The GLIO Site

ANNUAL PRIZE FIRING.—12TH HANTS R.V.

     On Thursday and Friday last the annual prize firing came off at Helmington Bottom. The prizes included a tradesmen’s cup, value £10; various money prizes, from £5 downwards, amounting to £30; a handsome tea pot and tankard, presented by Sir J. C. Jervoise, Bart., M.P.; a clock, given by Mr. Etherington; and a volunteer knife, the gift go Mr. Underdown. The tradesmen’s cup was won by Private G. Penn, junior., of Horndean; and the £5 in money by Private Harding, of Liphook. These were two ties in the match, and, in shooting off the tie, the cup fell to the lot of the former, and consequently Private Harding took the second prize. The tankard was won by Captain Seward; the tea pot by Sergeant W. Caplin; the clock by Private S. Kille, Eastmeon; and the knife by Private G. Atkins, Eastmeon. The remaining money prizes were awarded to the highest numbers in the subjoined scores:

     FIRST MATCH.—Open to members of the 12th Hants who attended the annual inspection, and have fired their 60 rounds, and passed out of the 3rd class; five rounds each at 200 and 500 yards. Hythe position, Wimbledon targets and scoring. Anyone not making eight marks at first range to be disqualified. Thirteen prizes.

     SECOND MATCH.—Open to those members of the 12th Hants who attended the annual inspection, and who have fired their 60 rounds, but have not passed out of the 3rd class; seven rounds at 200 yards. Position and targets as before. Four prizes.

     THIRD MATCH.—Open to all members of the 12th Hants qualified to shoot in the preceding matches; seven rounds at 200 yards. Any position, targets as before. Winners of any prize to pay 2s. 6d entrance. Four prizes.

