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Nottinghamshire Rifle Association

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Wimbledon Meeting & Volunteer News 1867

The Nottinghamshire Guardian of 22nd June 1867 carried details of the programme of shooting intended at the Wimbledon Meeting in the following month. The list of competitions includes several familiar names; but also some that have fallen by the wayside.

WIMBLEDON PRIZE SHOOTING.

The following are the days on which the prizes will be competed for:—
The shooting will commence on Monday, the 8th of July, at 10.30 a.m., on other days at 9.15 a.m.

Monday, 8th. Oxford and Cambridge Bronze Medal; Middlesex Bronze Medal; Tower Hamlets Bronze Medal; All Comers' County Match ; the Bass Prize; fourth series, extra prizes.
Tuesday, 9th.His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales's Prize; St. George's Challenge Vase, 1st stage; International Enfield Trophy, 3 p.m.; Alexandra, 1st stage, 500 yards; the Bass Prize, fourth series, extra prizes.
Wednesday, 10th. Queen's 1st stage, 200 yards; Alexandra, 1st stage, 200 yards; Daily Telegraph; extra prizes,
Thursday, 11th. Queen's, 1st stage, 500 yards; Alexandra, 500 yards, 1st stage; Daily Telegraph; extra prizes,
Friday, 12th. Queen's Prize, 1st stage, 600 yards; Alexandra, 1st stage, 600 yards; Albert, 1st stage, 200 yards; Carbine 1st stage; the Martin's Challenge Cup.
Saturday, 13th China Challenge Cup; Belgian Challenge Cup, volley firing; the Martin's Cup; Albert, 1st stage; extra prizes.
Monday, 15th. Alexandra, 2d stage, 9.15 a.m.; Dragon Cup, 10.30; Albert, 1st stage; Windmill, 1st stage; special prizes for Belgians.
Tuesday, 16th. Queen's, 2d stage; Albert, 1st stage; Windmill, 1st stage; Any Rifle Wimbledon Cup; special prizes for Belgians.
Wednesday, 17th. Albert, 2d stage; Windmill, 1st stage; Five-grooved Rifle (probably); Rifle Oaks; Enfield Wimbledon Cup; Chancellor's Plate, Oxford and Cambridge; special prizes for Belgians (if necessary).
Thursday, 18th. Elcho Challenge Shield; Windmill, 2d stage; Rifle Oaks; extra prizes.
Friday, 19th. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge's Prize, second stage of breech-loading prize; Consolation Prizes; Henry Peek Prize; Dudley Prizes; Earwig, 2d stage; extra prizes (if necessary).

The Enfield Association Cup will be shot for every day during the first week; the Any Rifle Association from Saturday, the 13th, to Thursday, the 18th.
The first stage of the breech-loading prizes will be open from the 8th to the 18th inclusive.
Swiss Cartons prizes, the Running prizes and the Earwig, 1st stage, will be open from the 8th to the 19th inclusive.
The Ashburton Challenge Shield and the Spencer Cup be competed for either on the 16th or the 18th; early notice of the day finally fixed upon will be given.
Pools and Running Deer as usual.
Pool and sighting tickets shall be available throughout the meeting. The entries will close on the 22d inst.

The same edition carried a report which serves to remind us of the uncertain state of the realm. The 1865 Annual Volunteer Match report seemed to have been overtaken by the reporting of the riots accompanying the election that year (see the June 1865 page).

DUTY OF VOLUNTEERS IN TIMES OF RIOT.

The following is the memorandum addressed to officers commanding volunteers, and dated from the War Office :—
"1 Questions having arisen as to the power of the civil authority to call upon the volunteer force to act in aid of the civil power in suppression of riot and public commotion, and doubts having been expressed as to the duty of the members of the volunteer force if called upon, the following circular is issued for the general information of the volunteer force in accordance with the opinion of the law officers of the Crown.
"2. Her Majesty's subjects are bound, in case of the existence of riots, to use all reasonable endeavours, according to the necessity of the occasion, to suppress and quell such riots; and members of the volunteer force are not exempted from this general obligation.
"3. The civil authority is not entitled in any case to call upon or order volunteers to act as a military body with or without arms, in the preservation of the peace.
"4. Members of the volunteer force may, in common with all her Majesty's subjects, be called upon and required by the civil authority to act as special constables for the purpose of suppressing and quelling riots.
"5. In the cases of riots and disturbances not amounting to insurrection, and not having for their object the commission of felonious acts, or the subversion of the civil Government, special constables, whether volunteers or others, should not be armed with or use any other weapon than the ordinary constable's staff; and in such cases no volunteer should, when acting as a special constable, appear in his military dress.
"6. In cases of serious and dangerous riot, and disturbances — for instance, in case of insurrection or of riots having for their object the commission of felonious acts or the subversion of the civil Government — the civil authority may call upon and require her Majesty's subjects generally — including volunteers, to arm themselves with and use such other weapons of defence and attack as may be in their power, and may he suitable to the occasion and such other weapons may be used accordingly by her Majesty's subjects, including volunteers, according to the necessity of the occasion.
"7. Firearms should be the last weapon so to be called into action, and should be resorted to only in cases when without their use it would be practically impossible to quell the disturbance.
"8. All her Majesty's subjects, including volunteers, in acting either as special constables or otherwise for suppressing and quelling riots, are entitled to use and put in action such knowledge and practice of military discipline and organisation as they may possess, for the purpose of making their combined strength and the use of such weapons as the occasion may justify more effectual.
"9. Her Majesty's subjects, including volunteers, in cases in which it is proper for them to act for the suppression of riots, should act, if it be practicable, under the direction of the civil authority; but they will not be released from the obligation to use their reasonable endeavours for the suppression of riots and disturbances according to the necessities of the occasion, if magistrates should not be present or not within reach of immediate communication when any such occasion arises.
"10. In the event of an attack upon their storehouses or armouries, members of the volunteer force may combine and avail themselves of their military discipline to repel such attack, and to defend such storehouse and armouries, and for such purposes may, if the necessity of the occasion require it, use arms."

Transcripts from Nottinghamshire Guardian Friday 21/06/1867
British Library Newspaper Archive