Mr. Waldorf Astor's Donation to the National Rifle Association
In early 1902, Mr. Waldorf Astor made a very generous donation to the National Rifle Association of £10,000 to be used to encourage the formation of civilian rifle clubs, which in the past few years had been growing in numbers. In present day terms this donation would be worth in excess of £1,000,000 and, depending on how you do the calculations, it could be worth much more.
Within the next two years, the fund was to create the Astor County Challenge Cup, first shot for at Bisley in July 1904, by the clubs who had previously competed for and won the county heats for the county version of the Astor County Challenge Cup.
Edinburgh Evening News, Thursday, 6 Feb 1902
The winter meeting of the National Rifle Association took place yesterday at the United Service Institution, under the presidency of Sir Henry Fletcher. The chairman said that in December last he received a letter from Mr. W.W. Astor, in which the writer said he recognised the value of rifle clubs, and offered to present to the association £10,000 for that purpose. The chairman went on to say that Mr. Astor's gift had been received, and the trust deed signed. A small committee had had the arrangements of the matter, and Mr. Astor had appointed two trustees, Dr. Conan Doyle and Mr. J. Adams. On behalf of the National Rifle Association, Mr Astor asked that he (the speaker) and Lord Waldegrave should be the other trustees.
The chairman also read the conditions attached to Mr. Astor's gift. One condition was that the annual subscriptions should not exceed one shilling. Mr. Astor wishes them to spend the money as speedily as possible, because he was anxious for the rifle clubs to be formed without delay. The chairman said the rifle clubs were still prospering, there being now 224 of them, with a membership of 18,000, affiliated to the National Rifle Association. Among the conditions were those — that members should consist of civilians or Volunteers, or Volunteers only, that they should undertake to use rifles of service pattern, and that the annual subscription should not exceed 1s a year.
It was added that a small grant might be made to any county rifle association through whose direct instrumentality a rifle club complying with these conditions might be established, to every club hereafter established complying with these conditions towards the initial equipment, but that, as a rule, an equivalent contribution would be required from the club, or from subscribers in connection with it. The gift was only intended to assist in the creation of rifle clubs, and not for the maintenance of existing clubs.
They proposed this year to give rifle club prizes at Bisley on a larger scale than last year. He had never shared the opinion of some people that these rifle clubs would interfere with men joining the Volunteer force. In a way it had helped the Volunteer movement very much, because it had brought forward men whom age or business avocations prevented from joining the Volunteer force, and now they had 18,000 men being taught to handle the rifle and to take part in the outdoor amusement of rifle shooting who would probably never have done so but for the formation of these clubs.
Sir Henry Fletcher wrote to Earl Roberts, head of the British Army, about the gift to the National Rifle Association. Earl Roberts in turn wrote to Mr. Astor to give him thanks for his substantial generosity.
Nottingham Evening Post, Saturday, 15th Feb 1902.
Earl Roberts has addressed the following letter to Mr. Astor respecting his gift of £10,000 to the National Rifle Association for the promotion of Rifle Clubs:–
"Dear Mr. Astor, - I have just heard from Colonel Sir Henry Fletcher of your truly munificent gift towards the promotion of rifle shooting and Rifle Clubs in the United Kingdom; and, in my official capacity as head of the British Army, I return you my most cordial and grateful thanks. The benefit of your liberality will, I know, be widely felt, and will do much to stimulate and to encourage rifle shooting among our civilian classes. —Believe me, your very truly, Roberts, F.M."
Civilian clubs were already being formed in some numbers since 1900. Numbers were quoted in our report for 30th June 1900. This brief report shows that the reaction from further new clubs was substantial.
Nottingham Evening Post, Saturday, 8 March 1902
Amongst the miscellaneous news items.
The National Rifle Association has received applications from 50 new rifle clubs, formed as a result of Mr. Waldorf Astor's offer of £10,000 for the establishment of such clubs.
Transcripts from Edinburgh Evening News 06/02/1902
and Nottingham Evening Post 15/02/1902 and 08/03/1902
British Library Newspaper Archive