The history behind this competition is that in 1899 in the Boer war during the siege of Ladysmith, the Royal Navy landed guns from HMS Terrible and HMS Powerful to help relieve the British Army who were under siege by the South African Boer forces. Greg in the UK.
My grandmother died in 1996 aged 105. I asked her once if she remembered the relief of Mafeking. “No,” she said “but I remember the relief of Ladysmith when I was seven.” This was a great competition every year. Nice reaction.
I used to go the Royal tournament every year as a kid, I absolutely loved this part of it. I think they stopped due to our forces being reduced and so not having the time to practice or participate in it anymore.
Royal Navy Veteran here, Pompy rating too ! The RN Field Gun competition needs to be reinstated immediately, it was & always will be the toughest team competition of any type anywhere on this planet.
Unfortunately there are not enough personnel in the modern forces to allow for the training and practice required. This was part of the reason it was stopped. :(
It’s part of the Royal Tournament. Made to recreate the sailors carrying field gun equipment from the ships to the battlefield over difficult terrain. Was always a highlight on the TV every year when I was growing up! ☺️
I always remember the supposed exchange of signals between a US and UK naval ship in WW2 - The US signaled "How does it feel to be the second biggest navy in the world - To which the British ship responded "How does it feel to be the second best" lol
My uncle was fleet Air arm out in the Pacific, the Americans even re named our ships because of history we are forgotten, British aircraft carriers had steel decks so we're better than America aircraft carriers as they were wooden plus we had the fastest propeller aircraft the Hawker sea fury.
There was an interview with one of the teams when I was a kid, and they asked one of them what makes a good field gun runner. The reply was 'you need the speed of a racehorse, the strength of a carthorse, and the brains of a rocking horse!'
The event the Field Gun Competition was part was of called the Royal Tournament was cancelled in 1999, I used to go every year as kid and the Field Gun Competition was always the highlight, spectacular to watch
From memory the Public were told that it wasn’t the ‘last run’, however the field gunners knew different , that is why they are all wearing a black arm band on their left sleeve. This competition was huge for me growing up as my Dad was Fleet Air Arm and used to take me every year.
Origins: Second Boer War in South Africa...the specific incident during that conflict they are referring to was that of the battle and siege of Ladysmith 1899. The Boers (Dutch) outnumbered the British force 2 to 1...with 10,000 British troops to 21,000 Boers + artillery. Following a disaster for the British at the battle of Ladysmith they retreated to the town, which had already been used as a staging point/garrison for the British and further fortified it as best as was possible. The Dutch, rather than carry their momentum toward Durban, instead lay siege to Ladysmith. The siege went on for almost 3 months, by the end of which time food and supplies were almost non-existent and various diseases ran amok...typhoid etc. The British were pretty much on their last legs until the Royal Navy managed to land artillery at Simonstown which was about 900 miles away...the guns were then transported over land to Ladysmith some distance by rail, but some was by hand over extremely difficult terrain...hence the origin of this event. The resulting reinforcement ultimately led to an end of the siege and a British victory. 4 Victoria crosses were awarded for the action. Winston Churchill was present as a war correspondent and Mahatma Ghandi as a stretcher bearer.
They were not dutch they were mostly of dutch descent but they were in no way connected to the Kingdom of the Netherlands,netherlands had absolutely nothing to with the conflict
@@Joseph13163 The British never made the distinction and very typically and commonly referred to the Boers as Dutch due to their predominant descent despite them being made up of people's originating from other parts of Europe as well...Germans, French Huguenots and some Scandinavians and Swiss etc For example, at Rorke's Drift, Lt. Gert Adendorff, of the Natal Native Contingent, was often referred to as 'Dutch' as a nickname even though his father was German and mother, French and he was born in Africa. Similarly, many of the Boer republics that followed after the Boers moved inland after the settlement at the Cape of Good Hope was taken over by the British from the Netherlands in 1806 directly used the Netherlands flag either whole, or with added motifs, or the colours of the Netherlands flag to represent their newly formed republics. To all intents and purposes, the Boers, as far as the British cared to be concerned were 'Dutch' even though technically that, of course, was not quite the case...but that was too complicated to explain and still doesn't quite cover it. Basically the British didn't really care who they were and just called them Dutch anyway...
@@vallejomach6721 The Amish call non Amish americans english because thats the language they speak and that i suppose was similar they were called Dutch because they spoke dutch thoigh nowadays its considered a different language.
We watched the Royal Tattoo every year in my household. My father was in the Royal Marines during the war. We have the best bravest navy in the world. That race always moves me. Thank you to all who serve and have served in any of our armed services. You give so much and I thank you for your service.❤
@larrygreen262 My dad volunteered in the name of his brother, who died in WWI as a Royal Marine. He was older, jn a reserved occupation and already in Dad's Army. He was in the first wave into Sciliy. Eventually, dying from his injuries. He beat the odds, he should have died in 48, but kept going until the last of his grandchildren had been borne.
My Dad ran the field gun trials in the late 60s.. he served in the Royal Navy.. aboard the HMS Ark Royal and HMS Argonaut .. Argonaut was the ship he called the love of his life.. really enjoy your channel mate, really wholesome in a crazy world.. you're a credit to yourselves and a lovely family.. this was awesome.. Best wishes from the UK 🇬🇧
This is a perfect example of why we had the biggest empire in history, because we have men like this that could move mountains. The best description of a field gunner I ever heard was Speed of a racehorse ! Strength of a shire horse ! Brains of a rocking horse ! That being said.. Heroes to a man.
Gee must have been great to sail to war in a nice cushy ship, or fly in a nice warm zippy wee plane, then there's me walking miles in the fecking rain sodding army😉
Makes you proud to be British. I saw this live three times as a teenager in the 1970s and it’s super exciting. People have lost fingers during the competition and simply carried on until the end.
I remember watching the Royal Naval Field Gun competition at the Royal Tournament in 1984 when I was 13/14 years old. The whole of the Royal Tournament was a memorable experience. I still have my program that I purchased.
This was part of the Royal tournament at Earls Court, in 1999 it was moved and changed due to costs and man power involved. My Dad was an Army pti and did 3 of these as part of gymnastic display teams in the 50s.
I lived in Portsmouth for 13 years and the Navy lads (Matlow) train ALL year for this. We managed to get tickets to this, the final Royal Tournament. Obviously we were supporting Portsmouth. Was simply AMAZING!!!!
Actually you do them a slight disservice saying they trained all year. The training season was only three months which makes the achievment even more spectacular.
This was an important part of Navy life, results were telegraphed around the fleet all round the world.The Field Gun Run competition commemorates the Royal Navy's involvement in the relief of Ladysmith 119 day seige during the Boer War in 1899 - 1900.
My husband was a Naval Officer who helped to train a field-gun team for the competition (earlier rounds - they were knocked out) back in the 1990s when he was at either HMS Sultan or HMS Daedalus (can't quite recall the year). They work incredibly hard!
In 1996 I was representing the RAF at the Royal Tournament and in one of the races a seaman was run over by the carriage after tripping. "No animals were injured" was the announcement during the clean up.
I used to love watching this when I was younger. The strength, athleticism and teamwork required to do this is unbelievable. I have so much respect for the guys that did this.
