perth and Stirling Ladies could renew the acquaintance. That happened the ﬁrst Sunday in March, when the Perth Club arrived at Dunblane 22 strong, whereby a very pleasant afternoon and evening was spent. These are the things we live for, and if such were carried on to the top of the tree perhaps there would be " no more war." At 5.30 p.m. dinner was served in the Lesser Victoria Hall by the ladies of the Stirling and Dunblane clubs, who also provided all the eatables, and there was certainly nothing lacking. To put the menu in print would only make the teeth water. Come and join us at the next. The membership for the Dunblane club is only 2s. 6d. p.a. The party then retiu"ned to the range, and a pairs competition was carried through, after which the local ladies still saw theu way to provide " a wee cup in your hand " before the visitors left on then- long journey home on a wild, wintry night. Match results.—Dunblane A 482, Perth Ladies 460 ; Perth 492, Dunblane 486 ' S t i r l i n g L a d i e s 9 3 1 , P e r t h L a d i e s 9 1 8 . , • > Pairs Competition.—1 Miss H. Miller and'A- G, Walker 99, 2 Mrs. M. Brown and P. Lumsden97.6 ; D. Gowrie and Mrs. A. B.-Millar, 97.6. * Nominated by the British Government, Mr. Fulke Radice, principal. Post Ofﬁce Headquarters, has been appointed vice-director of the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union. This is the ﬁrst time that the post has been offered to Great Britain. The last two vice-directors were German. The appointment is made by the Swiss Federal Coimcil, and the directorship is always held by a Swiss. Mr. Radice, who entered the British Post Ofﬁce in 1911, won the King's Prize at Bisley in 1910, both the gold and silver medals, when still an undergraduate. He also shot for England. » A lesson from the war is that the Army needs a smaller and lighter riﬂe. A new small arm of this design, used e.xperimentally in the later stages of the war, may be issued generally. The metamorphosis of the British riﬂe from the long-barrelled, heavy weapons in use 40 years ag'o, to the short Lee-Enﬁeld and the still lighter weapon now on trial, will be complete. When the ﬁrst short Lee-Enﬁeld was adopted in the years between the Boer War and the 1914-18 war, an unofﬁcial trial at Bisley showed the discharge ﬂash in the dusk. The Hythe experts overcame the fault, and in the years 1914-18 the weapon was acclaimed the handiest ever used by British troops. Other inen armed with long riﬂes regularly threw them away when able to pick up short riﬂes. In still further shortening the barrel and reducing weight during the last war, the old ﬂash on discharge reappeared with its tendency to reveal positions. The new riﬂe, of about 71b. weight, also developed a heavy kick. This is coimtered by a rubber butt plate instead of a metal one. Both faults have been remedied and, with other improvements, the riﬂe is now, perhaps, the easiest to h^dle and the least burdensome of any weapon which the soldier carries. * * At its annual meeting at the Jacklin Cafe, the Colchester R.C. had before it a proposal that endeavours be made to procure an indoor range. At the moment the Club is using the Colchester Royal Grammar School premises, but the ﬁnancial position is soimd, and already suitable premises are being considered, so in the near future the Club may boast its own range. * * To mark his completion of 25 years as secretary of the Montrose M.R.C., Mr. David Kemlo was met by members of the club and presented with a wallet containing £1 for every year's service. Mr. William Prain, one of the founders of the club and the oldest member, made the presentation. Appreciation of Mr. Kemlo's work was paid by Mr. J. Addison, Mr. A. Green, Mr. J. Ross and Mr. W. Addison (vice-president). After the presentation, a " smoker " was held. " The King " was proposed by Mr. W. C. Cameron, president, and " The Club " by Mr. G. T. Lamb. Mr. C. Johnston presided. » * * Blairgowrie and District S.rf.R.C. 's new range and clubrooms in The Croft were opened by Dr. William Shaw, ona of the hon. vice- presidents, who ﬁred the ﬁrst card. There was a company of 60, including visitors from Coupar Angus, Caputh and Murthly. Supper was served with Mrs. Oliphant and Misses Fender, Robertson and Cooper in charge. Members did most of the work of converting a stable into the new range, and Mr. J. F. M'Kellican acknowledged the assistance given by Dr. Shaw and Mr. W. R. Fordyce. Fifteen new members were enrolled. Mr. D. S. Ohphant presided. » » The Lowestoft club handicap certificates have been won by :— Daily Mail, E. Frost; Daily Telegraph, R. Hubbard ; " Charles Bell," B. Scarle ; News of the World, A. Folkard ; the ﬁrst and second cash prizes were won by R. Hubbard and A. Folkard respectively. A cup presented by Richards' Iron Works Sports Club, to be shot for by members with an aggregate under 95, was won by B. Jeffries, M. Bryant