MILITARY & WARS – Sergeants Big Gun competition at Redcar

Accreditation The Redcar and Saltburn-by-the-Sea Gazette 07/06/1878.

SERGEANTS’ BIG GUN COMPETITION AT REDCAR.

            The annual big gun competition of the sergeants of the 1^st North York Artillery Volunteers took place at the Redcar battery on Saturday afternoon (01/06), when thirty sergeants, representing the eight batteries, comprising the brigade, competed for the Sergeants Challenge Cup. Four of the batteries belong to Middlesbrough all, one to South Stockton, one to Aston, one to Redcar, and one to Guisborough. The offices in command were Major J. Stevenson and Captain Owen T. Jones, R.M.A., Adjutant of the Corps. The targets were moulded at 1500 yards. Although the day was fine. They were very bad to distinguish, the sea being “lumpy” and running inwards. At the commencement of the firing a slight wind was blowing from the right front, which afterwards increased in strength, and veered round towards Saltburn. The competitors fired one shot each. The shooting throughout was very good, although a fuel shots fell short. The following is the result of the competition: – 1^st Sergeant-Major I Skinner, No.4 Battery, challenge cup and £5; 2d Sergeant Owston, of No.7 Battery, £2.10s; 3^rd, Sergeant-Major Nicholson, of No.9 Battery. The cup becomes the property of anyone winning it twice in succession of upon three separate occasions. We may add that Sergeant-Major Skinner won it in 1876, and was third last year, when it was worn by Sergeant-Major Nicholson. At the close of the above competition the tie between Major Stevenson and Lt Harkess for the Offices Challenge Cup was shot off, and resulted in favour of Major Stevenson, who made a splendid shot.