Volunteer Notes 1891 — The Search for a New Range
The Nottingham Butts had been closed in August 1890 and by early 1891 the lack of shooting facilities for the Robin Hood Rifles was becoming a serious problem. The rumour of land being acquired at Radcliffe-on-Trent is interesting as the Ordnance Survey 6" Series of 1885, which can be accessed from our page on the location of Nottingham Butts, shows a small range on the east side of Radcliffe.
Nottingham Evening Post 15/1/1891
The first regimental orders for the Robin Hood Rifles issued in 1891 contain two or three intimations which show that the volunteer season is about to begin, but the shooting men look in vain for some signification that a new range has been found for the regiment. There have been many rumours lately that land has been secured in the neighbourhood of Radcliffe-on-Trent, Edwalton, Trent Station, &c., but nothing has yet been decided upon. The matter is becoming serious, and there is really no time to be lost, unless Robin Hoods are to be dependent upon the favour of officers commanding neighbouring regiments for facilities for doing their shooting.
Nottingham Evening Post 30/1/1891.
It appears we were in error in stating last week that there was a falling off in the number of recruits who presented themselves to captains of companies to join the spring squad of recruits now drilling at the Drill Hall. There was plenty of choice for captains, and the 70 who were seIected are quite up to the standard of the large squad which Colonel Hooke, commanding the 45th Regimental District, inspected in the autumn of last year.
Nothing further of importance transpired in reference to a new rifle range for the Robin Hoods, and the shooting men in the battalion are getting a bit fidgetty. A rifle regiment without a rifle range does seem somewhat of an anomaly, but great difficulties are experienced in securing suitable ground. There seems to be a capital opportunity in the light of recent events, for the formation of a company to provide for Nottingham that which our neighbours at Derby are to be envied for possessing – a fine racecourse so laid out as to afford a drill ground and rifle range for volunteer and yeomanry cavalry as well. A space of land so enclosed that a "gate" could be obtained when desired, would also be extremely useful upon the occasion of great political demonstrations. The idea may be worth thinking about at all events.
The provision of a rifle range had still not been sorted out by mid-March, though it seems there were still hopes of reopening the Coppice Road range and perhaps there were ongoing discussions with the War Office.
Nottingham Evening Post 13/3/1891
The rifle range difficulty has not been overcome yet in the Robin Hoods, and captains of companies are getting anxious about registering and where it is to be done. It is possible that arrangements will be made after screens and other safeguards have been provided, for the reopening of the Coppice-road range, but the shooting men of the regiment will have to go elsewhere for practice. Stoke Farm has been suggested as a capital site for a new range, and the notion is not a bad one, as anybody who knows the country thereabouts will be aware. Nothing, however, is yet settled.
Another month has passed and the range closure is not yet resolved. There are other problems with the supply of equipment, which arose from a change in individual back-packs. However that would be overcome, whereas the lack of a range was now affecting not just the training programme but also the income of the corps as government grants were based on achieved shooting skills and these were not being tested and registered. There were fears too that the take-up of places at Bisley would be reduced.
Nottingham Evening Post 30/4/1891
Deprived of their rifle range and their accoutrements – the latter temporarily, but the former probably permanentIy – the Robin Hood Rifles have at present but little to stimulate them towards attaining that proficiency in drill and in shooting which the country has begun to expect from its volunteers. But there is a better time coming, and there is a likelihood of the regiment commanded by Colonel Seely being able, after all, to turn out smartly upon the occasion of two Royal visits in the neighbourhood during the month of May.
Permission has been, we understand, obtained from Colonel Buchanan for the Robin Hoods to use the rifle range on Derby racecourse two days each week for registering purposes. Whether the old range on Coppice-road will be again employed or not it is impossible yet to say, no communication having been received from the War Office, although the official inspection of the range took place three weeks ago. Meanwhile the shooting men of the battalion are growing a trifle impatient because of the fewness of the opportunities afforded for practice, and it is to be feared that some of the best shots will keep away from Bisley this year. It seems to be very little known that a Select Committee of the House of Commons is now sitting to consider the question of providing rifle ranges. It was upon the initiative of Col. Howard Vincent, one of the M.P.'s for Sheffield, and colonel of the Queen’s Westminsters, that the Committee was appointed, and Major Hughes, of the Hallamshire Rifles, gave evidence. No further evidence will be taken, but the Committee will meet again on Monday next for the consideration of the draft report to be presented. The general tendency of the evidence has been in favour of giving to volunteer corps compulsory powers to buy or lease land for ranges, to be paid for out of loans borrowed on the security of the capitation grant, and ultimately of the army funds. It is probable that the Committee will make some recommendation in this direction, it being understood that the Government is not likely to take upon itself the whole responsibility of providing ranges.