being the runner-up. Congratulations to Mrs. Keeble who is the club champion for the second year in succession. SURREY COUNTY S.B. RIFLE ASSOCIATION will hold an Inexpert Conﬁned Prize Meeting On 18th MAY (AT HAM AND PETERSHAM) and 19th MAY (AT WORPLESDON) also an Open Prize Meeting On 20th and 21st JULY At HAM AND PETERSHAM Book the dates and write for Programmss to V. H. GILBERT, 180, Twickenham Road, Isleworth, Middlesex WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK44 T H E J O F L E M A N Spring, 1946. " The Croydon ' A ' District Wardens' has so much to commend itself by the good work and progress it has made in such a short time," said the president, Mr. F. C. Savage, J.P., when proposing the toast of the club. The 1942 club average of 88 had jumped to 95, and the lowest team level of today equalled the highest of 1942. He praised the efﬁciency of the secretary, Mr. W. Still, and -congratulated Mr. N. Hodges (captain), who has wonamastershot badge. He hoped the loyalty and enthusiasm of members for their club would continue. In reply, Mr. . Hodges felt very proud to be captain of the club. He regretted that Jerry Palmer, principal agent in starting it, was not present to witness the success, as he wasr serving in H.M. Forces. Under the skilful guidance of the chairman and the co-operation and loyalty of the members, he could foresee a happy and prosperous future for the club. A toast to the visitors was proposed by Mr. Dalton (chairman), and the reply came from S.-sgt. H. R. Cofﬁn, who said, " 1 have spent many happy evenings at your range in C^ueen Mary Road. I wish you every success in competitive shooting in the New Year and always." Special mention of the captain, vice-captain (Mr. F. C. Savage) and secretary was made by Mr. E. de Cossio in his toast to the ofﬁcers. " We owe him a lot for our wonderful shooting today," he said, when speaking of Mr. Still, the hard-working secretary, who also acted as treasurer, scorer and " maid-of-all-work." He presented Mr. Hodges with a gift. » * Sir Guy Garrod, who has been made an Air Chief Marshal, was a marksman of international repute in his earlier years. He was one of two Oxonians who ﬁgured together in the King's Prize at Bisley, where he won a silver medal. The other man was Corporal Radice, who won the gold medal. Air Chief Marshal Garrod has lately been Allied Air Commander in South-East Asia. Service in Oxford University O.T.C. determined him to adopt a Service career. His ﬁrst choice was the Army, but he soon switched to the Air. When the Oxford air squadron was formed he longed to get back to the University. His wish was fulﬁlled in 1928 when he was posted to the unit as Chief Instructor. His chief riﬂe honours were to shoot for England at Bisley and for Great Britain in Australia and South Africa in 1920 and 1921. Members of the North Hull and West Hull Home Guard R.C.s held a dinner at the City Hotel, Hull. Before presenting the prizes. Major R. W. Gleadow spoke of matters of interest to riﬂemen, and mentioned the bottlenecks in the industry which were causing the holding up of supplies of ammunition and riﬂes. He also reported that efforts were being made locally to provide better ranges, and mentioned that accommodation was being provided for lady " riﬂe m e n . " P r i z e w i n n e r s w e r e : — North Hull Championship Cup. R. Monson ; Thorney Cup. Mrs. G. Sleight ; Johnson Cup, E. Sleight ; Lillo Trophy, G. E. Lawrence ; Grand Trophy, R Monson ; Pearson Cup and medal, A. C. Robinson ; runner-up medal, B. Clarke. Certiﬁcates were also received by Messrs. Wilkinson, Donoghue, Slater, Neilson, forth, Horner, V i c k e r s a n d A l t o n . Thanks were extended to Mr. G.,C. Pollard for the arrangements. Those present included Mr. W. McCloud (secretary of the East Yorkshire R.A.) and Mr. F. Robinson (chairman of the organisation). * * Members of the Coventry and District S.B.R.A., formed just over a year ago, held their ﬁrst annual dinner at the White Lion Hotel, with their president, Mr. Harry Weston, in the chair. During the evening Mrs. Weston handed trophies won during the 1945 league contest, to the following winners :—Division 1, Styvechale A ; Division 2, Styvechale B ; Division 3, Daimler C ; Division 4, Styvechale C. Mr. H. Matt (Styvechale) received a medal for the highest individual aggregate—691 points in seven matches, an average of 98.7. The toast of " The President" was proposed by the chairman (Mr. E. Morris), and Mr. Weston, responding, predicted a successful future for the Association. Mr. Matt, proposing " The Association," said the standard of riﬂe shooting had greatly improved during the past year. Mrs. Hawkins (Victoria Ladies' R.C.) replied, and appealed to more women to take up riﬂe shooting. Mr. S. T. Shipway (Modern Machine Tools), vice-chairman of the Coventry Association and representative on the County Association, said the