Field Gun History

Brickwoods, the Sunshine Brewers of Portsmouth, whose business in 1970 stretched from Sussex to Dorset and North towards London, was once a familiar name in the area. Today the brewery is only a memory, although many pubs, especially in Portsmouth have preserved their Brickwoods frontages.

The name lives on with the annual Field Gun Competition for the magnificent Brickwood Trophy, which dates back to 1907. The Brickwood Trophy (the idea of the late Sir John Brickwood, Chairman of the Brewery) is a handsome piece of work. It is an exact reproduction in silver of a 12 pounder field gun and its sailor crew of seven. Originally it was mounted on a black ebony stand.

Brickwood's had received several quotations and chose the design submitted by Elkington & Co at a cost of £85.00. The intention was for the trophy to be shot for annually by sailors and marines in the port of Portsmouth. It was to remain in the borough, either at the Barracks, Whale Island (HMS EXCELLENT Gunnery School) or Eastney.

The trophy was first competed for on August 28th 1907 at the RN Barracks, Portsmouth. The first winners were the Royal Marines Light Infantry Field Gun Crew from Forton. To celebrate their victory they held a dinner followed by a smoking concert.

The origin of these field gun competitions is linked to the Boer War, in particular the epic 119 day siege of Ladysmith. The gallant defenders were helped enormously by the arrival at the last minute, of Captain the Hon Hedworth Lambton of the Naval Brigade with his 280 Blue-Jackets, four 12 pounders and two 4.7 inch guns.

Special carriages and mountings for these guns had been improvised by Captain Percy Scott of the cruiser HMS TERRIBLE and despatched in HMS POWERFUL to Durban. After the siege of Ladysmith was finally lifted on February 28th 1900, Queen Victoria sent a telegram: 'Pray express to the Naval Brigade my deep appreciation of the valuable services they have rendered with their guns".

It was Scott, then a Lieutenant, who had helped Captain Fisher (late Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord) establish a Gunnery School on Whale Island at Portsmouth in the 1880s.

Later, as Commander Scott, he was instrumental in conceiving the idea of field gun competitions: the first as early as 1900. The drill simulated that undertaken to bring a naval gun into action during the march to Ladysmith in 1899.

The best known, the Inter Command or Inter Ports Field Gun Competition, which just preceded the Brickwood Trophy became a regular feature at the Royal Tournament in Earl's Court until it was abolished in 1999.

Information on the period 1908 to 1922 is scarce but it seems that apart from the periods of war, the Brickwood Trophy was competed for each year.

There have been many changes to the competition. The 1907 challenge involved a team of 17 scaling a five-foot high obstacle on a 75-yard long course and returning. In 1947 the course consisted of seven 'very stiff obstacles' over a distance of 440 yards each way. Today, 24 strong teams compete over an 85-yard long flat track, a total run of 170 yards.

Most years the guns involved were 12 pounders. In 1948 3.7 inch howitzers were used. The month in which the event took place has also varied: August in 1907 May in 1933, July in 1954 and June today.

The original stipulation by Brickwood's, that the trophy was only open to teams from within Portsmouth, continued until 1975 when the competition was widened to include bases from around the country. In 1978 with HMS FISGARD's win, the trophy left Portsmouth Command for the first time. HMS GANNET's win in 1997 took it north of the border and in recent years the competition has been enhanced by participation of both the Army and the RAF as well as from joint bases abroad. The 7 Air Assault Battalion REME has traditionally had a number of exchange posts with the Royal Navy and it was this close association that led to their entry into the Brickwoods competition in 2002. In 2005 the 7 Btn team won the competition and took the trophy out of Royal Naval hands for the first time in the history of the competition. A Royal Navy Crew retrieved the trophy the following year and now the Royal Air Force strive also to capture the coveted prize.

The names of some of the winners of the trophy are engraved on small shields up to and including 1961 and plates for winners since 1962. Since the latter the original black ebony stand has been replaced by the present brown polished wood base. All the badges were transferred, but not, however, put back in the same position.

Before the First World War the competition was moved from the RN Barracks to Whale Island where it continued until 1973. The following year it transferred to HMS COLLlNGWOOD, now the Maritime Warfare School near Fareham, where it remains.

The Maritime Warfare School's Annual Open Day, of which the Field Gun Competition is the highlight, raises money for various local charities.

Records for completing the course have continued to be broken. The Royal Marines set a new record in 1924 of 1 min 24.4 secs. This was beaten in seven subsequent years and eventually in 1938 HMS EXCELLENT achieved 1 min 13.4 secs. After the war with a different course and drill Victoria Barracks achieved 1 min 27.4 secs in 1954. COLLlNGWOOD cut that to 1 min 26.6 secs in 1962. The present record is held by HMS COLLlNGWOOD of 1 min 18.88 secs achieved in 2001.

Brickwood's maintained a close interest in the competition over the years. In 1969 Sir Rupert Brickwood-Bart, presented the trophy and tankards and a firkin of Brickwoods beer to the winning team. In 1971 Brickwood's business was acquired by London based brewers Whitbread & Co Ltd.

Competing for the prestigious Brickwood Trophy remains a key aspiration for all Units involved, is still going strong and well supported and in fact the abolition of the annual Royal Tournament, and the Command Naval Field Gun competition in 1999 has placed new focus on this spectacle, where courage, discipline, teamwork and leadership remain key components in today's Armed Services.