In early May, it is reported that both Derby and Collingham ranges have been made available to the Robin Hoods for shooting practice. The former arrangement included special return train fares from Nottingham to Derby to facilitate travel to the class firing sessions. Collingham range, which can also be found on the 1885 ordnance survey maps (see above), was secured for the Annual Volunteer Match arranged by the Nottinghamshire Rifle Association, reported on the next page.
The Association had recently held its AGM to discuss the range problems and particularly the holding of the Annual Match. The Hon. Sec. and his assistant both resigned at the meeting; though there is no indication as to whether this was linked to the ongoing lack of a range. A new Secretary and Assistant Secretary were appointed at the meeting.
Meanwhile range problems are reported from around the country, particularly in connection with the deployment of a new magazine rifle for the volunteer forces with a greater maximum range of fire, which certainly could not have been contained within the old Nottingham Butts.
Finally it is illuminating to read the final paragraph of this report on the standards expected from volunteer riflemen. It is amazing to realise that the volunteer recruit would be expected to fire 60 rounds as a minimum qualification; but it did not matter whether he actually hit the target with any of those rounds.
Nottingham Evening Post 7/5/1891
At present arrangements have been made with Col. Buchanan for the Robin Hoods to do some portion of the shooting necessary to secure the grant upon the fine range at Derby racecourse, and the Midland Railway Company have agreed to carry volunteers to Nottingham–road Station, Derby, from Nottingham and back, at a fare of 1s.1d. per man. Tickets were issued upon parade on Monday night to Robin Hoods who wished to do their class firing at Derby next day, but we are unable to say how many volunteers availed themselves of the opportunity.
The annual meeting of the Nottinghamshire Rifle Association was held on Tuesday night at the Armoury, Castle-gate, and was unusually important, because the shooting men assembled had to meet the difficulty of arranging a competition without a range being available. It was decided to apply to Major Burrows for the use of the Collingham Range near Newark, and if the request be granted the county bronze medal and money prizes, together with recruits' medal and prizes, will be shot for under different conditions than have usually obtained, viz., seven shots at 500 and seven shots at 600 yards, with two sighting shots at each range.
This difficulty in finding facilities for registering practice and match shooting is daily becoming more serious and urgent. There are few volunteer regiments in the country which receive a richer endowment annually in the way of a prize fund than the Robin Hoods, and it would be a matter for deep regret if the ample subscription list of guineas and prizes "in kind" built up by Adjutant White were to be allowed to decline because local volunteers cannot get opportunities for carrying out the competition. We imagine, however, there is only a very remote danger of this occurring. Surgeon-Major J. O'C. Hynes and Corporal H. W. Davis, the hon. sec. and assistant hon. sec. of the Notts. Rifle Association, have resigned, and Captain Cuckson, Quartermaster of the Robin Hoods, has undertaken the duties of hon. sec., whilst the veteran shot, Quartermaster–Sergeant Jerram, has consented to become his assistant in office.
The introduction of the magazine rifle will cost the country a lot of money yet, as only about 25 or 30 ranges out of 100 have been reported capable of being made safe up to 4,000 yards, which is about the range of the new rifle. The Select Committee, which assembled last week, thinks it is necessary to spend about £250,000.
The latest returns of the British army for 1890 show the reserve forces to amount to 405,101 men, viz., 1st class army reserve, 59,280; 2nd class army reserve, 953; militia, 13,163; yeomanry, 10,697; and volunteers, 221,048. The militia and volunteers are respectively under strength, 22,559 and 39,262. During the month of April there were 55 retirements of volunteer combatant officers and 86 new appointments, so that there was a net gain for the month of 31 combatant officers. In the first six months of the current official year 19 lieutenant–colonels, 38 majors, 174 captains, and 171 subalterns of volunteers have retired — in all 402 officers. There have been 393 new appointments, so that the net loss of commissions for the six months has been nine.