Coventry Asso ciation had recently joined the Warwickshire County Association as an associate member. A number of individual clubs had also joined. This meant that the County Association cohld pick from the clubs a team to represent the county. KEIGHLEY RIFLE CLUB An interesting photo taken before the trophies were presented. Back row (ieft to right) : Messrs. B. E. Rogerson, M. Bergson, E. Martindale, E. Bagley, E. A, P. Stanier (Vice-Presidents), R. Henfrey (Hon. Troas.), J. Roe (Vice-President) Front row : Messrs. A, V. Jagger, A. Walbank, F. Picklos (Hon. Sec.), A. T. Hanson (President), Det. Insp. Woolcott (Chairman), R. S; VVilkinson and G. Shore (Vice-Presidents). WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK45 At the N.I.P.O. Miniature R.C. lirst annual general meeting, in the absence of the president, Mr. E. E. Harper, Regional Director, Post Ofﬁce, Northern Ireland, who was unable to be present, the vice-president, Mr. R. H. Clay, M.C., Head [Postmaster,-,BeIfast, presided. The chairman of Committee (Mr. L. A. Burke) commented on the amount of hard work the committee had done,in organising the Club's activities, and urged members to continue'their support when the new committee took over. The secretary (Mr. J. C. Patterson) outlined events that marked the progress of the Club and referred to the success of the two teams now competing in the Ulster Association of Miniature Riﬂe Clubs' winter league. The treasurer (Mr. J. A. E. Hill) presented the balance sheet, which showed that the club is ﬁnancially sound. The manner in which he kept and presented his accounts received high praise from the auditor, Mr. J. F. Lisney. Mr. Clay complimented the ofﬁcers on their good work and said that the progress of the club had been very satis factory. He recommended occasional summer events to renew old acquaintances. The following officers were elected for 1946 :— President, Mr. E. E. Harper ; vice-presidents, Messrs. R. H. Clay, M.C., Capt. H. A. Berry, E. G. Trim, and G. H. Blease. Com mittee—Hon. chairman, Mr. L. A. Burke; hon. secretary, Mr. J. C. Patterson ; hon. treasurer, Mr. J. A. E. Hill; hon. club captain, Mr. W. H. Adair, and Messrs. W. J. Hall, C. J. Hicks, J. A. Houston, J. Kerns and W. M'Clay. » » Mr. T. Walker, Scottish representative of the S.M.R.C. and international small-bore shot, gave a talk to members of Kingussie and Kincraig R.C.s. Mr. Walker, after a lucid address, was the " target " for many questions, to all of which he gave helpful replies. Later he demonstrated what he had preached on the range—scoring a possible. Tea was served at an interval by Mrs. Ramage, Misses B. and W. Macdonald and Miss E. Clark. Mr. Walker, introduced by C. R. Burrows, captain of the club, was thanked by Mr. J. McCor- mack. The riﬂe club continues to ﬂourish, the standard of shooting improving as novices gain in skill and experience, while shortly it is hoped to challenge Kincraig in a continuation of pre-war rivalry. * * * At the armual meeting of Beaminster R.C. it was decided to again r e s u m e f o r m e r a c t i v i t i e s . O n t h e o u t b r e a k o f h o s t i l i t i e s t h e c l u b decided to curtail competitive shooting and to render all assistance possible instructing in the use of ﬁrearms. Ofﬁcers elected were : President, Lt.-Colonel H. L. Kitson ; chairman, E. G. Perry; secre tary, W. T. Rendell; treasurer, W. B. Cross; match secretary, J. W. R. Newman. It was decided to enter the various competitions organised by the S.M.R.C, including two teams in the National League. During the year competitioirs will be arranged for the president's cup and marksman's cup. In the hope of attracting new members various handicap competitions will be organised. If travelling facilities improve, " shoulder-to-shoulder" matches will be arranged with other clubs. In the meantime " postal matches " with other clubs will be welcomed. * * * A meeting of the members of the Salisbury M.R.C. was held at the Clubroom at the rear of the Market House recently. The previous meeting was held on 5th June, 1940, when it was agreed to hand the Club over to the Local Defence Force for training purposes. The premises having recently been handed back, it was decided to re-form the Club. Ofﬁcers elected until the annual meeting in Sep tember were as follow :—President, Aid. E. J. Case ; vice-presidents, the Mayor of Salisbury (Cr. H. Barber), Major-General Sir Horace de O. Martelli and Major-General G. F. H. Brooke ; club captain, Mr. L. F. Amey; vice-captain, Mr. A. Bowden; hon. secretary, Mr. C. J. Hyde; hon. treasurer, Mr. H. Newstead ; match secretary, Mr. A. F. Rigani; handicapper, Mr. V. R. Parish ; i.e. ammunition, M r. A . B o w d e n . T h e t e m p o r a r y c o m m i t t e e c o m p r i s e M e s s r s . M. M. Burifﬁ, F. C. Smith, J. Shomey and J. Cook. It was decided to purchase two modem riﬂes for the use of members. The