Hi Guys This run is based on the Boer war where naval troops ran with cannon's in all terrain to the front line. I saw this live a number of times when I was a cub scout in the early 80's. While the whole military tournament is fun with a number of different competitions across all the armed forces being on display, this competition was my favourite. As you can hear the atmosphere was fever pitch for it! They cut the tournament back and back until no more due to budget cuts and funds going elsewhere to the military services. Btw. The names are the names of UK naval bases that compete. I believe they compete with each other to get to this stage.
I was part of the Royal Navy Display team in 1976. We toured the UK giving displays of the Field Gun, manning the mast, carrying out the window ladder display (have a look at that too) and we also re-enacted Navy history showing how sailors in Admiral Nelson’s Navy kept fit by swinging clubs and swords snd dancing the Hornpipe. It was hard training but great fun and a privilege to be part of it.
Hi both. When I travelled with my husband who was in the merchant navy we had a bosun who had been in the royal navy and had competed in this twice. Not many people had done it twice up until then [1978]. In his 2nd year he lost 1cm from the top of his middle finger, didn't even know until the end of the competition. They didn't attempt to find it in all the dirty sand!! It was an annual part of the Royal Tournament a much loved event in London that my parents took me to at Earls Court every year as we lived in London. When I had my own children, we travelled up from Wales on the coach as often as possible. They had entries from all parts of our forces and from overseas. Look up The Royal Tournament. Thank you for the memories. Nana Karen UK x
I was in the Fleet Air Arm & stationed at HMS Daedalus where the F.A.A. Field Gun crews trained. It was huge back in the day they would send out dispatches with the daily results to ships & bases worldwide such was the rivalry
I use to watch this, as a kid, back in the '60s &'70s This competition recreates what had to be done with the guns, on the battlefield, in the war (which us Brit's had), with the Boer's ( Dutch/German Farmers), in South Africa, from 1899-1902. Although, in past competitions, it wasn't uncommon to hear of injuries, such as broken bones, or a finger, or 2 missing!
To think 25 years on those children in the audience will no doubt be the same age as you two! Thanks for reminding me of this event which I used to watch with my dad.
The Royal Tournament was a military show held at Earls Court in London. The last Royal Tournament was held in 1999. The field gun race was one of the main parts of the tournament.
Also Earls Court Exhibition Centre and Olympia were two major exhibition venues in west london. Even if the situation in the military permitted it, the venues are no more. Earls Court as it then was closed its doors soon after this event. Nothing is now left of it. The site of Earls Court has been redeveloped. I have memories of being taken as a youngster to the Royal Tournament and this field gun race was a highlight. Other events involved precision silent drills, equestrian events and incredibly tall pyramids of men aboard motorcycles. Sadly, my perception was that the royal tournament became rather samey....
Although British I spent the early 1980s living in the town of Newcastle Natal South Africa. Ladysmith was the next town down the road. The huge distance and the obstacles the sailers had to move the guns was well remembered in that town’s museum.
The Siege of Ladysmith was part of the 2nd Boer War in South Africa between the British and Dutch (Boers), essentially because the British wanted to annex the Dutch territories. The town of Ladysmith was under siege by the Boers for almost 4 months. Guns from Royal Navy ships were taken overland to help break the siege.
The Boers were not all of Dutch descent. Many were from other European countries, including the UK. They actually refer to themselves as Afrikaners but were referred to by the British as Boers, the Afrikaans word for farmer, because basically they were farmers. The territory that they settled in, mainly the Transvaal and the Orange Free State were not Dutch but were 'Free States', as the Afrikaners did not want to live under the rule of any other country, which was their main reason for moving from The Cape Colony and Natal up to these territories.
Oh silly me! That explains why Afrikaans and the Dutch language are so closely related. Would "mainly Dutch" satisfy you? Then please explain why they were called "Boers" by the British, which is pretty much the Dutch word for "farmers." The British were hardly likely to have selected this at random.
Grew up around this and married into the Navy . Naval bases competed against each other for years . Known them run with a broken leg to finish . Summers were spent with naval bases having open days and the field gun display was a big part of it as well as climbing the mast and the button boy . Videos are about on RUclips .
Ex Gun Runner here, Guzz 1977. An American university professor explained what had to be done for a gun run, he asked his students to estimate the time needed to perform all the actions, the students came back with estimates ranging from 2 - 4 hours, naturally they were shocked to discover it was just over two and a half minutes.
This used to be aired on the TV every year we never missed it. Different naval teams. 1999 on the TV we were told it wasn't going to be shown again WHAT! YOU WHAT! greatly missed
I was a medic in the Royal Navy in the 70/80's and we used to get a few men in with hand injuries etc. We had/have some great traditions/sports including the RN 'Mast display'.
Those were the days when Haslar was still a hospital, remember it well as I did my training as did all us PMA's in dolphin 2 where the Aussie submariners were billeted. sad memories of Pneumonia bridge as my mate Don Powers got stuck in the mud at the Haslar side and was drowned, the mp's said he had deserted but his motorbike was still in the sick quarters car park. He was given a full naval funeral when they recovered his body. I was billeted in M2 mess and we used to sunbathe looking out at one of the solent forts. In those days HMS dolphins gates were to the side of the sea wall so we could all do our courting walking along the sea wall road to Stokes bay.
@@sibbo-v6n you were an Aussie Submariner? My Dad was too… Lt Fred Lawrence. He was one of the commissioning crew of HMAS Ovens and brought her home in 69. He also trained at Dolphin.
@@ozzyols75 No, I was a trainee medical assistant PMA means probationary medical assistant. The Aussie submariners were billeted in Dolphin 2 where we trained, I later did my part1 submarine training in HMS Dolphin, then at Alverstoke for part 2 before joining my boat HMS/m Warspite.
As someone else said, we used to go to the Royal Tournament every year from about 1954 till it finished. We absolutely adored the Field Gun Competition and always supported the team who were “running” on our side of the stadium. After the show finished we would go back and see the guns and the teams outside the arena. There was always at least one team member having a wound bound up but these huge men were always incredibly kind to any children who came to see them! We were heartbroken when the decision was made, by the government,to abolish the Royal Tournament. The three teams who competed every year were Portsmouth, Devonport and Fleet Air Arm. There is an amazing film ( available on RUclips ) of one of the teams training for this competition. Not surprisingly, they spent months preparing and many of them were injured! There was huge rivalry between the three naval bases and the results of each day’s competitions were swiftly despatched throughout the fleet! I can’t tell you how emotional I have become just thinking back to those occasions.
Just a slight correction, In the 50s there were 4 teams, namely Portsmouth, Devonport, the Fleet Air Arm and Chatham, I performed together with my colleagues at Earls Court in the Chatham team in 1958, I am now 88 and still remember what a great competition it was.
Guys, you need to check out the Royal Corps of Signals White Helmets Motorcycle display team at the Royal Torrnament, what you've just watched is also the Royal Tournament, I went to this every year with my father who was an Army Veteran, and it was because of this I joined the British Army.
