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The 29th Annual Prize Meeting 1889

The 29th Annual Prize Meeting of the Nottinghamshire Rifle Association was held in 1889 as noted by the Volunteer Corps Regimental Orders issued on 14th June 1889.

Nottingham Evening Post, Thursday, June 20, 1889.

VOLUNTEER CORPS
ROBIN HOOD RIFLES
REGIMENTAL ORDERS

By Lieut.-Colonel Wright, Commanding.
Headquarters, Nottingham Castle
14th June 1889

1. PARADES. - Tuesday, June 18th, Battallian Drill under a field officer. Fall in at the Race Stand 7.30p.m. sharp. Undress uniform with leggings. Bugle Band to attend; Friday, June 21st., the Battalion will parade outside Lenton Station for drill in Wollaton Park, at 7.30 p.m. sharp; undress uniform with leggings. Bugle Band to attend.

2. RANGE. - Monday, June 17th., 1st and 3rd class shooting only; Wednesday, June 19th, Notts Rifle Association; Thursday, June 20th, Left Half Battalion monthly competition; Friday, June 21st, 1st and 3rd class shooting only.
Registering daily, with the exception of June 19th and 20th.
The Range will be placed at the disposal of the Notts. Rifle Association on Wednesday, June 19th, when the annual prize meeting and competition for the bronze medal of the N.R.A. will take place. Entries to be made on or before 18th June to Sergeant H. Davies, 12, Milton-street, Nottingham.

By Order
Wm. Gambier Middleton, Captain R.H.R.
Acting Adjutant.

The competition took place at Nottingham butts on Wednesday, June 19th, in good conditions. The first report is from the Volunteer Record and Shooting News page 378 covering County information.

The Volunteer Record and Shooting News, June 29, 1889

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE.

The annual prize meeting of the Notts County Association took place on Thursday last. Owing to the fine weather with which the competitors were favoured, some very fine shooting was registered. The first prize and N.R.A. bronze medal, won by Pte. Leavesley, took a score of 98 to win them from Pte. H. Davis and Corpl. Ashby, who were close up with 97 each. There were twenty-five prizes, and no score under 86 came in the list. The following are the prize winners:–

Pt Leavesley98Sgt Davis89
Pte Davis97Sgt Harris88
Cpl Ashby97Sgt St Leo Smith88
Cpl Page95Sgt Aldam88
Cpl Bell94Lieut Hodgson88
Cpl Sewell94Sgt Loach88
Pte Marriott93Pte Smith88
Pte Sibert93Cpt Mellish87
Pte Groves92Sgt Poole87
Qmr-Sgt Jerram92Sgt Clayton86
Sgt Comery91Sgt Roe86
Sgt Draycott90Sgn-Mj Hynes86
Sgt Ashworth89

The Monthly competition of F Co. the Robin Hoods took place last week at 200, and 500 yards, seven shots at each distance. The principal results were as follows:– Sergt.-Instr. Hodgkinson, 61; Col.-Sergt. Newham, 59 ; Pte. Tucker, 58; Sergt. Sheridan, 55; Pte. Henley, 52 ; Sergt. Thompson, 52 ; and Corpl. James, 51.

The second report is from The Retford and Gainsborough Times and reads as if it was copied from one of the Nottingham papers, though no report has been located so far in them.

Further details of the shooting are given and a much more extensive table of scores with prizes won.

The Retford and Gainsborough Times, Friday, June 21, 1889.

Notts. Rifle Association.

The 29th annual prize meeting of the above association took place at Nottingham on Wednesday. The weather was all that could be desired, a slight wind blowing from the right rear, and the light being good throughout the day. The result was that some excellent registers were made, the shooting all round being equal to any that has previously been made on the range. Private J. Leavesley becomes the winner of the bronze medal, and is entitled to compete for the Prince of Wales's Prize at Wimbledon in July next. The conditions are seven shots each at 200, 500, and 600 yards. The following are the prize winners:–

 200 500 600 Tl.£. s. d. 
Private J Leavesley, 1st Notts
and Medal
32 33 33 98 3 0 0
Private H W Davis, 1st Notts 31 32 34 97 2 2 6
Corporal W Ashby, 1st Notts 32 31 34 97 2 2 6
Corporal S H Page, 1st Notts 31 33 31 95 1 10 0
Corporal J Bell, 4th Notts 29 34 31 94 1 10 0
Corporal T G Sewell, 1st Notts 32 32 30 94 1 10 0
Private E Marriott, 1st Notts 32 31 30 93 1 7 6
Private A Sibert, 1st Notts 31 33 29 93 1 7 6
Private W P Groves, 1st Notts 31 26 35 92 1 5 0
Quartermaster-Sergeant
W Jerram, 1st Notts
34 32 26 92 1 5 0
Sergeant W Comery, 1st Notts 28 33 30 91 1 5 0
Sergeant E Draycott, 1st Notts 29 34 27 90 1 0 0
Sergeant J Ashworth, 1st Notts 31 26 32 89 1 0 0
Sergeant H Davis, 1st Notts 29 32 28 89 1 0 0
Sergeant T Harris, 1st Notts 30 29 29 88 1 0 0
Sergeant St Leo Smith, 1st Notts 32 31 25 88 1 0 0
Sergeant W H Aldam, 1st Notts 30 33 25 88 1 0 0
Lieutenant T Hodgson, 1st Notts 32 31 25 88 1 0 0
Sergeant T Loach, 1st Notts 31 33 24 88 1 0 0
Private J W Smith, 1st Notts 34 30 24 88 1 0 0
Captain H Mellish, 4th Notts 30 23 34 87 1 0 0
Sergeant A Poole, 1st Notts 31 30 26 87 1 0 0
Sergeant W Clayton, 4th Notts 30 28 28 86 13 4
Sergeant J Roe, 1st Notts 28 32 26 86 13 4
Surgeon-Major J Hynes, 1st Notts 31 30 25 86 13 4

Meanwhile preparations for the great move from Wimbledon to Bisley were reported as well advanced in the Metropolitan Notes section of the paper by its London correspondent.

Nottingham Evening Post, August 10, 1889.

Preparations have already been begun for the volunteer camp on Bisley Common next year. The South-Western Railway Company are vigorously proceeding with the enlargement of Brookwood station, and the construction of a tram line from thence to headquarters, while the officials of the National Rifle Association are marking out the range, and settling the sites for the butts. The drawings for the permanent buildings are in a forward state, and I believe that when the volunteers and their friends assemble at the New Wimbledon next July, they will be equally astonished and delighted to find what a pleasant, convenient, and well-equipped home has been provided for the great representative volunteer body.

Transcripts from Nottingham Evening Post,
The Volunteer Record and Shooting News,
Retford and Gainsborough Times and Nottingham Evening Post
British Library Newspaper Archive