annual subscription was ﬁxed at 2s. 6d. » * * The increasing popularity of miniature riﬂe shooting in Barrow- in-Fumess was further evidenced on 28th March when the B.H. club's new 15 yards range was ofﬁcially opened before a large attendance by Mr. W. Killingbeck, J.P., vice-president. The new range is housed in the converted A.R.P. decontamination centre of the Barrow Hematite Steel Company's works, and the conversion was ' carried out by the members in their spare time. I * * * The ﬁrst post-war shoulder-to-shoulder match took place at Lochgilphead with the local club and resulted in a win for Oban and Lom. The ﬁrst six scores were Oban and Lom 567, Lochgilphead 559. The top scorer for Oban and Lom was Alex. MacLeod 99 and Lochgilphead J. MacLean 96. The Oban team was entertained to tea, when Mr. J. Graham Campbell of Shir\an, the Argyllshire hon. secretary, welcomed the visitors. » At Jhe aimual meeting of Shanklin R.C. at the indoor range recently, Lt.-Col. F. Greatwood, D.S.O. (president), presiding, members expressed dissatisfaction at the repair by the militar\- of damage done to the outdoor range. Mr. S. G. Heard (hon. secretary and treasurer), after reporting a satisfactory balance, said the military authorities had assessed the damage at £32 10s., but the committee e s t i m a t e d i t a t o v e r £ 1 0 0 . G r e e n t i m b e r h a d b e e n u s e d f o r t h e target stmcture, and this had warped. Whether the outdoor range would be functiomng by Easter depended on procuring suitable wood to put things right, but the indoor range ofiered perfect facilities.— The President, as the former commanding ofﬁcer of the local company of the Home Guard, thanked the club for offering its facilities to members of the company. Colonel Greatwood was unanimously re-elected president, and the vice-presidents were also re-elected. The ofﬁcers were elected as follow : Hon. secretary and treasurer, Mr. S. G. Heard ; committee. Major L. R. Swinhoe and Messrs. A. Tharle, M. F. Thatcher, M. W. Mundell, W. J. Simmonds, M. Silsbuiy, F. Hiscock and J. E. Cooper; captain, Mr. S. Jollifte ; vice-captain, Mr. W. J. Allum ; target scrutineers, Messrs. M. Silsbury, W. J. Allum and W. J. Simmonds; hon. auditor, Mr. H. H. Jago. * * » Derby R.C. is to hold a shooting contest with the Winnipeg R.C. o f C a n a d a . R e s u l t s w i l l b e t r a n s m i t t e d b e t w e e n t h e t w o c l u b s b y post. This was announced at the ﬁrst post-war aimual meeting of the Derby Club, at which Mr. W. C. Leech presided. Various com petitions were arranged, including a championship for a cup presented b y t h e l a t e A l d e r m a n R . B . C h a m b e r s . * » * The annual meeting of Hartlepool R.C. took place in the Naval Barracks, Hartlepool, recently. For the 33rd year in succession Mr. R. C. Smith (secreta^) presented the annual report, which was the 44th since the club's inception. He described the past year as a most successful one, the outstanding event of which was the return of the c l u b t o i t s f o r m e r h o m e i n t h e N a v a l B a r r a c k s . T h a n k s w e r e d u e to the ofﬁcers of the Naval base for their generous assistance, and to Messrs. Miles, Wallace, Syres, and Smith for their work in preparing the new range. Mr. Smith welcomed the return of four members from the Forces. He reported that 109 spoon shoots had been held during the year, resulting as follows : R. C. Smith 18, R. Syres 15, W. M. Scott 13, E. Miles 11, D. Barron 8, J. H. Smith 4, P. Iveson 4, H. Miles 4, C. Walker 4, J. Wright 3, T. Harding 3, W. Binks 2, J. Bantoft 2, D. Bottomley 2, W. J. Cook 2, Rev. H. Saxby 2, J. R. Allison 2, E. Sexton- 2, E. Horsley 2, and J. J. Syres, I. Innes, J. G. Goodwin, T. Harrison, M. Donaghie and C. Scott one each. The 1946 cham pionship competition would commence in the early summer. Thanks were extended to Mr. J. J. Syres and Mr. E. Miles for special work, and to the committee and members for their help. * * * Brigg S.B.R.C. members held their annual dirmer at the Angel Hotel recently. In his presidential address. Major Pigott said that this was in the nature of a victory dinner for the club, to celebrate victory over the forces of tyranny which had hoped to enslave the world. . He hoped that the victories the club would celebrate in future would be those in which the targets were of the regulation cardboard type. He emphasised that the social side of the club was almost as important as the shooting side, in that it enabled members (particularly newcomers) to become better acquainted and help foster the team spirit so essential in matches. He hoped this event would be the forerunner of many such gatherings. In a short speech, Mr. H. A. Peacock gave some details of the work of the Lincoln County M.R.A. He also said that all clubs in the county had been circularised about afﬁliation, and from the replies received the