London Regiment 'SIRRAH Trophy' Shooting Match
The 6th April started well with this year, a full team comprising members of the company and a handful of guests, including the Mistress, the Renter Warden’s better half and of course our ever-present Clerk, Sandra.
Wellington Barracks, home of the Guards, and a rather imposing looking place, was somewhat empty and desolate but never the less, was ready to accept the crack(ed) team from our Livery.
Once we found our way to the correct entrance of the Barracks, we were speedily signed in and off we went to the indoor range under the guidance of our fantastic hosts from the London Irish Rifles.
Being met at the range by Major Bob and his team of usual faces, we received the obligatory briefing. The ranges this time were all "Bluetooth" so the briefing included an instruction to turn all mobiles off and a further, most important instruction from Major Bob that this year the "Pipe Makers" were "to make sure" that we won so as to save the blushes of the London's again! A tall order given our performance in recent years, and being against a team of trained infantrymen.
Once the technology had finally been sorted out, we got under way. A bit of target of practice and we were then in to the scenarios. After a number of encounters with insurgents and a few more glitches with the technology, it was time for lunch.
Whilst the boys were shooting, the girls were treated to a quick tour of the Irish Guards Regimental Headquarters and Library and Museum and the Sergeants Mess, and a sneaky cup of decent coffee! You may not know, but Wellington Barracks is also home to the Clerk's Assistant, Alan Beggs, who kindly hosted the ladies and also managed to sweet talk the cook house into staying open a little longer to facilitate both the Livery and the London's for lunch.
And so, following a quick lunch, back to business and the real matter of the SIRRAH trophy.
A further round of scenarios and we then got into the serious stuff of points scoring. We undertook the APWT (Annual Personal Weapons Test) which is the Army’s standardised test for Soldiers to prove their capabilities with the weapons systems.
After a hotly contested shoot out, we ended up with some very close scores and the trophy was to be “shot for” between the crack shot of the London’s and one of our guests, Nick Perry.
(Nick is the Son in Law of Liveryman Paul Reeves. Interestingly, Paul advised us that day that one of his long distant relatives was in fact one of the original Beadles of our very fine Company (we will be looking to Paul to advise us of some more history on that in due course)).
Following a nail biting few minutes and a series of photo calls (complete with the Mistress in full Rambo pose), the scores were on the doors and at last, we, after many fallow years, were announced as WINNERS of the SIRRAH trophy!!!
Congratulations to all who took part and again our thanks to the London Irish Rifles and their ever dedicated team.