My Dad was in the Portsmouth Field Guns Crew at the Royal Tournament in 1955 - he was the Flying Angel. Every year we were in England (we lived in various other countries) we would go to the Royal Tournament. Dad would disappear at the half time break to the Field Gun crew bar for his free tot of Pussers rum...we wouldn't see him until the end of the show & would have to pour him onto the train to get him home - he might have had few more than one tot of rum!! Those guys were pretty much the toughest guys in the Navy. I have a little wooden & brass replica of the Field Gun that I inherited from my Dad
So glad I got to see this live as a kid, was super excited when my dad said we were going to see the Royal Tournament live. Sadly the Royal Tournament is no longer a thing.
My x2 great Uncle from Ulster won back in the early 1900s while serving in the Royal Navy. He survived the battle of Jutland as a stoker and a Petty Officer, then later became a Diver in full brass metal helmet helping to survey Australia and New Zealand. You need excellent lungs and a fit physical high standard class to take part in this race, and he was hand picked. I have an old photo of him standing next to the gun at the race. He used to drink a crate of Guinness to keep his iron levels up.
the Royal Navy Field Gun Competition continues to be held annually at HMS Collingwood in Fareham, Hampshire. The competition was a highlight of the Royal Tournament until the last run in 1999. The Royal Tournament was ended in 1999 due to the strain on personnel resources and the lack of a vehicle for the Inter-Command Competition. The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity Field Gun Competition is a long-standing tradition in the Royal Navy. The competition involves 21 crews from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army, and Royal Air Force. The crews run with and assemble an antique gun replica that weighs over 1,300kg (2,866lbs). The crews compete for the Brickwoods trophy.
It was Royal Navy only no Army no Air force Royal Navy teams from Naval bases Chatham,Portsmouth and Devonport Then when Chatham closed The Fleet Air Arm entered a team.
Saw this for myself when I was a kid. Dad took us to the Royal Tournament when it was on at Earl’s Court Arena in London, I think when I was about 10 or 11. In the concourse there were lots of exhibits and displays put on by various parts in the British military, and even a small shooting range that let people fire a .22LR training rifle (I remember being annoyed that I was too young and not allowed, but Dad had a go - the first shooting since his National Service days). And there’d be armoured vehicles you could sit in/on and I remember a Rapier missile display with the launcher turning around. But the highlight of the day was the events going on in the main arena, topped by the Field Gun Competition. Amazing on TV, incredible when you’re a ten year old and it’s live. There was also a silent drill display by an American unit, which I think must’ve been the US Marines because I know they’re famous for that. That was as impressive in its quiet precision as the field gun comp was in its noisy adrenaline fuelled action. So that’s a flavour of what the Royal Tournament was. I think falling visitor numbers were behind its cancellation after 1999, which was a shame because it really was quite a spectacular event, and everyone who’s ever seen the field gun race misses it. Perhaps if they’d put it on for a shorter period or something it might have survived, but I assume people who know better than me did the numbers and thought it wasn’t a goer. 😞
Another BRILLIANT video for you both to react to is "what it takes to win the Victoria cross" presented by former top gear host and often controversial Jeremy Clarkson, say what you want about Clarkson BUT he definitely knows how to present a military video, be happy, safe and healthy everyone ✌️
Clarkson discovered that his father in law, had done some incredible acts, at Arnhem, Holland. Winning a VC. The film, A Bridge Too Far, tells the story of the battle and the Para drop into Arnhem.
Many years ago, there was a BBC documentary that followed the training the teams underwent for this competition. The number of injuries was scary and the sheer guts and hard work was incredibly humbling.
I met a guy some years ago who had been part of one of the teams in the 80s. He got squished during the race and that was the end of his Navy career. Despite that, he was proud to have been part of this Navy tradition.
I used to work as a joiner at devonport dockyard in the 80s, we used to make the gun wheels from scratch, putting them together by hand and weighting them if they were underweight using lead billets. Really hard work putting the iron band on the outside of the wheel using a long handled sledgehammer and balancing on the opposite rim. Best time ever.
There used to be a wonderful occasion called The Royal Tournament, which our mum and dad used to take us to regularly when we were young. The Field Gun Competition was part of it and it is AMAZING to see live and up close - the sound, the energy - completely enthralling. I used to love going to see the horses in their stables after the show. Sadly, they stopped the whole event **weeps**. I am seriously in tears watching it again.
A lot like to say it stopped due to injuries, but the more official reasoning was down to it being "a strain on resources" . As an alternative now, they do the "Junior Leaders Field Gun Competition" , but it's not as crazy as this
The royal tournament took place at Earls court in London. As they said this race took place from 1907 to 1999.think it was stopped due to cost. I hope one day they will bring it back,but seeing how the forces in the UK have been cut back so much. I think it was the end of an eara.
I used to watch this every year before it was last shown on the TV. I used to support the Devonport team as it was the closest team to where I grew up. I now live closer to the Portsmouth team now. I loved watching this. Take care and best wishes
The last Royal Tournament was held on August 2, 1999. The Royal Tournament was the world's first and largest military tattoo, and was held annually from 1880 to 1999, with the exception of the war years. The tournament featured displays of horsemanship, drilling, marching bands, and gymnastics.
The crews were regular servicemen who volunteered for the competition teams. They endured a tough training regime and ate a high protein diet (mostly steak and eggs as far as I can remember) to maintain their strength and stamina. Stories of lost limbs (especially fingers) were legendary and regarded as almost par for the course. Also legendary was the the knowledge that despite the loss of bodily parts the training runs continued - as did those who were directly affected!
Each ship and shorebase tries to keep the race alive by having its own team and race at fun days.... I was at that race as part of the sea cadets from Portsmouth, we would help at the team practice sessions at HMS Excellent it was great fun... later served as a medic in my ships team in 2007 when I was in the Navy. Total respect for the guys & girls that do the run now to keep the run alive...
One of the members of the fleet air arm crew shown here used to live near me and was a real giant of a man standing at 6’5 or more and over 20 stone without an ounce of fat. A truly remarkable effort of teamwork and determination.
I saw this race live three or four times. It was never less than awe-inspiring, terrifying, testosterone fuelled, amazing, etc. Loved it. I think in ended because it was getting too expensive to run, and the risk of extremely serious injury was huge.
This started during the years of the Boers War in South Africa. It was required for getting cannons over mountain gorges during the war to help defend the British garrison town of Ladysmith 1899, so faster the better. It then was turned into an annual competition between the Royal Navy and the British Army. Men have actually broke bones and lost fingers during these competitions. It was called the Royal Tournament. When you have any competition between Navy and Army it’s always good to be really physical tough and the bragging rights were always fought for.
I grew up not far from Earls Court and went to many a Royal Tournament in the late fifties and through the sixties. This was always the highlight of the show.
I worked with two guys who were part of of the Portsmouth Field Gun Crew for a couple of years - a few years before this however. Both extremely fit and strong guys
In the late 90s the Blair's Labour government cut the funding for the military in a big way, so the military had no choice but to end the royal tournament as there were no longer enough military personnel to have a team training for the competitions and fulfil the militarises other obligations.