L.C.M.R.A. hoped to organise four leagues for the coming season, but only at 50 and 100 yards ranges. The "Green" trophy was presented to Mr. W. Robinson by Major Pigott for the Wghest score on two metric cards in a recent competition, Mr. Robinson's score was 195 ex 200. This was the ﬁrst time he had won the trophy, although he had previously been runner-up. An entertainment was provided by Mr. J. Benson. ^ ^ The high standard of shooting set up in 1945 by the Tring R.C. has so far been maintained this year. In the county leagues three out of ﬁve of the Club's teams are leading their respective divisions. This, on top of the S.M.R.C. league results, is very creditable. Foi^ teams won their respective divisions in the S.M.R.C. League, the Ladies' A team having the distinction of winning all their matchw. The " Hill Cup," presented by Mr. and Mrs. B. E. Hill, to be held WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK46 T H E R I F L E M A N Spring, 1946. by the lady making the highest aggregate throughout the year in competition shoots, was won appropriately enough by Mrs. Hill, with an average of 96.53. Mrs. Higgs, the 1945 holder, Wc^ runner- up, with an average of 96.24. In the National Team Handicap (own start) competition, our team—Messrs. Higgs, Pratt, Sinfield and Anderson—reached the eighth round and shared in the fifth prize. « * * Windsor R.C. have thanked their President for his continued interest and support. Also the Vice-Presidents, all those who have so generously given donations and prizes, and the oﬁBcials and members of the Committee for all they have done during the year. Especially in this connection mention should be made of Mr. T. F. J. Saunders who undertook the Match Secretary's duties owing to the inability of Mr. T. A. Mayhew to continue. Thanks are also extended to Messrs. S. A. Pascoe and D. Holtum for their continued help on the range throughout the year and also to those members who have made and given equipment to the club. The following for presenting challenge cups : TTie President (Major J. E. Ottrey), Brig.-General R. T. Pelly, C.M.G., and Mr. F. W. Simms. Also to Lieut.-Col. W. F. Crossen for his help on several occasions. The club is also grateful to Mr. E. Adlington, Youth Club Leader, for his co-operation and also to the local press for the assistance they have given in publishing the r e s u l t s o f t h e C l u b ' s a c t i v i t i e s f r o m t i m e t o t i m e . * « « In recognition of her ﬁve years' work as secretary to the Rotherham R.C., Mrs. V. E. Barker was presented with a riﬂe at the Brecks Hotel, Rotherham, recently, by the president, Mr. H. E. Brown. The S.M.R.C. will send her a D.S. badge. The club was holding its social and dance and during the evening the following prizes were d i s t r i b u t e d b y t h e P r e s i d e n t : — Yorkshire Individual Championship ; G. F. Barker (Rotherham), Scarborough C o r p o r a t i o n C h a l l e n g e C u p a n d C o u n t y S . M . R . C . s i l v e r m e d a l . Yo r k s h i r e L o n g Range League, Rotherham B (Division 2), B.S.A. Cup. Rotherham and District M.R.A. Individual Championship : 1 A. Tidd, Eccles- ﬁeld Civil Defence (" Mappin " Cup) and S.M.R.C. silver medal; 2 C. Boler, Rother ham ; 3 E. Walker, Rotherham (silver medal). H a n d i c a p I n d i v i d u a l C h a m p i o n s h i p : 1 W. M a l l o y, J e s s o p ' s ( " C l a r k e " C u p and silver medal) ; 2 Mrs. V. E. Barker, Rotherham ;■ 3 A. Todd (silver medals). Rotherham and District M.R.A. Summer S.S. League : Jessop's C, Division 3 and divisional winners, " Coward " Cup and ﬁve medals ; Ecclesﬁeld R.C. Civil D e f e n c e A ( D i v i s i o n 1 ) , " R o s e " B o w l ; F r e c h e v i l l e P o l i c e A ( D i v i s i o n 2 ) " Association " Cup. Summer Handicap League ; Maltby C.D. A, Division 1 and divisional wiimers, " Dickinson " Cup and ﬁve medals ; Thumscoe B, Division 2, ﬁve medals. Winter Handicap League : Rotherham B, League winners, " Rhodes " Cup and ﬁve medals. Rotherham Riﬂe Club Championship : 1 President's Shield and medal, G. F. Barker ; 2 Vice-President's Cup and medal, Donegal Badge, W. H. Fellows ; 3 Stenton Trophy and medal, Mrs. M. Stenton ; 4 AJbiston Cup and medal, Mrs. V. E. Barker. Ladies' Championship : 1 V. Cup and medal, Mrs. V. E. Barker ; 2 Brecks Cup and medal, Mrs. M. Stenton. Junior Championship ; Barker Trophy and medals, Roy Bakewell. Certiﬁcate winners, C. Rands, O. Boler (2) and W. Bayley. S.M.R.C. League, Divisions 4 and 10 : Rotherham A and B (ﬁve silver medals e a c h ) . N a t i o n a l L e a g u e r u n n e r s - u p , R o t h e r h a m A . At the annual meeting of the Rotherham R.C. at the Indoor Range, Canklow Road, Mrs. Barker (secretary) presented for competition to the captain (Mr. G. F. Barker) a cup given by Mr. and Mrs. Eden, of Rotherham, to be known as the " Ralph Eden" Cup, in memory of a young member