Wonderful afternoon today at Whittington Barrack for the first ever Navy Field Gun Run in Staffordshire. We were treated to a walk through demonstration of the field gun run followed by a full real time run involving 18 personnel taking about 90 seconds to put it together move it take it apart put it back together fire 3 rounds, move it again fire another 3 rounds swap the wheels whilst holding it all in the air and run it to the finish. a massive amount of detailed jobs to do in a tiny amount of time. I have made this sound a lot simpler than it was and have probably missed whole sections out.
The team, we saw today competed last weekend and have trained outside their normal military medical work, during lunch breaks and after work.
SPRINT The field gun competition at the HMS Collingwood Open Day. Picture: Steve Reid (112037-884)
The history of the field gun run dates back to the Boer War and particularly the 119 day siege of Ladysmith, where defenders were helped enormously by the arrival of a Naval Brigade of 280 personal four 12 pounders and two 4.7inch guns. All of which traveled there by land having moved these guns over a number of physical barriers. All of the carriages and mountings had to be improvised there and then. Today we saw a display of the most recent type of race in which the gun is moved along a 85 yard track and then back again. To say is was amazing is an understatement, it was a fantastic display of precision and physical ability.
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