     On Friday evening the officers invited the members of the corps to a dinner at the Dolphin Hotel; several honorary members and others were also invited. An excellent dinner was served up in Mr and Mrs Craft’s superior style, and was followed by an unlimited supply of famous punch. Captain Seward presided, and, on the removal of the cloth, gave the usual toasts, ‟The Queen,” ‟The Prince and Princess of Wales, and the rest of the Royal Family,” ‟The Army, Navy, and Volunteers.” Captain Cook responded on behalf of the army. ‟The Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese of.” This toast was responded to by the Rev. J. M. Sumner, who said he felt much pleasure in meeting them, and, although it was his more especial province to address them on subjects of graver import, it was well to meet together on occasions like the present, and for all classes to join in promoting a good work, such as that in which the Volunteers were engaged; happily, the fear of an invasion had passed away, and he had no doubt that the spirited manner in which the Volunteers had come forward, and the bold front they had presented, was one very powerful means of turning aside the threatened danger. Many persons had thought that when the first ardour of the Volunteers had somewhat cooled, and the first brightness of the uniform and accoutrements had faded, the movement would gradually die out, but he was glad to find this was not the case, and, in proof of this he might cite a statement made by Earl de Grey and Ripon, to the effect that the Volunteer force of the country had never been in a more efficient condition than it was now; and in further proof of this assertion he might refer—he did so with great pleasure—to the high commendation bestowed on the 12th Hants by Col. Luard, at the recent inspection at Botley. The rev. gentleman concluded by proposing the health of Captain Seward. This toast was drank with musical cheers.—Captain Seward, in acknowledging the toast, said it was difficult to find words to express his high appreciation of the kind manner in which the toast had been received. He assured them that when he was called to assume the command of the corps, he felt deeply the responsibility of that position—he could but compare himself with the two gentlemen who had preceded him, and in doing so he felt strongly how inefficient he was to follow in their steps. Captain Chawner, though but a young man, had had great experience, as was amply testified by the number of medals, &c., with which he was decorated; while Sir William Knighton had, by his many estimable qualities, gained for himself the esteem of every man in the corps. These considerations were weighty enough to make him shrink from occupying the position they had vacated, but it was imperative that he should accept it, as the Lord Lieutenant refused to appoint a civilian over him, and there was not a military man in the neighbourhood to fill the vacant post, and he had therefore undertaken it. He assured them he had never aspired to hold so high a position as that he had the honor to fill, and he would have been quite contented to have risen to higher than the rank of sergeant, but since he was destined for the capacity he felt proud of the honor done him, and proud of the men whom he commanded, and they might rest assured his best efforts would still be exerted to promote, to the utmost of his power, the well-being of the corps.—The presentation of prizes then took place, after which the Chairman proposed the health of the successful competitors, which was acknowledged by Sergeant Macfarlan. Next followed the health of Lieut. Chalcraft, who responded to the toast, and the Liphook contingent left. The Chairman then gave the health of the honorary members, which the Rev. J. M. Sumner acknowledged. The next toast was the health of Ensign Minty, who, the Chairman remarked, had that day received his commission, and he was sure the toast would be very heartily received. It had long been his wish to see Mr. Minty placed in the position he now held, and his first official act as captain had been his promotion. He had no doubt it would be found that he was the ‟right man in the right place.”—Ensign Minty, in returning thanks, said that he would have been quite contented to have remained in the ranks, but, since Captain Seward had done him the honor to promote him over the heads of corporals and sergeants to a higher position than he had ever aspired to, he would do his best to promote the interests of the corps.—The Chairman then proposed the health of the indefatigable honorary secretary, Mr. Light, who was perhaps, the hardest worked man in the corps, except the sergeant-major. One of his most arduous duties was having to jog the memories of the honorary members, who, although they had every intention to pay their subscription, and did eventually pay them, had a singular capacity for forgetting when the subscriptions became due. The perfect exactness, too, with which the accounts were kept must entail an immense amount of labor. He had very great pleasure in proposing the health of Mr. Light.—Mr. Light, in responding to the toast, took occasion to allude to the great loss the corps—and not only the corps, but the whole neighbourhood—had sustained in the lamented death of the late Mr. Matineau, who had been a munificent subscriber to the funds of the corps from its first establishment. He (Mr. Light) would venture to suggest a means of meeting the serious loss to its funds, which he thought might be successfully carried out. They knew full well that the ladies were very efficient helpers, and were not only able but willing to assist in carrying on any good work, and he thought if those members who had wives, and those fortunate young men who had sweethearts, would try to enlist their services in procuring contributions, he felt sure a great amount of benefit would accrue to the corps by their means.—The Chairman having proposed the health of Col. Conran, the Rev. J. M. Sumner next proposed the health of Mr. George Seward, who, although he no longer held office in the corps, on account of his having left the county, continued to feel an interest in its prosperity. Mr. Seward acknowledged the toast.—The Chairman then proposed the health of Captain Adjutant Cook, who in responding urgently impressed on the members the great importance of regularity and punctuality at drill, and begged them not to relax in their efforts, on the mistaken supposition that the praises bestowed on them by COl. Luard at the late inspection were intended to convey the impression that they had so far attained perfection that they could afford to abate their exertions. He congratulated them on the skill they had shown in firing, and showed by a comparison with the score of the firing at Southampton that the 12th Hants had obtained a higher average, even though the Southampton competitors included some of the ‟crack shots” of the county.—The health of the tradesmen who had subscribed to the prize fund being given, it was responded to by Mr. Etherington and Mr. Underdown.—The health of the ladies was proposed by Mr. George Seward, and acknowledged by by the Rev. R. E. Coles.—The Chairman next gave the health of Sergeant-Major Allen, and spoke in very eulogistic terms of his complete efficiency as a drill sergeant, and of his constant attention to the interests of the corps.—The Sergeant-Major, in acknowledging the toast, said he could but feel proud of the high state of efficiency at which the corps had arrived; and when he heard the Colonel at the recent inspection say, as the 12th Hants marched past, ‟Well done, No. 2,” his ‟heart was in a flutter of joy.”—In the course of the evening some excellent songs were sung by Sergeant Caplin, Private C. Knight, Mr. R. B. Stephens, &c.