of the club who died in the Services during the war. The president and vice-president were re-elected en bloc, other elections being : Chairman, Mr. W. H. Fellows ; treasurer, Mr. T. W. Dawson ; t r u s t e e s , M r. C . H o m e a n d M r. G . F. B a r k e r ; secretary, Mrs. G. F. Barker ; captain, Mr. G. F. B a r k e r ; v i c e - c a p t a i n , M r. C o o k ; a s s i s t a n t secretary. Miss Ford ; ranp ofﬁcers, Mr. C. Home and Mri E. Walker ; auditor, Mr. Stenton ; com mittee, Messrs. A. Markham, W. Bailey, A. Foster, H. Wilkinson, Rands, G. E. Hind and Mesdames Stenton and Rands. The gala was ﬁ.xed for 20th July, and the annual shoot between 8th and 23rd June. Mrs. Barker, in the annual report, said a decrease of £25 in cash balance was due to the erection of a building on the outdoor range and to shortage of ammunition limiting sales; 43,000 rounds of ammunition used in the last year was half the previous total. * * Leyland Motors, Lancashire, report that on Monday, 21st January, their Works R.C. Range was broken into and the following goods are stolen;—^Vickers Rifle No. V.3872-1, together with approximately 500 rounds .22 L.R. Ammunition. Information required by Mr. G- Barrand at above address. * + Reminiscences of the early days of '^e Weybridge R.C., now 45 years old, and formed at the begmning of this ceptury, were rdate'l to less than a dozen members gathered at the recent annual meetmg, by Mr. J. Clarkson, when he preseAted the past season s awards. 1 ne Club has had the good fortune to use a range at the Locke-^ng estate for many years, but in the early days the range was s tuated near the railway viaduct where the Brooklands racing tf ck f °ow placed. The riﬂe club's fortunes have rather ﬂuctuated during its career, and last year there were 26 members, and of these the Captain remarked that only one-third were active. The Hon. Trwsmer (Mr. S. C. Payne) presented accounts covering nine months—this was due to a change in the ﬁnancial year being agreed upon last year. £35 of the Investment Account was used in reconstruction worK at inc range, including the erection of a new shed. A new ^'t^tory Cup was purchased to commemorate the end of the war. On the general account there was a balance in hand of £8 17s. lOd., and a cred of £44 2s. 8d. on the Investment Account. The Captain (Mr. J. ^ Stock) considered it had been a successful year, but they ought now to develop more of the pre-war competitions and inter-club events. They ought to raise two teams instead of one, and also junior evOTs. The Secretary (Mr. E. R. Wallis), who entered his 20th year of said the club had become afﬁliated to the new N.W. Surrey Small-bore League, in which it was possible that eight clubs would compete. The Chairman (Mr. A. E. Dodd) thanked the ofﬁcers for their hard work during the year. The ofﬁcers were all re-elwted, and the Committee is to consist of Mrs. Stock, Messrs. Warland, Meredith and Lovelock. The latter is a junior member, the meeting agreeing to the proposal that the juniors should have their own represptative on the Committee. Mr. Clarkson presented awards for the past s e a s o n a s f o l l o w s : — Churchill Cup, Mr. E. Meredith ; Amiersley Cup, Mr. Payne ; TiU CuP,^-E. Wallis ; President's Coronation Cup, Mr. R. Murning ; Victory Cup, Mr. Payne , Thomas Shield and badge, Mr. Stock ; Club badge, Mr. Payne. * The Acoy Club has now entered its second year. The annual general meeting was held at the Central Hall, St. Albans, on 7th January, when almost 100 members attended. The autoed accoimts showed the club to be in a very satisfactory position indeed and an members as keen as ever. At the close of a very happy business meeting, everyone adjourned for refreshments supplied by the cluD. Doubtless it will interest you to know that the greater part of last year's members have paid their 1946 subscription and in addition several new members have been introduced so that we have almost reached our maximum, but we must have some good riﬂes to keep things going. R O T H E R H A M R I F L E C L U B WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSpring, 1946. T H E R I F L E M A N 47 About 150 members and their friends attended the dance of the SliefBeld and District R.A. at the Brincliffe Oaks Hotel, SheﬁReld, on 1st March. Most of the seventeen clubs afﬁliated to the Association were represented and, in addition to providing a most enjoyable evening, resulted in a small profit to the Association funds.