Brickwood maintained a close interest in the competition over the years. You have big blokes who do the heaving and lighter ones who do the dashing. Here is a recent video of this competition from 2013, Steadicam Gun Operator 1940 to 1946 - 2nd World War, therefore no Tournament, which recommenced in 1947. The teams would compete twice a day through the fortnight of the Royal Tournament and the results were signalled instantly to every ship in the fleet. American Reacts to The Royal Naval Field Gun Competition I am also surprised to discover that a third of the team are officers. Brickwoods Competition In the Royal Navy, nothing beats winning the Field Gun.'. Crews from Portsmouth, Devonport, Chatham and Fleet Air Arm competed at The Court until 1960 when the Chatham Crew withdrew from the competition. The Birmingham Tattoo, held yearly in the city of Birmingham, also hosts an inter-service field gun challenge as part of their programme. After four consecutive nights, the winning crew will receive a trophy from the Queen and, perhaps, a drink from their commanding officer. The course was then negotiated in the opposite direction with the winner being the first crew to cross the original start line. In 1900, the entire British Empire rejoiced after British forces, besieged inside the South African town of Ladysmith for 119 days, were finally relieved. The remaining three crews participated until the final Royal Tournament 1999. Each section is timed to the nearest one-hundredth of a second and at the end of the three sections the times are totalled. The course was then negotiated in the opposite direction with the winner being the first crew to cross the original start line. The "Brickwoods" trophy itself is a reproduction in silver of a 12-pounder field gun and a gun crew of seven sailors. In the final stage, the Run Home, men, guns and limbers passed back through the hole in the home wall and then the teams hook up and pull for home. The crew set up a wire and traveller so all 18 members of the crew and their equipment could cross the chasm. To excel at this sport, you require the explosive speed of a sprinter, the strength of a weightlifter, the precision of a ballerina and the pain threshold of a mother of 12. In a combined display, Seamen from HMS Excellent and HMS Victory took their guns over two walls and two bridges. There was never a shortage of volunteers - up to 300 for each crew. As the British Army was besieged by Boer fighters in the garrison town of Ladysmith, Natal, the Royal Navy landed guns from HM Ships Terrible and Powerful to help in the relief of the siege. The remaining three crews participated until the final Royal Tournament 1999. The dangers and the discipline, however, remained exactly the same. The second part of the competition (the Run Back) involved the crews taking all their equipment back over the 5-foot (1.5m) enemy wall and then back across the chasm. The names of the winners of the trophy are engraved on small shields up to and including 1961 and plates for winners since 1962. The competition simulates the drill which would have been undertaken to bring a naval field gun into action during the march to Ladysmith. However, this event would never have even started if it were not for a historic event, which happened 100 years ago: The display in its present competition form was started in 1907. inspired by the exploits of a Naval Brigade during the Boer War in 1899. In the final stage, the "Run Home", men, guns and limbers passed back through the hole in the home wall and then the teams "hook up and pull for home". Crews were permitted to use wires, ropes, spars etc to traverse the obstacle. HMS Collingwood cut that to 1 min 26.8 secs in 1962. HISTORY | royaltournament Why was the Royal Naval Field Gun Competition stopped? They were inconsolable. The Naval involvement in the Victorian campaigns usually involved the landing of the Blue Jackets of the Naval Brigade with their portable field guns alongside their comrades in the Army. The Brickwoods Trophy Competition sponsored by Whitbread was instituted shortly after its Big Brother, the Inter-Command Competition was first performed at Olympia in 1907. 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. The programme from the 1896 Tournament states: The guns are brought in and, after a short march around the arena, are cleared for action and one round is fired. On the night of Devonports last ever run the A Crew stayed in their mess for most of the day and when the moment came they all had tears in their eyes. In 1971 Brickwood's business was acquired by London-based brewers Whitbread & Co Ltd: The guns and limbers of a four-gun battery were taken over a four-foot wall in the arena at Islington. Nowadays runs in less than three are fairly commonplace. The average time for the Run Back was 60 seconds. Being a charity, it's been a real challenge, and a great triumph that we've got through to the millennium. Even the German super-heavy guns in World War II were rail or caterpillar-track mobile. The average time for the "Run Home" was 21 seconds. Everyone (except me) relishes the cry of 'Drill! The Royal Navy's command field gun competition was a contest between teams from three Royal Navy commands, in which teams of sailors compete to transport a field gun and its equipment over and through a series of obstacles in the shortest time. the Powerful heading for home and arriving in Portsmouth on the 11th April. Colonel Iain Ferguson, director of the Royal Tournament, expressed regret about the tournament's demise. The Royal Navy Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC) have taken over as the main event sponsor but the Brickwood's trophy remains. 1936 - No Competition at the Royal Tournament. Field Guns. 1912 - the chasm was replaced by a single ramp, for both the outward and homeward journeys. (The procedure adopted in the event of damage to the gun wheels). But when they signed the disclaimer they never expected a man would be killed in the toughest team sport in the world. It is all done in just over a minute. Since that year it has become customary to say that the Inter-port Field Gun Competition at the Royal Tournament is in commemoration of what Lambtons men of the Powerful achieved in saving the town of Ladysmith. The origins of the field gun competition lie in the Second Boer War in South Africa. From information I have gathered using my collection of Royal Tournament Programmes, the following years are quite relevant to the History of the Inter-Port Field Gun Competition. Posted by. The 1907 challenge involved a team of 17 scaling a five foot high obstacle on a 75 yard long course and returning. The chasm returned in 1913 and was extended to a distance of 30ft. 9-pounder and 12-pounder guns were used in the displays. Only two crews run during each performance. In 1900 following the relief of Ladysmith during the South African campaign, Seaman from HMS Powerful brought a 4.7 inch gun into the arena at the Tournament. Once all the crew and equipment were back on the home side of the chasm, the wire and traveller were dismantled and three more rounds were fired in a rear guard action. Starting from one end of the arena, the teams first negotiated an obstacle of planks fixed 18-inches from the ground. In a rearguard action enroute they have to overcome the same obstacles. The first men are hauled across, carrying 120lb wheels for the gun carriage. 1913 - the two ramps returned, with their gap lengthening to 30-feet, with both men and guns being required to cross the chasm by means of sheer-legs and a wire jackstay.