KING’S PRIZE WINNER

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 September 1934, Page 8

KING’S PRIZE WINNER

“RAPID FIRE” DISPLAY. BISLEY, July 21. There was a dramatic, finish to the competition for the King’s Prize this afternoon, which—alter a tie—left the Gold Medal in the hands of Captain J. A. Barlow, of the West Yorkshire Regiment. Incidentally, this is the first time the greatest honour known to British marksmanship had come to a serving member of the Regular Army. The Duke of Gloucester, attended by Loid Cottesloe and a. group of officers, watched the great contest from just behind the firing point. Further back were thousands of silent spectators. Captain Barlow's sole adversary in the closing scene was Caprain J. Sedgwick, of the Durham Light Infantry.

An outstanding feature of the shoot was the remarkable rapidity with which Captain Barlow fired, 'rhe shots rang out as quickly as (he targets 10UU yards away could be manipulated. Similarly in the main shoot the rifle was scarcely up to his shoulder before the pressure of his finger was on the trigger. As a consequence of this rapid lire Captain Barlow was one of the first, off the mark, and, 1 believe, the first to finish. His score was 288. “It seems almost unbeatable,” he remaiked to me a moment after firing his last round. While still prone he had reached for cigarettes which were in his overcoat pocket and lit one as soon as he sat up. His mother was one of the first to approach him. In answer to a question from her he said, “That last shot frightened me. I wailed until I saw something 1 recognised.” Friends crowded round -him, but he refused tu take their word lor it. that he had won, and resolutely declined to remove his overcoat. It was as well.

Thirty or forty yards down the filing line another man was scoring “bulls” with each shot, but he was shooting just as slowly and deliberately as the other had fired quickly. He was very nearly the last of the Hundred to get his fifteenth round away, but each one had brought him a step nearer to his goal. He wanted live with his last shot to tie, and be got it..

'When ihe news reached Captain Barlow lie threw his cigarette down. “'1 hat is what I thought,” ire said, “and. you told me. to take my overcoat off!”

Then came the crucial moment. Captain Barlow’s sighting shot brought the bullseye signal from the butts. The target came into view and again Captain Barlow fired. Another bull was recorded. Captain Sedgwick, who pad fired his sighting shot

almost, in the same second, secured a bull. THE LOSING MAGPIE. In rapid succession, just as soon as the target could be lowered and ed, camo two shots from. the West Yorks captain. Each made contact with the “bull.” And then he paused. Alter an appreciable interval of suspense Captain Sedgwick fired. It. was his first and last tie shot to coupt, for rhe bullet cut its way through the “magpie” square, inches away liom the target’s black central disc. Like a Hash the cry went round that Captain Barlow had won, and there was much cheering, for the winner is a very popular man at Bisley. He was presented by Lord Cotesloe to the Duke of Gloucester, who warmly congratulated him on his success. It was at the Pavilion, the trigger pull or his rifle had been tested and found correct, that Captain Barlow was able to speak to me about himself. Born in” India, he is 33 years of age, and joined the Ist. Battalion the West Yorks in 1921. In 192 S ho became q cchnical Officer at the Machine Gun School, Netheravon, and lie is now Assistant Superintendent, Design Department, in the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. His homo is at Blackheath. He- first, began to take an intelligent interest in rifle shooting, he told me, at. a meeting of the Army Rifle Association in 1923. Among his successes since that date have been the Army Championship twice, the King’s Medal once, the Rupel Gup, and the Hundred Cup. He has been seven times in the final for tho King’s Prize, and was placed eleventh last year. He has won many other trophies and prizes at Bisley and elsewhere, and even before to-day was one of the best-known Army shots, both with the rifle and the revolver. He wore his overcoat, he explained, for the same reason that most competitors were I similarly attired—to stop sling vibration on tile arm. When the rapidity of his fire was mentioned he remarkd quietly—as if surprised at the question—“ That is how rifle shooting is taught in the Army.” > Captain Barlow, whose father was Chief Instructor of Musketry at Chungligulli, India, is the author of a standard work on the “Elements of Rifle Shooting.” Captain Barlow, in addition bo receiving the King’s Prize of £250, took the gold medal and the N.R.A. gold badge. Captain Sedgwick received £5O and (lie N.R.A. badge. '1 ho third prize of £25 was won by L/Smn. G. W. Kent, of the Royal Navy, with a score of 286.