We looked forward to the Tournament every year.We lived in Earls Court ,coming home from primary school we would clamber over the tank that was parked outside,my brother broke his thumb on it and our neighbour broke his arm,no health and safety in those days ha ha.Thank you for reminding me of such great times
Went to see several Royal Tournaments circa 1982, when I was 11. Always thrilling to watch, in that huge arena. The Royal Navy field gun race was amazing in real life. There was so much to see before the show, with loads of Armed Forces displays. The best was the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery as they thundered round the arena - which suddenly seemed way too small!
i'm now 60 and used to watch this every year as a kid on tv, there was always fingers broken, thumbs missing etc but the guys carried on even if injured :)
Aaaaahhhh them were the days,! 😍 My hubby is a Fleet Air Arm Veteran as was his father before him and we have another relative who was in the Field Gun team representing the Fleet Air Arm when this was a huge event. We have younger members of the family serving now and live very close to a number of the remaining training bases here on the South Coast. Its great to see so many people sharing memories. Format has changed a bit on Navy days but usually still popular events each year! Things have changed a great deal in the Royal Navy but I can genuinely say this and the Man the Mast display had my heart in my mouth whenever I watched it! 😁
one of the things I love about this channel, is that you are really interested in the subjects that get recommended to you. most YT channels would just watch the video and say "let us know in the comments about this subject" as they are only interested in the likes and don't care about the subject. where as you actually hit up Wiki to educate yourself.
Thank you for noticing. We do ask a lot of questions because we learn a lot from comments, but we almost always explore a topic more in depth after the video, sometimes on camera and sometimes off. :)
Hi from Britland again; you got a pre-emptive like on this! Can't wait to see your reaction! Fun fact: the RN Field Gun Competition was once classed as the most dangerous competition in the world!!!
Really glad you looked up the meaning and significance at the end, they used to show this on the TV every year when I was growing up and it was always exciting, made even more so by having the well-known sports commentator Barry Davies doing the announcing.
During the runs the whole Royal Navy were on tenderhooks to see who won!! Every ship had its radio op listening for the results to be flashed around the Fleet. My Father in Law was a Royal Marine Commando so knew all about it!!
As far as I know the competition still takes place internally within the separate commands and 'Ships', Navel Shore bases are known as Ships. The competition has been modified to comply with that hated Health and Safety legislation. The Royal Tournament has been sunk by a previous Government. That was the Princess Royal in the Royal Box with her Husband (2nd), then a serving Naval Officer. The Royal Tournament was held at Earls Court, it was an Exhibition and Show Venue, built in the 1930's, beneath that sanded wooden floor is a very large swimming pool and an ice rink. The London Motor Show (now at the NEC, Birmingham) and the Boat Show (now Southampton) was held there along with Equestrian events, Crufts Dog Show and Christmas Ice shows.
The record time is held by Devonport there is a video on you tube of the record run and there is also a video of the training that takes place there have been over the years many broken bones and lost fingers.
This relives, in competition now, the cross country run, in 1989, of the navy in the Second Boer War to assist the British army under siege. The names were two British ships that six guns were taken from. There were several injuries in these competitions, including lost fingers.
Hi. Erm sorry, but you typoed the date, (and perhaps forgot the ships names?,) so I thought to inform you kindly of it incase you wish to use your comment's edit function. o7 (salutes)
Ex "Jenny" (WRNS) here - Pompey was my team but I began attending the Royal Tournament years before I joined the RN. Loved the 'chant' teams for each crew. It was a fantastic competition that drove the crowd wild each night 🤣 I really miss it ... The Collingwood competition is good to watch but it is a shadow of the real thing - done on the parade ground😔
Used to look forwards to this event. As a kid I'd scream and shout at the TV for the team I had choosen. The result of this race would be sent out to every navy vessel around the world. I for one would watch this again. Great reaction.
When I was in the RAF I was on a resettlement course at Plymouth Navy Base in 1996 and while I was there the Plymouth guys were training there for the competition.
My dad took me to the Royal Tournament many many years ago. The absolute GOAT of recruitment for young kids as I was then. Absolutely amazing and its almost crimianl that they stopped it.
I remember watching a rehearsal in 1972 in Plymouth. One of the 'lads' lost a finger going across the chasm, and he carried on. Very tough!!! Bring back the Royal Tournament.
Thank you for your video, I’m blubbing watching Unfortunately cut backs happened in 1999 so we lost the Royal Tournament and with it the Royal Navy Field Gun competition. Another highlight was the musical ride by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery but that survives to this day My father was RN so we always watched the show on TV. We attended the show twice in the 60s and 70s. You were asked to support the team on your side of the arena, come on Portsmouth we’d scream Now that I’m old I was delighted to find my friend ran field gun for Devonpart and was able to give me the background to all the months of training they put in prior to the event. The team still meet up and exchange stories of their time running field gun Great tradition sadly lost Great to see Princess Anne in the Royal Box showing her full support
The history behind this competition is that in 1899 in the Boer war during the siege of Ladysmith, the Royal Navy landed guns from HMS Terrible and HMS Powerful to help relieve the British Army who were under siege by the South African Boer forces. Greg in the UK.
My grandmother died in 1996 aged 105.
I asked her once if she remembered the relief of Mafeking.
“No,” she said “but I remember the relief of Ladysmith when I was seven.”
This was a great competition every year. Nice reaction.
...and had to drag them across country, and across a ravine, or something similar, in order to get the guns to Ladysmith.
@@BenjWarrant Yes, that's correct. They had to take the cannon some distance.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Ladysmith
I used to go the Royal tournament every year as a kid, I absolutely loved this part of it.
I think they stopped due to our forces being reduced and so not having the time to practice or participate in it anymore.
Royal Navy Veteran here, Pompy rating too !
The RN Field Gun competition needs to be reinstated immediately, it was & always will be the toughest team competition of any type anywhere on this planet.
I loved this. Wouldn't mind seeing the Americans try this. British armed forces at their finest 😊🇬🇧
Guzz rating here, regretably they'll never bring the gun run back, HASWA would have a pink fit.
They would build the gun from plastic and balsa and require a "diverse" team. So sad the Royal Tournament ended.
It was the final gun-run and you lost. Bloody Skates just can't get over it! :D
Ring a ding ding!
I think a petition needs to be started to bring back the Royal Tournament 🤔 😊
The event was reinvented in 2010 as The British Military Tournament but only lasted 4 years
Unfortunately there are not enough personnel in the modern forces to allow for the training and practice required. This was part of the reason it was stopped. :(
The sight of fat little out of condition females pulling those cannons???
@@MLawrence2008no it was stopped because B liar didn’t like it, the Edinburgh tattoo, however, was allowed to continue.
maybe we should fix our country first before we lose our entire country race & history
It’s part of the Royal Tournament. Made to recreate the sailors carrying field gun equipment from the ships to the battlefield over difficult terrain. Was always a highlight on the TV every year when I was growing up! ☺️
Same here when the box was good!!!
The Royal Navy were, are and will always be the best in the world 👏💪
The best ship-less sailors.
I always remember the supposed exchange of signals between a US and UK naval ship in WW2 - The US signaled "How does it feel to be the second biggest navy in the world - To which the British ship responded "How does it feel to be the second best" lol
All the time where the best
There are posters in bars across the ports of the world that say "do not start a fight with British sailors YOU WILL LOSE" 😂
My uncle was fleet Air arm out in the Pacific, the Americans even re named our ships because of history we are forgotten, British aircraft carriers had steel decks so we're better than America aircraft carriers as they were wooden plus we had the fastest propeller aircraft the Hawker sea fury.