Most volunteers will feel interested in the conclusions at which the Rifle Ranges Committee arrived on Monday. The committee was appointed to inquire into the difficulties now attending the acquisition of adequate rifle range accommodation in the United Kingdom, and it has adopted a report in favour of enabling volunteer corps to acquire land compulsorily for that purpose by means of the provisional order system. The committee also expressed the opinion in their report that the new rifle is not much more dangerous than previous weapons, and that ranges for field firing such as are in use by Continental armies are necessary.
The Commander-in-Chief has invited certain prominent Volunteer commanding officers in all parts of the country to consider propositions which have been submitted to him by the War Office Musketry Committee, with a view of raising the standard of shooting in the force. The Wimbledon targets and scoring are proposed for use instead of the system now followed, and the Committee are unanimously of opinion that for a recruit to earn the lower grant (10s.), the present regulation — that it is sufficient for him to fire 60 rounds irrespective of hitting the target — is no test whatever, and recommend that he be required to make 42 points out of a possible 210 in his recruit's course. As regards the higher grant (35s.), it is proposed that he shall obtain 75 points out of the 210, instead of having only to hit the target 12 times in 60 shots. For the trained volunteer to earn the lower grant it is suggested that he shall make 20 points out of the possible 105, instead of hitting 12 times in 60 rounds as at present; and for the higher grant that he shall pass out of the third class by making 35 out of the 105. It is further proposed to allow 5 per cent. of each battalion to draw the lower grant irrespective of shooting qualification.
A further report in May, published after the Annual Match has been held at Collingham, expresses fears of a very low turnout for the Bisley Meeting, as there had been for the English Twenty shoot at Derby. However, there is mention of four further shooting events taking place locally with competitions between volunteer corps.
Nottingham Evening Post 29/5/1891
The future command of the Robin Hood Rifles, which will become vacant by the impending retirement of Col. Seely, is not yet settled. Neither is the provision of a new range. The shooting men of the battalion being deprived of facilities at home for practice are sorely handicapped, and it is to be feared that only a scratchy team will go to Bisley this year. There were only three Nottingham members of the English Twenty Club who shot at Derby last Monday in the "English Twenty" competition, but they did well, particularly Corporal Ashby, who is well to the fore with a well–got 96. Sergeant Loach made 83 and Corporal Leavesley 83.
Up to the present time only 15 Robin Hoods have intimated their willingness to go to Bisley this year, viz., Captain Brewill, M.I., Sergeant J. Ashworth, Sergeant T. Loach, Sergeant R. Aldam, Sergeant T. E. Harris, Sergt Poole, Corporal Ashby, Corporal Butter, Corporal Caunt, Corporal Leavesley, Corporal Sibert, Privates Byrns, Tomkins, Wilson, and Woolley. Corporal Sibert, the recently appointed secretary of the Shooting Committee of the R.H.R., distinguishes himself on Whit-Monday by taking premier prize and the bronze medal given by the National Rifle Association at the Nottinghamshire Rifle Association annual meeting at Collingham. Private Woolley won the first prize offered for recruits, together with the bronze medal of the N.R.A. Last year he performed the same feat, but it has yet to be decided whether a man can be reckoned a recruit in two shoots in consecutive years.
Robin Hoods who are desirous of visiting Bisley this year must enter their names at the Armoury before Saturday next. Departing from precedent — all on account of the range, or the want of one — the Robin Hood team will he selected from the names put down by the vote of a committee. Formerly the men used to shoot for their places.
A match will be shot between 15 representatives of Staffordshire Volunteers, at Newcastle-under-Lyme, and a team of 15 Robin Hoods, on June 6th. Captain Walker will command the R.H.R., and the match Robin Hoods v. Northamptonshire, teams of 20 a-side, will take place at Kettering on June 2nd, and it is likely that a match will be shot between R.H.R, and Lincolnshire at Grantham. The first shoot for the Martini Club and battalion monthly prizes, the three best shoots out of five instead of four out of five counting, will take place on the Long Eaton Company's range at Trent next Saturday. Ten at 500 yards, two sighting shots. Any member who finds it inconvenient to shoot at that time may do so on the Thursday following. Intimation of this must, however, be made at the armoury by Saturday.
Transcripts from Nottingham Evening Post
15/01/1891, 30/01/1891, 13/03/1891, 30/04/1891, 07/05/1891 & 29/05/1891
British Library Newspaper Archive