Field gun competition

The Royal Navy's command field gun competition was a contest between teams from a number of 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 "Command" format, negotiating walls and a chasm, was held annually at the Royal Tournament in London solely as a public display and as recruitment purposes from 1907 until 1999, apart from the periods during the World Wars.

The origins of the field gun competition lie in the Second Boer War in South Africa.

In support of the British Army, the Royal Navy landed guns from HMS Terrible and Powerful to help in the relief of the siege.

For the final part of the journey, sailors from the Naval Brigade manhandled the guns over very difficult terrain.

A precursor to the competition lay in the presentation of Field Gun 'Evolutions' including one performed by Miss Weston's Naval Boy's Brigade from Portsmouth at the Royal Albert Hall on 21 October 1905 as part of the Centenary Commemoration of the Battle of Trafalgar.

The Interport ("Command") Field Gun competition was established in 1907 and was a highlight of the Royal Tournament until the Last Run in 1999.

Originally mounted on a black ebony stand, this was replaced in 1961 by the current polished wooden base.

The original stipulation by Brickwood that the trophy was only open to teams from within Portsmouth continued until 1975 when the competition was widened to include bases from around the country.

Before the First World War the competition was moved from the RN Barracks to Whale Island, where it continued until 1973; the following year it transferred to HMS Collingwood, its famously large parade ground reputed to have once held as many as 8,000 ratings is the perfect setting for the event.

At each performance of the Royal Tournament, two crews competed to transport a 12 pounder field gun and limber over a series of obstacles.

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 (1.5 m) wall.

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.

[4] Three Commands, Devonport, Fleet Air Arm and Portsmouth currently have associations made up of past members of their Command Field Gun Crews, since its demise in 1999 and a heritage centre and museum at Crownhill Fort, Plymouth is maintained and run by Devonport Field Gun Association.

The competition simulates the drill which would have been undertaken to bring a naval field gun into action during the march to Ladysmith.