There was an interview with one of the teams when I was a kid, and they asked one of them what makes a good field gun runner.
The reply was 'you need the speed of a racehorse, the strength of a carthorse, and the brains of a rocking horse!'
😂
Quality squaddie humour :)
The event the Field Gun Competition was part was of called the Royal Tournament was cancelled in 1999, I used to go every year as kid and the Field Gun Competition was always the highlight, spectacular to watch
This is one example why such a tiny island had such an empire.
The royal navy.
(Coming from an ex British army serviceman)
Next you might want to watch manning the mast
Absolutely
Yes!
Yes, the 'Button Boy' ceremony at HMS Ganges - That was definitely not for the faint-hearted !
Exactly what I thought.
@@danelaw1902a family friend was the Button boy of his year.
From memory the Public were told that it wasn’t the ‘last run’, however the field gunners knew different , that is why they are all wearing a black arm band on their left sleeve. This competition was huge for me growing up as my Dad was Fleet Air Arm and used to take me every year.
I think they still run the event as a charity event at HMS Collingwood, it but not at the royal tournament or televised.
@@Jason_L10 not the full run. but it is done for navy days and such. but never the full gun run
Real shame it is no longer televised
Ditto. My father FAA too and did this competition
Origins: Second Boer War in South Africa...the specific incident during that conflict they are referring to was that of the battle and siege of Ladysmith 1899. The Boers (Dutch) outnumbered the British force 2 to 1...with 10,000 British troops to 21,000 Boers + artillery. Following a disaster for the British at the battle of Ladysmith they retreated to the town, which had already been used as a staging point/garrison for the British and further fortified it as best as was possible. The Dutch, rather than carry their momentum toward Durban, instead lay siege to Ladysmith. The siege went on for almost 3 months, by the end of which time food and supplies were almost non-existent and various diseases ran amok...typhoid etc. The British were pretty much on their last legs until the Royal Navy managed to land artillery at Simonstown which was about 900 miles away...the guns were then transported over land to Ladysmith some distance by rail, but some was by hand over extremely difficult terrain...hence the origin of this event. The resulting reinforcement ultimately led to an end of the siege and a British victory. 4 Victoria crosses were awarded for the action. Winston Churchill was present as a war correspondent and Mahatma Ghandi as a stretcher bearer.
They were not dutch they were mostly of dutch descent but they were in no way connected to the Kingdom of the Netherlands,netherlands had absolutely nothing to with the conflict
@@Joseph13163 Yes. Boer is simply dutch for farmer.
Nice full description, thank you.
@@Joseph13163 The British never made the distinction and very typically and commonly referred to the Boers as Dutch due to their predominant descent despite them being made up of people's originating from other parts of Europe as well...Germans, French Huguenots and some Scandinavians and Swiss etc
For example, at Rorke's Drift, Lt. Gert Adendorff, of the Natal Native Contingent, was often referred to as 'Dutch' as a nickname even though his father was German and mother, French and he was born in Africa.
Similarly, many of the Boer republics that followed after the Boers moved inland after the settlement at the Cape of Good Hope was taken over by the British from the Netherlands in 1806 directly used the Netherlands flag either whole, or with added motifs, or the colours of the Netherlands flag to represent their newly formed republics. To all intents and purposes, the Boers, as far as the British cared to be concerned were 'Dutch' even though technically that, of course, was not quite the case...but that was too complicated to explain and still doesn't quite cover it. Basically the British didn't really care who they were and just called them Dutch anyway...
@@vallejomach6721 The Amish call non Amish americans english because thats the language they speak and that i suppose was similar they were called Dutch because they spoke dutch thoigh nowadays its considered a different language.
We watched the Royal Tattoo every year in my household. My father was in the Royal Marines during the war. We have the best bravest navy in the world. That race always moves me. Thank you to all who serve and have served in any of our armed services. You give so much and I thank you for your service.❤
My father was also a Royal Marine Commando in WWII.
@larrygreen262 My dad volunteered in the name of his brother, who died in WWI as a Royal Marine. He was older, jn a reserved occupation and already in Dad's Army. He was in the first wave into Sciliy. Eventually, dying from his injuries. He beat the odds, he should have died in 48, but kept going until the last of his grandchildren had been borne.
My Dad ran the field gun trials in the late 60s.. he served in the Royal Navy.. aboard the HMS Ark Royal and HMS Argonaut .. Argonaut was the ship he called the love of his life.. really enjoy your channel mate, really wholesome in a crazy world.. you're a credit to yourselves and a lovely family.. this was awesome..
Best wishes from the UK 🇬🇧
My dad served on HMS Ark Royal to , in WW2 .
This is a perfect example of why we had the biggest empire in history, because we have men like this that could move mountains.
The best description of a field gunner I ever heard was
Speed of a racehorse !
Strength of a shire horse !
Brains of a rocking horse !
That being said.. Heroes to a man.
Please highlight and pin the above comment.
One word. ROYAL NAVY.🥰
Um.... two?? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🥰
😂@@pamelsims2068
Gee must have been great to sail to war in a nice cushy ship, or fly in a nice warm zippy wee plane, then there's me walking miles in the fecking rain sodding army😉
Huzzah, Huzzah, Huzzah !
@@pamelsims2068 Piss off tosser. My language.
Makes you proud to be British. I saw this live three times as a teenager in the 1970s and it’s super exciting. People have lost fingers during the competition and simply carried on until the end.
Yikes! 😬 Honestly, doesn't surprise me though. haha
I remember watching the Royal Naval Field Gun competition at the Royal Tournament in 1984 when I was 13/14 years old. The whole of the Royal Tournament was a memorable experience. I still have my program that I purchased.
I went to the royal tournament twice as a kid and honestly watching this live was awesome.
I LOVED watching this as a child
This was part of the Royal tournament at Earls Court, in 1999 it was moved and changed due to costs and man power involved. My Dad was an Army pti and did 3 of these as part of gymnastic display teams in the 50s.
I lived in Portsmouth for 13 years and the Navy lads (Matlow) train ALL year for this.
We managed to get tickets to this, the final Royal Tournament. Obviously we were supporting Portsmouth. Was simply AMAZING!!!!
Actually you do them a slight disservice saying they trained all year. The training season was only three months which makes the achievment even more spectacular.
'Matlow'' ? I think you mean MATELOT - a French word for sailor.
@@Dusyanya Absolutely correct!
In my 60s grew up watching this and the mast topping ceremony with the button boy all sadly no more
This was an important part of Navy life, results were telegraphed around the fleet all round the world.The Field Gun Run competition commemorates the Royal Navy's involvement in the relief of Ladysmith 119 day seige during the Boer War in 1899 - 1900.
Now it's just the result of the Army-Navy Rugby game which is sent round the fleet. No more betting on boxing tournaments, no more field gun etc.
My husband was a Naval Officer who helped to train a field-gun team for the competition (earlier rounds - they were knocked out) back in the 1990s when he was at either HMS Sultan or HMS Daedalus (can't quite recall the year). They work incredibly hard!
In 1996 I was representing the RAF at the Royal Tournament and in one of the races a seaman was run over by the carriage after tripping. "No animals were injured" was the announcement during the clean up.
