Portsmouth Field Gun
(1947-1999)

Died aged c. 52

The Royal Navy's field gun competition is a contest between teams from various 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 competition evolved during the early years of the 20th century. The "Command" format, negotiating walls and a chasm, was held annually at the Royal Tournament in London from 1907 until 1999, apart from the periods during the World Wars. The "Inter-Port" or "Command" Competition was contested by teams from the Royal Navy annually, and was a popular item at the Royal Tournament until finishing in 1999. The original "Command" Field Gun is still being run by civilians as Wellington College (cadet-size) and Portsmouth Action Field Gun (full-size). A second team, Eastbourne Youth Field Gun, established 2017 and also a cadet-size formation, is the newest field gun formation in the "Command" format. The "Brickwoods" Field Gun competition also started in 1907 after the donated a magnificent Trophy to the Royal Navy. This competition involving no obstacles and run on a flat track continues to be competed for on an annual basis at HMS Collingwood as part of the HMS Collingwood Open day. The Birmingham Tattoo, held yearly in the city of Birmingham, also hosts an inter-service field gun challenge as part of their programme. The format of the competition and drill, based on the Brickwoods competition, changes slightly due to the fact that the crews run on polished concrete surfaces. The track length is also fractionally shorter due to the size of the arena. A spin-off, the Junior Leaders Field Gun Competition, using the Brickwoods format, was held for the 1st time in 2007 and is still held today.

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