. Everyone (except me) relishes the cry of 'Drill! In 1903, a party from HMS Excellent introduced an obstacle into their display. The Royal Tournament was last held almost 23 years ago before the tattoo was cancelled, amid reports that the services had become too stretched to spare the 2,500 personnel needed to put the event on for its usual three-week run. The gun display was turned into a competition and, each year, the big naval bases would recruit teams to heave the same guns over artificial walls and across a 28-foot 'chasm'. Nowadays runs in less than three are fairly commonplace. Due to the nature of this operation the railway was of little use, therefore the guns had to be manhandled over difficult terrain to be brought into action in many different engagements, eventually reaching Ladysmith after 120 days of blockade. ", Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Fortunately for the General, Captain P. Scott RN of HMS Terrible was a gunnery expert and he quickly designed a carriage that could hold 6 inch, and 4.7 inch, 12 pounder naval guns for transit and in action. Over in Portsmouth, the team is considerably older - many are in their 40s - but it includes many veterans of the Royal Tournament and six physical training instructors. Field guns are incredibly heavy and moving them is dangerous work. A field gun is a field artillery piece. This year Devonport broke the world record when they recorded a near faultless run of 2 minutes 40.43. The Naval Brigade consisted of 750 ratings and Royal Marines and fought with distinction in several parts of the country. In between is the rifled towed mortar; this weapon (usually in 120 mm calibre) is light enough to be towed by a truck or SUV, has a range of over 7.5km and fires a projectile comparable in destructive power to a 152 mm/155 mm artillery shell. The course was then negotiated in the opposite direction with the winner being the first crew to cross the original start line. Crews were permitted to use wires, ropes, spars etc to traverse the obstacle. From the start line in front of the Royal Box, the crews pulled the guns and limbers to the end of the arena where they turned and carried themselves and the equipment over a 5-foot (1.5m) wall. The Naval Brigade transported guns over difficult terrain and brought them into action against the Boers. The display was so popular that it was repeated in 1897 and subsequent years. As the evolution of artillery continued, almost all guns of any size became capable of being moved at some speed. This was exceeded in seven subsequent years and eventually in 1938 HMS Excellent achieved 1 minute 13.40 seconds. At the end of the two weeks field gunning, four trophies are awarded. After four consecutive nights, the winning crew will receive a trophy from the Queen and, perhaps, a drink from their commanding officer. With the displays of field gun drill now a firm favourite with the audiences at the Tournament, the first competition was staged in May 1907.
Coinbase Profit Calculator,
Plastic Vaults For Caskets,
Articles W