I used to love watching this when I was younger. The strength, athleticism and teamwork required to do this is unbelievable. I have so much respect for the guys that did this.
Hi Guys
This run is based on the Boer war where naval troops ran with cannon's in all terrain to the front line.
I saw this live a number of times when I was a cub scout in the early 80's. While the whole military tournament is fun with a number of different competitions across all the armed forces being on display, this competition was my favourite. As you can hear the atmosphere was fever pitch for it!
They cut the tournament back and back until no more due to budget cuts and funds going elsewhere to the military services.
Btw. The names are the names of UK naval bases that compete. I believe they compete with each other to get to this stage.
I was part of the Royal Navy Display team in 1976. We toured the UK giving displays of the Field Gun, manning the mast, carrying out the window ladder display (have a look at that too) and we also re-enacted Navy history showing how sailors in Admiral Nelson’s Navy kept fit by swinging clubs and swords snd dancing the Hornpipe.
It was hard training but great fun and a privilege to be part of it.
BZ!
What an emotional blast from the past. I used to look forward to watching this on the TV every year.
When I was in the Navy and shore-based I used to see the Field Gun training. It was a big thing back then and you supported wherever you were based.
Hi both. When I travelled with my husband who was in the merchant navy we had a bosun who had been in the royal navy and had competed in this twice. Not many people had done it twice up until then [1978]. In his 2nd year he lost 1cm from the top of his middle finger, didn't even know until the end of the competition. They didn't attempt to find it in all the dirty sand!! It was an annual part of the Royal Tournament a much loved event in London that my parents took me to at Earls Court every year as we lived in London. When I had my own children, we travelled up from Wales on the coach as often as possible. They had entries from all parts of our forces and from overseas. Look up The Royal Tournament. Thank you for the memories. Nana Karen UK x
I was in the Fleet Air Arm & stationed at HMS Daedalus where the F.A.A. Field Gun crews trained. It was huge back in the day they would send out dispatches with the daily results to ships & bases worldwide such was the rivalry
I use to watch this, as a kid, back in the '60s &'70s This competition recreates what had to be done with the guns, on the battlefield, in the war (which us Brit's had), with the Boer's ( Dutch/German Farmers), in South Africa, from 1899-1902. Although, in past competitions, it wasn't uncommon to hear of injuries, such as broken bones, or a finger, or 2 missing!
To think 25 years on those children in the audience will no doubt be the same age as you two!
Thanks for reminding me of this event which I used to watch with my dad.
The Royal Tournament was a military show held at Earls Court in London. The last Royal Tournament was held in 1999. The field gun race was one of the main parts of the tournament.
Technically the last event was in 2013 when the event was renamed The British Military Tournament
Also Earls Court Exhibition Centre and Olympia were two major exhibition venues in west london. Even if the situation in the military permitted it, the venues are no more. Earls Court as it then was closed its doors soon after this event. Nothing is now left of it. The site of Earls Court has been redeveloped. I have memories of being taken as a youngster to the Royal Tournament and this field gun race was a highlight. Other events involved precision silent drills, equestrian events and incredibly tall pyramids of men aboard motorcycles.
Sadly, my perception was that the royal tournament became rather samey....
@@davidbeakhust9797if they brought it back there's always the Excel centre in East London.
Although British I spent the early 1980s living in the town of Newcastle Natal South Africa. Ladysmith was the next town down the road. The huge distance and the obstacles the sailers had to move the guns was well remembered in that town’s museum.
The Siege of Ladysmith was part of the 2nd Boer War in South Africa between the British and Dutch (Boers), essentially because the British wanted to annex the Dutch territories. The town of Ladysmith was under siege by the Boers for almost 4 months. Guns from Royal Navy ships were taken overland to help break the siege.
The Boers were not all of Dutch descent. Many were from other European countries, including the UK. They actually refer to themselves as Afrikaners but were referred to by the British as Boers, the Afrikaans word for farmer, because basically they were farmers. The territory that they settled in, mainly the Transvaal and the Orange Free State were not Dutch but were 'Free States', as the Afrikaners did not want to live under the rule of any other country, which was their main reason for moving from The Cape Colony and Natal up to these territories.
Oh silly me! That explains why Afrikaans and the Dutch language are so closely related. Would "mainly Dutch" satisfy you?
Then please explain why they were called "Boers" by the British, which is pretty much the Dutch word for "farmers." The British were hardly likely to have selected this at random.
Grew up around this and married into the Navy . Naval bases competed against each other for years . Known them run with a broken leg to finish . Summers were spent with naval bases having open days and the field gun display was a big part of it as well as climbing the mast and the button boy . Videos are about on RUclips .
We used to watch these amazing guys practise at HMS Daedalus in Lee On Solent . What hard work they did . 🏴🏴🏴
My dad was Fleet air Arm
Ex Gun Runner here, Guzz 1977. An American university professor explained what had to be done for a gun run, he asked his students to estimate the time needed to perform all the actions, the students came back with estimates ranging from 2 - 4 hours, naturally they were shocked to discover it was just over two and a half minutes.
This used to be aired on the TV every year we never missed it. Different naval teams. 1999 on the TV we were told it wasn't going to be shown again WHAT! YOU WHAT! greatly missed
I was a medic in the Royal Navy in the 70/80's and we used to get a few men in with hand injuries etc.
We had/have some great traditions/sports including the RN 'Mast display'.
😂
My dad was both the scrawny kid who climbed to the very top of the mast and competed on a gun run team in Portsmouth.
Those were the days when Haslar was still a hospital, remember it well as I did my training as did all us PMA's in dolphin 2 where the Aussie submariners were billeted. sad memories of Pneumonia bridge as my mate Don Powers got stuck in the mud at the Haslar side and was drowned, the mp's said he had deserted but his motorbike was still in the sick quarters car park. He was given a full naval funeral when they recovered his body. I was billeted in M2 mess and we used to sunbathe looking out at one of the solent forts. In those days HMS dolphins gates were to the side of the sea wall so we could all do our courting walking along the sea wall road to Stokes bay.
@@sibbo-v6n you were an Aussie Submariner? My Dad was too… Lt Fred Lawrence. He was one of the commissioning crew of HMAS Ovens and brought her home in 69. He also trained at Dolphin.
@@ozzyols75 No, I was a trainee medical assistant PMA means probationary medical assistant. The Aussie submariners were billeted in Dolphin 2 where we trained, I later did my part1 submarine training in HMS Dolphin, then at Alverstoke for part 2 before joining my boat HMS/m Warspite.
Watching this brought me to tears 😢 Memories of watching with family and getting so involved, shouting at the TV. Thank you for sharing it ❤
As someone else said, we used to go to the Royal Tournament every year from about 1954 till it finished. We absolutely adored the Field Gun Competition and always supported the team who were “running” on our side of the stadium. After the show finished we would go back and see the guns and the teams outside the arena. There was always at least one team member having a wound bound up but these huge men were always incredibly kind to any children who came to see them! We were heartbroken when the decision was made, by the government,to abolish the Royal Tournament.
The three teams who competed every year were Portsmouth, Devonport and Fleet Air Arm. There is an amazing film ( available on RUclips ) of one of the teams training for this competition. Not surprisingly, they spent months preparing and many of them were injured! There was huge rivalry between the three naval bases and the results of each day’s competitions were swiftly despatched throughout the fleet! I can’t tell you how emotional I have become just thinking back to those occasions.
