The 1885 Annual Volunteer Match
The date of the 25th Prize Meeting of the Nottinghamshire Rifle Association was announced from Regimental Headquarters on 26th June but was printed in the 3rd July edition of the Nottinghamshire Guardian.
The Nottinghamshire Guardian, Friday, July 3, 1885.
ROBIN HOOD RIFLES
HEADQUARTERS, NOTTINGHAM CASTLE,
26th June 1885
REGIMENTAL ORDERS
By Lieut.-Colonel Seely, M.P., Commanding
No. 1 — The Parades next week will be as follows:–
Tuesday, June 30th, Friday, July 3rd.
Battalion Drill under a Field Officer. Assemble at the Race Stand at 7.45p.m. Bugle band to attend. (Undress uniform.)
No. 2 — The Regiment will attend Divine Service at St. Mary's Church on Sunday next, the 25th inst. Parade in the Market Place at 9.45a.m. punctually. Full dress uniform, with side arms only, leggings and haversacks not to be worn. Band, bugles, and pioneers to attend.
No. 3 — Range - Registering Target Practice daily as far as practicable.
DETAIL. – Saturday, June 27th, Mullens' Team practice, 5 p.m. Monday, June 29th, Notts Rifle Association Competition. Thursday, July 2nd, Officers' Cup. Friday, July 3rd, Mullen's Team, after 5 p.m.
No. 4 — Members of the Corps who are willing, and competent, to join the Regimental Choir for the Camp Church Service, are requested to meet Quartermaster-Sergeant H. Gisborne, at the Armoury, on Monday next, the 29th inst., at 8.30 p.m.
By Order, P.H.DALBIAC, Captain, Adjutant R.H.R.
Details of the Prize Meeting were reported in the Nottingham Daily Express of Thursday, July 2nd, 1885. The report states that the match took place on Monday, June 27th; but the 1885 calendar has Monday as the 29th, which agrees with the details in the Regimental Orders above.
The weather on the day was favourable for shooting until mid-day, when the light became bad and a strong head-wind arose. The effects can be seen in some of the 500 and 600 yard scores listed.
Corporal G.E. Allsopp of J Company Robin Hood Rifles successfully defended his title from the previous year and collected the top prize and the Bronze Medal of the National Rifle Association giving him an entry into the Prince of Wales's Prize at Wimbledon.
Nottingham Daily Express, Thursday, July 2, 1885
NOTTS. RIFLE ASSOCIATION.
The twenty-fifth prize meeting of this association took place at the Town Butts, Corporation road, on Monday, June 27th, when the bronze medal of the National Rifle Association, and £40 divided into twenty-five prizes for Martini-Henry rifles, and five for Snider carbines, were competed for, the conditions being the same as in part 1 of the Queen's Prize, 1885, viz. seven shots each at 200, 500 and 600 yards, and in the carbine competition seven shots each at 200 and 500.
The weather in the morning was good and favourable for shooting, but after midday the light was bad, and many good men suffered thereby. The Bronze Medal was again won by Corporal G.E. Allsopp of J Company R.H.R (the winner of last year), with the excellent score of 95, Private Ashby and Corporal Loach coming within one point of same. Corporal Allsopp is now entitled to shoot for the Prince of Wales's Prize at the coming Wimbledon Meeting.
The competition was under the management of Surgeon J. O'C. Hynes, the hon. secretary, to whom the best thanks of all are due. The members were much pleased to find Captain Dalbian, the newly appointed adjutant, among the competitors; and that gentleman, although shooting in a very bad light, with a treacherous head wind, put in a place among the winners. The following are the highest scores in order of merit, and the prizes can be obtained on making application to Sergeant H. Davis, Milton-street, Nottingham.
| 200 | 500 | 600 | £ | s. | d. | ||
| yds | yds | yds | Ttl | Medal & | |||
| Cpl. GE Allsopp, J Co | 31 | 34 | 30 | 95 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Pte W Ashby, A Co | 32 | 30 | 32 | 94 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Cpl T Loach, C Co | 32 | 31 | 31 | 94 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Pte E Wilson, D Co | 30 | 32 | 31 | 93 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Pte HW Davis, C Co | 30 | 33 | 28 | 91 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
| Pte M Freestone, E Co | 32 | 31 | 28 | 91 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
| Sgt HK Derrick, F Co | 30 | 34 | 27 | 91 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
| Cpl T Vickers, G Co | 29 | 29 | 32 | 90 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Pte F Wise, E Co | 29 | 31 | 30 | 90 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Pte W Miller, K Co | 26 | 31 | 33 | 90 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Pte J Lee, C Co | 32 | 30 | 27 | 89 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Cpl J Ashworth, C Co | 28 | 30 | 30 | 88 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Pte NM Hobson, J Co | 30 | 31 | 27 | 88 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Capt. Mellish, 2nd Notts | 31 | 29 | 27 | 87 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Pte P Bentley, A Co | 31 | 30 | 26 | 87 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Cpl A Poole, K Co | 29 | 27 | 30 | 86 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Sgt G Carder, J Co | 32 | 29 | 25 | 86 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Pte H Brown, 2nd Notts | 29 | 32 | 25 | 86 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Sgt AJ Moore, K Co | 31 | 31 | 24 | 86 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Qtr-Mstr KA Cuckson | 29 | 30 | 27 | 86 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Lieut. Edge, 2nd Notts | 30 | 30 | 26 | 86 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cpl J Bamford, D Co | 31 | 32 | 22 | 86 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Col-Sgt W Jerram, A Co | 27 | 28 | 29 | 84 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Pte W Shelton, 2nd Notts | 28 | 33 | 23 | 84 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sgt WM Aldam, C Co | 29 | 25 | 29 | 83 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Pte A Sibert, H Co | 29 | 28 | 26 | 83 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Capt PM Dalbian, Staff | 30 | 27 | 26 | 83 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Sgt W Comery, H Co | 29 | 29 | 25 | 83 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Sgt E Dracott, K Co | 33 | 27 | 23 | 83 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 200 | 300 | |||||
| yds | yds | Ttl | £ | s | d | |
| Cpl H Allcock | 27 | 26 | 53 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Trooper G Kirkman | 32 | 18 | 50 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sgt WH Slater | 28 | 19 | 47 | 15 | 0 | |
| Sgt AC Bradbury | 25 | 21 | 46 | 10 | 0 | |
| Sgt-Mjr Adams | 30 | 15 | 45 | 10 | 0 | |
Transcripts from the Nottinghamshire Guardian 3 July 1885
and Nottingham Daily Express 2 July 1885
British Library Newspaper Archive