—Fifteen clubs were represented at the annual general meeting held on 20th February. It was reported that the prize meeting, held in July, was most successful and that during the yeaf many keen competitions were held for the Association's trophies. The balance sheet showed that the ﬁnancial position was much improved. The suggestion to form a ladies' section was received with great enthusiasm. An open-air range at Birley Vale, Intake, has been acquired and with a little improvement will provide excellent accommodation for the riﬂemen of the district. The following ofﬁcials were elected for 1946 : President, Col. E. W. Wilkinson, O.B.E.; chairman, Mr. L. R. Wood ; deputy chairman, Mr. S. A. Thrussell; hon. secretary, Mr. D. Parkin ; asst. secretary and treasurer, Mrs. R. B. Shaw; registrar, Mr. G. White ; asst. registrar, Mr. W. H. Bellamy ; long range secreta^, Mr. J. Johnstone ; publicity ofﬁcer, Mrs. C. H. T. Alexander ; social secretary, Mr. F. Timmins. * * * The West Essex and District Riﬂe League is now halfway throng its ﬁrst season, the success of which has far exceeded the hopes of its founders. This league was formed in August, 1945, of ei^t clubs, afﬁliated to the S.M.R.C., seven of which are attached to Old Com r a d e s ' A s s o c i a t i o n s o f " J " S e c t o r ( L o n d o n D i s t r i c t ) H o m e G u a r d Battalions, the eighth being the riﬂe club of a Metropolitan Water Board Home Guard Battalion. A committee of representatives from each of these clubs, under the chairmanship of Major C. V. Sharman, M.B.E., framed the conditions of the competition, based on S.M.R.C. rules, and drew up a ﬁxture list which extended from October, 1945, to April, 1946. All clubs have entered one team in the First Division, and some a further team in the Second Division. The general standard of shooting is hi^ and rivalry is very keen, which gives the committee grounds for feeling that the League has already achieved its purpose of encouraging skill-at-arms in its locality. There are still vacancies for clubs to enter the competition, which is open to all ex-Service clubs (Home Guard, etc.), whose headquarters are in the South-Westem district of Essex. Applications should be made to the hon. secretary, Lt.-Col. J. Parr-Morley, The Drill Hall, Selsdon Road, Leytonstone, E.11. * * * " As long as there are riﬂe clubs this country will be better pre pared to meet the next enemy if and when he pops up on the horizon. By all means let us encourage the United Nations Organisation to preserve peace, but there is only one sure way, and that is to be pre pared to defend ourselves." Thus remarked 1^. E. H. Keeling, Mi.P., at the annual dinner of the Hampton R.C. at Nuthall's Restaurant, Hampton Court, on Friday, 25th January. Among the other guests were the Mayor and Mayoress of Twickenham, the Earl and Countess of Ypres, Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Cory, Mr. L. S. Hughes (secretary of the Middlesex S.B.R.A. and Twickenham R.C.), Mr. G. Pethard (Secretary, S.M.R.C.) and Mr. G. F. Booth (Member of the S.M.R C. Council), as well as the Ofﬁcers, Vice-Presidents and Members of the Club. Councillor Slade (chairman) read a letter of apology for his absence from Field Marshal Lord Birdwood, Patron of the Club, \yho sent his good wishes for a further prosperous Club year. Cr. Slade said he thought the Club was very fortunate in having Lord Birdwood as its patron. By the interest he had shown and the number of meetings he had attended. Lord Birdwood had demonstrated that his interest was sincere. Proposing the toast of the president, Cr. Slade said that by example and guidance Mr. Gould had proved himself to be infﬁspensable. His enthusiasm and drive had put fresh life into all members at a time when they most needed it. He had also been one of the main factors in the ﬁght that had been waged to make the Club a real success. The fact that the Club was now successful was due in great measure to Mr. Gould, and they hoped their President would long remain with them. Mr. Gould, in acknow ledgment, thanked the Chairman, and said that it gave him great pleasure to see such a gallant and representative top table. He welcomed everyone, especially the Mayor and Mayoress and Mr. Keeling, for he knew them to be very busy people. Referring to his reign as president, Mr. Gould said he thought it high time that someone else shouldered the burden and that the honour should be given to another. Thanking the Club's " right-hand man and chief organiser," Mr. Gould went on to say that Mr. Wyatt, their secretary, arranged all functions and carried out any task with efﬁciency and thoroughness. He was the man who converted the Committee's plans and schemes into workable shape and helped them on to success. They owed him a deep debt of gratitude. Submitting the toast of " The Club," the Mayor said that about 30 years ago he did some shooting practice on the range of the Hampton Hill Club. He used to keep his score c a r d s a n d s h o w t h e m t o h i s w i f e - t o - b e . W h e t h e r t h e s c o r e c a r d s " did the trick " he was not sime, but soon after he was accepted and h e b e c a m e a m a r r i e d m a n . " T h e m o r a l t o t h i s s t o r y w a s , " h e said, " you never know where shooting will lead you." He wished the Club many