Just a slight correction, In the 50s there were 4 teams, namely Portsmouth, Devonport, the Fleet Air Arm and Chatham, I performed together with my colleagues at Earls Court in the Chatham team in 1958, I am now 88 and still remember what a great competition it was.
The Field Gun competition has continued but it’s not broadcast anymore; now it happens over a weekend with more teams.
Guys, you need to check out the Royal Corps of Signals White Helmets Motorcycle display team at the Royal Torrnament, what you've just watched is also the Royal Tournament, I went to this every year with my father who was an Army Veteran, and it was because of this I joined the British Army.
I know that you have already reacted to "Manning the Mast", but I'm sure it would interest Lindsey.
My Dad was in the Portsmouth Field Guns Crew at the Royal Tournament in 1955 - he was the Flying Angel. Every year we were in England (we lived in various other countries) we would go to the Royal Tournament. Dad would disappear at the half time break to the Field Gun crew bar for his free tot of Pussers rum...we wouldn't see him until the end of the show & would have to pour him onto the train to get him home - he might have had few more than one tot of rum!! Those guys were pretty much the toughest guys in the Navy. I have a little wooden & brass replica of the Field Gun that I inherited from my Dad
Devonport v Portsmouth. Watched a number of these when i was younger. ❤
So glad I got to see this live as a kid, was super excited when my dad said we were going to see the Royal Tournament live. Sadly the Royal Tournament is no longer a thing.
My x2 great Uncle from Ulster won back in the early 1900s while serving in the Royal Navy. He survived the battle of Jutland as a stoker and a Petty Officer, then later became a Diver in full brass metal helmet helping to survey Australia and New Zealand. You need excellent lungs and a fit physical high standard class to take part in this race, and he was hand picked. I have an old photo of him standing next to the gun at the race. He used to drink a crate of Guinness to keep his iron levels up.
the Royal Navy Field Gun Competition continues to be held annually at HMS Collingwood in Fareham, Hampshire. The competition was a highlight of the Royal Tournament until the last run in 1999. The Royal Tournament was ended in 1999 due to the strain on personnel resources and the lack of a vehicle for the Inter-Command Competition.
The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity Field Gun Competition is a long-standing tradition in the Royal Navy. The competition involves 21 crews from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army, and Royal Air Force. The crews run with and assemble an antique gun replica that weighs over 1,300kg (2,866lbs). The crews compete for the Brickwoods trophy.
It was Royal Navy only no Army no Air force Royal Navy teams from Naval bases Chatham,Portsmouth and Devonport Then when Chatham closed The Fleet Air Arm entered a team.
Saw this for myself when I was a kid. Dad took us to the Royal Tournament when it was on at Earl’s Court Arena in London, I think when I was about 10 or 11. In the
concourse there were lots of exhibits and displays put on by various parts in the British military, and even a small shooting range that let people fire a .22LR training rifle (I remember being annoyed that I was too young and not allowed, but Dad had a go - the first shooting since his National Service days). And there’d be armoured vehicles you could sit in/on and I remember a Rapier missile display with the launcher turning around.
But the highlight of the day was the events going on in the main arena, topped by the Field Gun Competition. Amazing on TV, incredible when you’re a ten year old and it’s live.
There was also a silent drill display by an American unit, which I think must’ve been the US Marines because I know they’re famous for that. That was as impressive in its quiet precision as the field gun comp was in its noisy adrenaline fuelled action.
So that’s a flavour of what the Royal Tournament was. I think falling visitor numbers were behind its cancellation after 1999, which was a shame because it really was quite a spectacular event, and everyone who’s ever seen the field gun race misses it. Perhaps if they’d put it on for a shorter period or something it might have survived, but I assume people who know better than me did the numbers and thought it wasn’t a goer. 😞
Another BRILLIANT video for you both to react to is "what it takes to win the Victoria cross" presented by former top gear host and often controversial Jeremy Clarkson, say what you want about Clarkson BUT he definitely knows how to present a military video, be happy, safe and healthy everyone ✌️
Clarkson discovered that his father in law, had done some incredible acts, at Arnhem, Holland. Winning a VC.
The film, A Bridge Too Far, tells the story of the battle and the Para drop into Arnhem.
@@johnland7318 yeah, but don't you think that's a bit of a spoiler for anyone that's thinking about watching the video
Many years ago, there was a BBC documentary that followed the training the teams underwent for this competition. The number of injuries was scary and the sheer guts and hard work was incredibly humbling.
Brilliant teamwork training.
It makes me proud to be British, just saying from Glasgow 💙😎🇬🇧
I was a part of Navy Cadets Field Gun Crew for Devonport many, many years ago. What great fun it was!
I met a guy some years ago who had been part of one of the teams in the 80s. He got squished during the race and that was the end of his Navy career. Despite that, he was proud to have been part of this Navy tradition.
I used to work as a joiner at devonport dockyard in the 80s, we used to make the gun wheels from scratch, putting them together by hand and weighting them if they were underweight using lead billets. Really hard work putting the iron band on the outside of the wheel using a long handled sledgehammer and balancing on the opposite rim. Best time ever.
There used to be a wonderful occasion called The Royal Tournament, which our mum and dad used to take us to regularly when we were young. The Field Gun Competition was part of it and it is AMAZING to see live and up close - the sound, the energy - completely enthralling. I used to love going to see the horses in their stables after the show. Sadly, they stopped the whole event **weeps**. I am seriously in tears watching it again.
A lot like to say it stopped due to injuries, but the more official reasoning was down to it being "a strain on resources" . As an alternative now, they do the "Junior Leaders Field Gun Competition" , but it's not as crazy as this
Another good clip is the Royal Navy mast climbing ceremony
The royal tournament took place at
Earls court in London. As they said this race took place from 1907 to 1999.think it was stopped due to cost. I hope one day they will bring it back,but seeing how the forces in the UK have been cut back so much. I think it was the end of an eara.
I remember I went to see this with my dad, it was in the 1980’s. Sadly dad passed away in 2010, but got that many other fond memories.
I went in 1976 at Earls court, London. It was incredibly exciting and still have the programme.
I used to watch this every year before it was last shown on the TV. I used to support the Devonport team as it was the closest team to where I grew up. I now live closer to the Portsmouth team now. I loved watching this.
Take care and best wishes
The last Royal Tournament was held on August 2, 1999. The Royal Tournament was the world's first and largest military tattoo, and was held annually from 1880 to 1999, with the exception of the war years. The tournament featured displays of horsemanship, drilling, marching bands, and gymnastics.
The crews were regular servicemen who volunteered for the competition teams. They endured a tough training regime and ate a high protein diet (mostly steak and eggs as far as I can remember) to maintain their strength and stamina. Stories of lost limbs (especially fingers) were legendary and regarded as almost par for the course. Also legendary was the the knowledge that despite the loss of bodily parts the training runs continued - as did those who were directly affected!
Each ship and shorebase tries to keep the race alive by having its own team and race at fun days.... I was at that race as part of the sea cadets from Portsmouth, we would help at the team practice sessions at HMS Excellent it was great fun... later served as a medic in my ships team in 2007 when I was in the Navy. Total respect for the guys & girls that do the run now to keep the run alive...
One of the members of the fleet air arm crew shown here used to live near me and was a real giant of a man standing at 6’5 or more and over 20 stone without an ounce of fat.
A truly remarkable effort of teamwork and determination.
I saw this race live three or four times.
It was never less than awe-inspiring, terrifying, testosterone fuelled, amazing, etc.
Loved it.
I think in ended because it was getting too expensive to run, and the risk of extremely serious injury was huge.
It ended because the Scottish PM at the time, Mr Tony B Liar, wanted it to. He did quite a few things like that.
This started during the years of the Boers War in South Africa. It was required for getting cannons over mountain gorges during the war to help defend the British garrison town of Ladysmith 1899, so faster the better. It then was turned into an annual competition between the Royal Navy and the British Army. Men have actually broke bones and lost fingers during these competitions. It was called the Royal Tournament. When you have any competition between Navy and Army it’s always good to be really physical tough and the bragging rights were always fought for.
I grew up not far from Earls Court and went to many a Royal Tournament in the late fifties and through the sixties. This was always the highlight of the show.
I worked with two guys who were part of of the Portsmouth Field Gun Crew for a couple of years - a few years before this however. Both extremely fit and strong guys
In the late 90s the Blair's Labour government cut the funding for the military in a big way, so the military had no choice but to end the royal tournament as there were no longer enough military personnel to have a team training for the competitions and fulfil the militarises other obligations.
A mate of mine I sailed with did this twice (in the 80s with Portsmouth I think), and they held the record for quite a while
We looked forward to the Tournament every year.We lived in Earls Court ,coming home from primary school we would clamber over the tank that was parked outside,my brother broke his thumb on it and our neighbour broke his arm,no health and safety in those days ha ha.Thank you for reminding me of such great times
I've been to see this live at the Royal Tournament twice, fricking ace!!!!!!
Have you watched anything on the Highland games yet? Another eye opener.
Went to see several Royal Tournaments circa 1982, when I was 11. Always thrilling to watch, in that huge arena. The Royal Navy field gun race was amazing in real life. There was so much to see before the show, with loads of Armed Forces displays.
The best was the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery as they thundered round the arena - which suddenly seemed way too small!
The thing you mentioned was called the traveller! It ran on the rope across the ravine.
The way they just flipped the cannon over the wall making it look effortless
i'm now 60 and used to watch this every year as a kid on tv, there was always fingers broken, thumbs missing etc but the guys carried on even if injured :)
Aaaaahhhh them were the days,! 😍 My hubby is a Fleet Air Arm Veteran as was his father before him and we have another relative who was in the Field Gun team representing the Fleet Air Arm when this was a huge event. We have younger members of the family serving now and live very close to a number of the remaining training bases here on the South Coast. Its great to see so many people sharing memories. Format has changed a bit on Navy days but usually still popular events each year!
Things have changed a great deal in the Royal Navy but I can genuinely say this and the Man the Mast display had my heart in my mouth whenever I watched it! 😁
one of the things I love about this channel, is that you are really interested in the subjects that get recommended to you. most YT channels would just watch the video and say "let us know in the comments about this subject" as they are only interested in the likes and don't care about the subject. where as you actually hit up Wiki to educate yourself.
Thank you for noticing. We do ask a lot of questions because we learn a lot from comments, but we almost always explore a topic more in depth after the video, sometimes on camera and sometimes off. :)
Hi from Britland again; you got a pre-emptive like on this! Can't wait to see your reaction! Fun fact: the RN Field Gun Competition was once classed as the most dangerous competition in the world!!!
I used to go to the royal tournament every year when I was a kid ❤️ it. This video is probably the 80’s. I could even have been present
Really glad you looked up the meaning and significance at the end, they used to show this on the TV every year when I was growing up and it was always exciting, made even more so by having the well-known sports commentator Barry Davies doing the announcing.
During the runs the whole Royal Navy were on tenderhooks to see who won!! Every ship had its radio op listening for the results to be flashed around the Fleet. My Father in Law was a Royal Marine Commando so knew all about it!!
As far as I know the competition still takes place internally within the separate commands and 'Ships', Navel Shore bases are known as Ships. The competition has been modified to comply with that hated Health and Safety legislation. The Royal Tournament has been sunk by a previous Government. That was the Princess Royal in the Royal Box with her Husband (2nd), then a serving Naval Officer. The Royal Tournament was held at Earls Court, it was an Exhibition and Show Venue, built in the 1930's, beneath that sanded wooden floor is a very large swimming pool and an ice rink. The London Motor Show (now at the NEC, Birmingham) and the Boat Show (now Southampton) was held there along with Equestrian events, Crufts Dog Show and Christmas Ice shows.
The record time is held by Devonport there is a video on you tube of the record run and there is also a video of the training that takes place there have been over the years many broken bones and lost fingers.
Growing up in Devon I loved watching this on the TV. I would always support Devonport.
@@rachelpenny5165 Yes so did I and i also grew up in Devon
This relives, in competition now, the cross country run, in 1989, of the navy in the Second Boer War to assist the British army under siege. The names were two British ships that six guns were taken from. There were several injuries in these competitions, including lost fingers.
Hi. Erm sorry, but you typoed the date, (and perhaps forgot the ships names?,) so I thought to inform you kindly of it incase you wish to use your comment's edit function.
o7 (salutes)
i've had the pleasure of watching this live at portsmouth when i was a kid and seeing it on tv never did it true justice.
Ex "Jenny" (WRNS) here - Pompey was my team but I began attending the Royal Tournament years before I joined the RN. Loved the 'chant' teams for each crew. It was a fantastic competition that drove the crowd wild each night 🤣 I really miss it ... The Collingwood competition is good to watch but it is a shadow of the real thing - done on the parade ground😔
Used to look forwards to this event. As a kid I'd scream and shout at the TV for the team I had choosen. The result of this race would be sent out to every navy vessel around the world. I for one would watch this again. Great reaction.
When I was in the RAF I was on a resettlement course at Plymouth Navy Base in 1996 and while I was there the Plymouth guys were training there for the competition.
Loved going to the Roal tournament with my Grandad, seeing this in person was amazing
My dad took me to the Royal Tournament many many years ago. The absolute GOAT of recruitment for young kids as I was then. Absolutely amazing and its almost crimianl that they stopped it.
I remember watching a rehearsal in 1972 in Plymouth. One of the 'lads' lost a finger going across the chasm, and he carried on. Very tough!!! Bring back the Royal Tournament.
This was something that was watching every year.i enjoyed watching it this time as well supported Portsmouth every time
Thank you for your video, I’m blubbing watching
Unfortunately cut backs happened in 1999 so we lost the Royal Tournament and with it the Royal Navy Field Gun competition. Another highlight was the musical ride by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery but that survives to this day
My father was RN so we always watched the show on TV. We attended the show twice in the 60s and 70s. You were asked to support the team on your side of the arena, come on Portsmouth we’d scream
Now that I’m old I was delighted to find my friend ran field gun for Devonpart and was able to give me the background to all the months of training they put in prior to the event. The team still meet up and exchange stories of their time running field gun
Great tradition sadly lost
Great to see Princess Anne in the Royal Box showing her full support