OLD UNWOOD RIFLES WERE GOOD MARKSMEN

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18889, 12 October 1929, Page 21 (Supplement)

OLD UNWOOD RIFLES WERE GOOD MARKSMEN

RANGES WERE CHANGED FOR NEWER WEAPONS.

Private J. H. Cooper, of Violet Hills Sod Walls, New South Wales, writes as follows to the “ Star ”:— Having received a copy of the “ Christchurch Star ” some time ago, with an article on the old Linwood Rifles, I thought, as an old member, that I would like to write a few lines on the subject myself. I joined up with this company in the year 1898 at twenty years of age, but the first year, owing to hard times, I was forced to go away from the city seeking work. I lost my capitation through being unable to put in my drills and firing course, but the captain and officers forgave me this offence with a caution. I was then .given a Martini-Henry rifle that would kick the eye out of a mosquito. Also I was supplied with a blue uniform. Nobody was more proud of it than I was. I tried once for promotion, but failed, and not having any ambition to rise as an officer, I remained a private for the whole thirteen years I remained in the company. Rifle shooting was my masterpiece, and in the year 1899 I won the first prize that was given in the company, a shooting bag and accessories, which I have to this day. To show how keen we were in those days, I used to walk from the old Barton Farm at Woolston to the old Bromley range on the sandhills. The Ashton family, who were in charge of the range, would always put a target up whenever we asked them for practice. Saturday afternoons or holidays would always see a group of the Linwood Rifles shooting enthusiasts on the range. Some of the names are no doubt still familiar to Christchurch people. Sergeant A. L. Gee, or the “Jolly Beggar,” as the boys called him, was a great shot and good sport, and was always out to beat me. The company formed a shooting committee and allotted prizes which they contributed mostly themselves. The four sergeants presented the sergeants’ trophy, to be shot for each year, along with a cup which became the property of the holder. The trophy had to be won two years in succession or three years at intervals. In the year 1901 I was the first winner of the trophy, and have still got the cup, with my name and date engraved on it. The trophy was won outright a few years later by Peter Jack. Sergeant A. L. Gee about this time began to improve, doing well at Trentham, and won the South Island Belt. I was always able to get into the last ten in the team shooting. About this time it was decided to send the two best shots of the company to Wanganui rifle meeting. A. L. Gee and myself were chosen and allotted £2 10s each to help defray expenses. We arrived at Wanganui and Gee says, “ What about a trip up the river ? ” It was 5s return, about sixty miles to a Maori settlement near Pipiriki. It took a day to go and a day to return. Gee could talk the Maori language and I there had my first experience of Maori life. Sergeant Gee used to always sing songs in Maori at any of our smoke concerts. He also taught the company a Maori war cry, which was always used on any occasion when the Linwood Rifles were competing in team shooting. We returned safely from Wanganui, but found that our shooting was not good enough to match the men we met there.

The Christchurch Engineers were the crack team in those days. The Linwood Rifles, winning the B grade, were compelled the following year to compete in the A grade. We entered our team, and with a lot of hard practice we won. The Engineers were very sore at being beaten, and were determined to regain the honours. We practised harder than ever, especially at 700yds, and we won again. At that time W. S. King came to Christchurch as a journalist for the "Lyttelton Times”, and our company managed to secure him. He was at that time New Zealand’s best rifle shot. In 1903 and 1904 W. S. King captained our team, and it was a crack team—Captain W. S. King, New Zealand ex-champion and South Island champion, also representative at Bisley with New Zealand team; T Jack, Bisley representative; A. L. Gee, holder of South Island Belt a year or two afterwards; A. Williamson, Meddings, J. Cooper, Cook, Sergeant Squire, and E. Parker, a fine old shot who left the Sydenham Rifles to get in the crack Linwood team. Almost the same team held the shield for seven years till about 1909, when the Engineers won it back again, as the Linwood team seemed to break up. About 1907 Lieutenant Timbrell joined up. He was a very fine shot (South Australian champion), and came second on one occasion for the New Zealand championship, about 1908. He also did great work in organ ising a huge bazaar for funds for the present King Edward Barracks. After the Boer War miniature scoring was introduced, and the Heathcote Club took it up and I was elected coach for the team. Lieutenant Timbrell trained the Linwood team, which challenged Heathcote and won by about 40, with an average of 65 a man out of 70. The return match was a keenly fought one. I was shooting for Heathcote, and I had the luck to start with 70, and seven of the ten men put on the same score. The match ended in a draw, 694 each team out of a possible 700. A few years after the Linwood Rifles started the Bromley range was condemned, owing to the .303 rifle coming into use, and it had to be abandoned The Linwood Rifles were not to be outdone. We had to Have a range of our own, and we were eventually granted a range on the top of a spur running to the top of Mount Pleasant. The work of getting the range in order, building up mounds, etc, and fixing tar*

gets was all done by the Linwood Rifles. A flag pole was required to fly the danger signal, and a large bluegum was selected from the bottom of our farm, what is generally known as the Hum-bug, on the Heathcote River. It measured ten inches at the butt and seven inches at the top, and was fortytwo feet long and weighed about scwt. The next thing was to get it up the hill. It was towed down the rrver to Mount Pleasant, and I was to take a horse and drag it up the hill. But the horse was never used. Walter and Fred Mouldey, two of our team, picked it up on their shoulders and carried it about half a mile up the hill. The opening was a great day. We had a ladies’ match, and I am proud to say my two sisters won first and second prizes. Some of the ladies sent their bullets flying over to Lyttelton, and a protest was lodged and we had to give the range up and go back to the new range at Redcliffs, where the Watkinson Shield was presented to the South Island Association. The Linwood Rifles were the first to win it, with an average of about 97 out of a possible 105 at 200, 500 and 600 yards. In 1914 I left for Sydney, and in 1916 joined the Orange Rifle Club, where I have kept up my reputation as a shot. In 1921 I was second in the French with a twelve-shot possible at 500 yards, and finished well up in the King’s Aggregate, winning about £2O. Lieutenant Foster was a fine old shot, and gave me my first lessons in rifle shooting. Over here in Australia I often think of the good times we all had together in the good old Linwood Rifles. Perhaps some time in the near future my wife and myself may take a holiday back to Christchurch. If so, I hope to run across some of the old team.