RAF Regiment - champion shot

[ricardian]

Queen's Medal for Champion Shots awarded (http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/sniper-wins-accuracy-award-after-horror-arm-injury-1-3016863)to RAF Regiment gunner whose arm was ripped apart during a "horror training accident"

[dervish]

Well done. Fantastic.

[500N]

Well done, both on shooting and getting back.

[MPN11]

Well done that man :D


From a former Bisley competitor

[sitigeltfel]

Well done that man :D


From a former Bisley competitor

Seconded :ok:

What rifle do they use today?

I often wonder where my old L42A1 ended up?

[Wander00]

And on being put to the vote: "Approved Unanimously", I hope

[Yellow Sun]

People can shoot exceptionally well with the most surprising disabilities. This man can do it with his eyes closed:

Blind Shooting Video_0004.wmv - YouTube

YS

[Tankertrashnav]

I suspect many of us will never have seen this medal, which is not surprising as it is one of the rarest medals which can be awarded to members of the RAF. It was instituted in 1953, and is awarded annually to the champion shot at the RAF Small Arms Meeting at Bisley, thus if I calculate correctly Cpl Jamieson's is only the 61st medal to have been awarded so far. The medal is worn with other campaign medals, etc, and is mounted after long service and coronation/jubilee medals. The design is reminiscent of the old AFM and shows Hermes astride a falcon, holding a javelin and a caduceus- here's a picture:

http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafsmallarms/rafcms/mediafiles/AB591301_1143_D71E_46030CD37683919F.jpg

Congratulations Cpl Jamieson :ok:

[Yellow Sun]

I suspect many of us will never have seen this medal, which is not surprising as it is one of the rarest medals which can be awarded to members of the RAF. It was instituted in 1953, and is awarded annually to the champion shot at the RAF Small Arms Meeting at Bisley, thus if I calculate correctly Cpl Jamieson's is only the 61st medal to have been awarded so far.

It is made even more rare due to the fact that one man won it 7 times; Ron Van Gelderen; and John Prictor won it 14 times. Prictor's total stands as a Commonwealth record for greatest number of Queen's Medals won by any individual.

YS

[500N]

Anyone know his score ?

And how many RAF competing ?

[Basil]

. . smashed into my left shoulder blade.

“This stung a bit, . .

Courageous master of the understatement.

[Tankertrashnav]

Yellow Sun - thanks for the info, I wasn't aware of that. I neglected to say that as well as the medal there is a dated bar or clasp which is worn on the ribbon - I assume that these two chaps eventually needed extra long ribbons to accommodate their bars!

[MPN11]

500n ... Tragically diminished from the 350+ in my day. When I looked at the RAFSSA website last week I got the feeling there were around 40+ competitors. We used to have 50+ officers in tents on the Clubhouse Lawn!!

Sadly, people have other things to do these days ... There's a War on, you know ;)

Oh, and Governments have strangled the sport of target shooting anyway, as both I and the OH know to our personal cost. Still, the taxpayer gave us £5.5k to stop us shooting holes in paper with pistols, so you can all sleep safely in your beds. :mad:

[500N]

MPN

From memory a couple of guys from my school went to Bisley for it.

Would loved to have gone once.

[MPN11]

Once Upon A Real Air Force ... They used to start with 1,500 RAF competitors. Of course, they used to be about 12 Commands/overseas Air Forces then. And probably more Groups than we now have flying stations.

Old Crab weeps gently into glass of wine. :mad:

.

[Exrigger]

Great achievement, having competed at Bisley 8 times in the 70s/early 80s, never got near the top ten in the Queens medal competition, but can appreciate what it takes to win that medal, my mate Phil won it twice.

[MPN11]

I know your little fat mate quite well. Not bad at Pistol either.

Royal Air Force (http://www.queensmedal.net/files/raf.htm)


.

[Just This Once...]

I assume that these two chaps eventually needed extra long ribbons to accommodate their bars!

Quite long even when they limited it to 10:

http://www.queensmedal.net/images/prictor_03.jpg

[500N]

Certainly different but impressive.

[Tankertrashnav]

Thanks for the picture JTO. That's going into my archive, and I'll be asking a question about it at my next medal collector's club meeting!

[teeteringhead]

I notice in the picture to which TTN links in post #8, that the inscription is "Royal Air Forces" in plural.

Is that to include eg RAAF and RNZAF, or to include Auxies and VR and VR(T), or is it just a relic of the dear departed days of RAFG, NEAF, AFG, FEAF etc.

I guess the question really amounts to who is entitled to compete for it at Bisley?

[500N]

teetering
It explains it in Wiki and I think referred to the old Commonwealth
and those who compete from around the world.

[MPN11]

There was some complex debate about how John Prictor was to wear his multiple awards on the medal ribbon. Clearly the usual silver rosette wasn't going to do the business, as the ribbon would only allow for 3 (original award + 3 bars). Suggestions included wearing a second ribbon (= 5) and adding rosettes (for 6, 7 and 8) - that was rejected. *

Eventually it was decided to use some sort of aggregation of rosettes, which IIRC meant a gold for 4 bar, then adding silvers, then another gold etc. he process was derived from some other extant award (which I can no longer recall). However, it still didn't work, as JTP kept adding to his total and over-ran even that system. I don't think it was ever resolved properly!


* I was told that Van Gelderen used that arrangement, albeit unofficially, but can't confirm that.

[teeteringhead]

The process was derived from some other extant award (which I can no longer recall). The ACSM methinks - that had a complicated rosettes in silver and then gold scheme IIRC.

I'm sure TTN will know!

[MPN11]

ACSM it is/was - thank you. :ok:

The gold/silver rosette is described here at Para 12 >>> https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/28380/2011DIN0908.pdf

It also recognises that it only works for up to 9 awards. ;)

[alisoncc]

RAFG, NEAF, AFG, FEAF TTH recognise RAFG, NEAF and FEAF. So what was AFG? Air Force Gander or Gan? :}

[teeteringhead]

AFG = Air Forces Gulf . . . . or it did when I was first there! HQ at Bahrein with stations at Muharraq, Sharjah, Salalah and Masirah. And 'twas the Persian Gulf too.

One recalls the senior Brit diplomat was PRPG - Political Resident Persian Gulf.

[MPN11]

TTH ... The Air Forces were, indeed, (including the overseas RAF ones)* and RAuxAF and RAFVR.
IIRC OZ, NZ and Canada had their own.

* Edit … correction to that.4. The regulations made under the Royal Warrant provide that the medal shall be restricted to the Air Force at home So not the Overseas Air Forces, but including RAuxAF and RAFVR.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafsmallarms/rafcms/mediafiles/E77C626F_5056_A318_A83DBF312B152EDD.pdf … Page 4-1-1

[Tankertrashnav]

I'm sure TTN will know!


Actually I didn't, but always eager to learn, as I have on this occasion from MPN's post :ok:

[Blacksheep]

You forgot LAC/Squadron Leader Thompson who also won it 7 times. His ashes were scattered on Stickledown in '73 at the same meet where Sgt Van Gelderen's alarm clock failed to go off and he missed his detail. This caused him to fail to achieve a dead certain 8th win. He was offered a later detail but turned it down on the grounds of fairness.