prosperous and happy years with its membership going from strength to strength. Rephang for the Club, Mr. G. H. Austin, senior Committee member, made an appeal for young members to come forward. " 1 ask you younger men," he said, " as one who is going downhill fast, to come along and help us. If this Club is to be the success it should be us old ones must have support ; we cannot carry on for ever." Mr. Wyatt, proposing " The Visitors," said that when the Club was formed members had not wanted it to be a riﬂe club only. Social activities had been visualised, and the committee had endeavoured to carry them through from time to time. He reminded the visitors that they would be welcomed not only at the Club's social functions, but at the range too, and he hoped that many would take advantage of the invitation. Replying to the toast, Mr. Keeling congratulated the President on having gathered together so many distinguished Twickenham personages. Referring to a sugges tion made by Cr. Slade earlier in the evening that the name ot the Borough of Twickenham should be changed to the Borough of Hampton Court, Mr. Keeling said he would do all in his power to help. Although few people realised it. the Borough of Twickenham had, perhaps, a closer connection %yith the highest direction of the war than any other place in England.. Twickenham was the H.Q. of the Home Forces during the early years of the war, and then later on the borough became the nerve centre of the 8th American Air Force and S.H.A.E.F. One day, Mr. Keeling said, he was m the smoking room of the House of Commons, and heard Mr. Churchill say he had just come from Twickenham where he had heard the latest news of the invasion. He had been at Bushy Park where the whole of that gigantic operation had been plarmed. Mr. Keeling added that he thought the riﬂe club was an admirable institution, and hoped there would be little difﬁculty in contacting the youth required. Capt. L. Whitworth Taylor proposed " The Ladies," and Mrs. Theodore Cory responded with a jocular reference to how well the men had put up with the ladies during the evening. An exc^ent concert, presented by Winnie Dale and members of her Red Rays Concert Party, followed. * * * Penzance R.C. shooting team visited St. Ives to compete with the St. Ives Girls' Training Corps. It was an exciting match. After the ﬁrst three shots, the Penzance team had gained a lead of 16poims, but this put the girls on their mettle, so that they had three ITO s (possibles) and one 99 for their last four scores, thus brmgmg them six points ahead in the ﬁnal total, and, cotmting the six best scores in each team, St. Ives G.T.C. won by ten points. * The British R.C., Alexandria have pleasure in presentiiig their annual report and the balance sheet for the forty-ﬁfth year since the club was founded. There has been a small increase m membwship to 58 in spite of losses due to members joining the Services. There has also been a larger number of shooting members ; the average tor each week on the range was 11.3. The average number of attendances per member for the competition shoots was 17.8. The aperture sight riﬂes were used throughout the season and the average score for 10 shots at 15, 20 and 25 yards was 273.7. The ﬁrst eight each week averaged 279.9. The shooting programme was well supported, the number of entries for club prizes being :—Tankards 59, spoons 25, medals—gold 6, silver 51, bronze 24. For handicap competition, a cup and miniature were presented by Mr. A. E. Mackinder and a tankard by Mr. P. D. Allen. The committee tendered their thanks on behalf of the club to these members for their generosity. Ihe club presented a silver cup. Prizes won on target scores were as f o l l o w s : — . Spoon : F. J. C. Melhuish. Club medals : Silver, D. Robertsom A^' bronze, F. J. C. Melhuish. Donegal Badge (presented by the National ■ minimum score, 285: 1945 D. Robertson Certificates of Miniature Riﬂe Clubs), minimum score 285 ; Bell : 1945 C. Morton. DjiI) An. 1944, D, Robertson ; 1945, A. Critchley. Daily lclegraph : 1944, P. D. Allen W5 D. Robertson. News of the World : 1944, D. Robwtson ; '^45 A. Critchley. The prizes presented for handicap competition were won by F. J. C. Melhuish, aeerage ..94, and miniature cup by Mrs. C. Lionnet, average 293._. j r The ﬁnancial position of the club has again improved and a foi ther L.E.KX). has been invested in 3 per cent Defence Bon^. When conditions permit it is our hope that the funds for a Club House will be available. The committee again wish to impress on members the necessity of persuading the younger JB^tBhers of the commumty of suitable age to join the club. The Military Jjf ™ ^ continued their facilities and are always helpful. Thanks are due to Messrs. Russell and Co. for their kindness m auditing the books and preparing the balance sheet. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKNext >