2025 sees us continuing our support for the HMS Collingwood Field Gun Crew. We are delighted to again be able to sponsor the team with a donation of £1,800.00 which helps to fund the training kit they require.
The social rep for the Field Gun Crew, Summer Davis, contacted us to arrange a social get together with ‘A’ and ‘B’ crews and they all came along on 12th March where they were presented with a cheque for £1,800.00 from our Club Secretary Michele Sherwood.
So how did the concept of ‘Field Gun’ arise? Well, the actions of sailors in the Siege of Ladysmith during the Boer War in 1899-1900 entered national and naval folklore: guns from warships were dismantled and turned into field guns, then transported more than 100 miles inland.
On the final leg the guns were carried and hauled by men of the Naval Brigade over harsh terrain, before joining battle and ultimately relieving the beleaguered troops.
Deeds on the battlefield gave birth to one of the toughest and most iconic competitions in Royal Navy history: the Field Gun Competition. In various formats, from the legendary run each year at the Royal Tournament for more than nine decades, to the Brickwoods race today hosted at HMS Collingwood and junior/cadet runs, the Field Gun tradition has played a key, recurring role in fostering teamwork, discipline, and military heritage.