PAGE 45
SHOOTING CLUB
Queen Victoria firing the opening shot at the new NRA Ranges on Wimbledon Common in 1860. She fired a single shot at 400 yards which struck “within a quarter of an inch of the dead centre”. The target is preserved at the Museum of the NRA. (Illustration courtesy of the Museum of the NRA)
It’s fair to say that target rifle shooting is currently a niche sport. But is hasn’t always been so.
In common with many shooting clubs, the trophy cabinet is a history book of antique silverware dating back to the earliest years. The oldest is the Lane Shield presented in 1884 by Capt. George Allen in memory of CH Lane MA (1859-65). Allen was CO of the Dulwich Rifle Corps and one of the cadets who competed in the 1878 Ashburton. The Christmas Cup is still awarded for the highest score in the PS Vets Competition. Hallmarked 1892, it cost five guineas and has been awarded 114 times. First in 1893 to GD Hindley (1881-90) and most recently to Neil Blaydon (56-62) in 2018. In 1936, the OA ‘B Team’ won the Public School Veterans Trophy. They were so pleased that they presented the NRA with a trophy now known as the Dulwich Challenge Cup. It is still awarded to veterans’ B teams during the Imperial meeting at Bisley. It seems to be the case that once you are a member of the OASC, it is a habit that is hard to break. Three OAs share the record for length of service: RDT Alexander (1893-96, OASC 1897- 1956), Gathorne Tuckerman (35-39, OASC 54-13) and most recently Kit Sturges (52-59, OASC 60-19). Collectively offering 180 years commitment to the club, 60 years of membership and marksmanship each. 2020 is the club’s 130th Anniversary, but activities and celebrations have been somewhat curtailed by the pandemic. All inter school shoots have been cancelled. However, we have managed to get down to Bisley on six occasions for practice shoots and to compete for some of the club trophies. Congratulations to Peter Hiorns* for bagging the Tuckerman Tankard and Alex Atkins (93-03) for the Sturges Shield. I am pleased to retain the Stringer Cup, first presented in 1936 (but engraved retrospectively back to 1927). Let’s hope the next 130 years kick off with a better season in 2021.
In the 1850’s, new rumours of an impending invasion by the French fuelled the Victorians to engage in amateur soldiering. The Volunteer Movement was resurrected, and they embraced the rifle as a natural successor to both the old musket and before that, the longbow as the national weapon. The National Rifle Association was formed in 1859 and Queen Victoria fired the first shot at their new ranges on Wimbledon Common on 2 July 1860. Dulwich was represented in competitions at the ranges. The College competed for the Ashburton Shield for the first time in 1878. A group of OAs joined other alumni teams for the Public School Veterans trophy match held on the same day. Enthusiasm for target rifle shooting grew significantly when the country witnessed the initial failure of the English Army in the Boer War of 1899. While the rifles were accurate, the army was seriously outgunned by the Boer Kommandos, who grew up hunting and riding. For them, target practice was a passion and a regular pastime. Their early success was due to a simple philosophy, ’shoot once and make it count’. Many were appalled at our standards of marksmanship, and moves were made to ensure the nation could form a creditable force against future adversaries. Amongst those who witnessed the need for improvement and were motivated to act, were Rudyard Kipling and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Kipling formed his own rifle club at Rottingdean and Conan Doyle founded the Undershaw Rifle Club in Surrey. Both men used their influence to promote the sport. By 1906 the NRA counted 302 miniature rifle clubs and 307 full range clubs. Numbers peaked during the First World War with 1900 clubs registered. The Old Alleynian Shooting Club was formed in January 1890 making it the oldest OA sports club. This was the same year that the NRA moved its ranges from Wimbledon to Bisley in Surrey. There were 17 founder members including FA Hirtzel (1882-89, OASC 1890-92), H Carpmael (1879- 87, OASC 1890-1931) and GM Stewart (1886-91, OASC 1890-93) all of whom went on to become Presidents of the Alleyn Club. To date, there have been 391 members of the OASC with an average annual membership of about 15.
Pete Leggett (68-76, OASC 76 - current)
*Peter Hiorns is an associate member, son of Roger Hiorns (71-78) (OASC 78-current)
Dulwich College cadets team shooting for the Ashburton Shield at Bisley in 1900 (Photo courtesy of the Museum of the NRA)
Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog