Obituaries
Bill Curtis
Bill Curtis 1931-2021
Antique Arms & Militaria Shooter, Collector and Historian
William (Bill) Scott Curtis was born in Putney in June 1931, an only child, the son of Arthur and Elspeth. He was a day boy at a grammar school in Sussex where he was brought up during the war. He witnessed many events from aerial dogfights, to a badly shot up Superfortress exploding on the local airfield after landing, to armadas of Luftwaffe bombers heading north during the Blitz, and armadas of Allied bombers heading south from 1943-45, to Spitfires and Meteors tipping doodlebugs. His collecting instincts started during the war when he acquired numerous war souvenirs including the tail plane of a doodlebug that landed 300 yards away from him while he took shelter with his bicycle in a ditch. Unfortunately his mother threw it all away after the war because he had too much ‘rubbish’, much to his chagrin for the rest of his life.
The family set off to Australia to start a new life after the war, arriving in Melbourne on the Esperance Bay in August 1948. During his time in Australia Bill earnt a living as a textile salesman and was a Sergeant in the Royal Australian Artillery Reserves, where he developed his interest in field guns and small arms. His shooting career really started here where the freedom of Australia enabled him to experiment with muzzle loaders and breech loaders in the bush where no-one lived or much less cared. He had very fond memories of those times.
His father’s ill-health forced the family to return to the UK in the early 1950’s whereupon Bill joined the Royal Artillery, 20 Regiment, 107 Battery on a short service commission as a second lieutenant. He delighted in live firing his troop’s newly issued 25-pounders and formed an experience-based understanding of long range ballistics and coefficients which he would refer to for the rest of his life. While based at Woolwich, Bill started collecting rare muskets and rifles sold out of barrels on the street outside antique dealers in the days when dealers could not give them away because no-one was interested. I think this is where his passion for small arms cataloguing and history began; he was appalled that such fine examples of British military history were unrecorded and unloved. When his Regiment was posted to Hong Kong, he found himself OIC of the Regimental motor pool, which enabled him to acquire (sic) military driving tests for every type of wheeled and tracked land vehicle, which, being British military qualifications were automatically transferrable to his civilian driving licence.
Bill met his wife Mary through a shared passion for horse riding, they were married in July 1960, and both were proud to receive a congratulatory telegram from the Queen on their 60th wedding anniversary last year.
On leaving the Army Bill worked in the motor trade for a short time before finding an interest in insurance. He joined the Eagle Star in 1957, sailed through his ACII exams in 1960 (he was extraordinarily academically gifted; he scored in the 99th percentile of the MENSA IQ test). He worked in London before being posted to Hong Kong (for the second time in his life), whereupon he joined the Hong Kong Marine Police Reserves, which he fondly remembered for the opportunity of target practice with a boat-mounted 50 calibre at a small whitewashed rock on the waterline of one of the offshore islands. In 1966 he moved to Zurich Insurance where he was the assistant manager in the Nottingham branch, then manager of Cardiff and finally Bedford.
His management style both endeared him to some of his staff, and infuriated others and some at Head Office, where changes in corporate governance led to a more “hands on” style which conflicted with Bill’s independent personality. He retired in 1984 to North Wales and never looked back. His life was one of military and firearms history and shooting, it gave him all his friends (bar one or two notable exceptions) and was his life’s work.
Shortly after retiring from his insurance career, Bill turned his attention towards publishing, forming his own publishing house, W.S. Curtis Publishers Ltd. His mission was to reprint rare books that were significant contributions to small arms history and shooting. He reprinted 17 titles in all, which were almost always from his own library in which he wrote and included new forewords.
Bill was an early member of the Muzzle Loaders’ Association, joining in 1956. As a descendant of the old Curtis family business of Curtis and Harvey, the gunpowder manufacturers, it was perhaps inevitable that he would gravitate towards black powder. He held, at one time or another, all the great Offices of the Association. The Curtis and Harvey connection was invaluable when proposals regarding the storage of propellant gunpowders for private use were being discussed with the Explosives Policy Division of the Health and Safety Executive, these discussions resulted in the adoption of the wooden box for storage that has proved to be entirely successful ever since.
He represented his country at home and abroad in numerous international muzzle loading championships. His particular speciality was long range shooting, regularly making respectable scores even by modern standards on current Stickledown targets at up to 1200 yards with Whitworth and Rigby rifles made in the 1860’s. It was his attention to detailed research of loads, bullet making and black powder formulations, together with a thorough understanding of ballistics that enabled the MLAGB to resurrect a lost art. Bill was a very competent shot with modern target rifles too, he won the Army Open and shot for Nottinghamshire numerous times.
Bill was instrumental in the modern revival of international muzzle loading competition. By 1970 discussions were taking place as to the possibility of forming an international body to regularise shooting for the future. In 1971 the Muzzle Loaders Associations International Committee was born, and Bill was the British representative on the founding MLAIC Committee. Although much has changed since those early days, the MLAIC still thrives to this day.
Bill was a muzzle loading representative on the NRA Council during the 1980’s before his right eye developed an un-correctable problem in the centre of his vision which caused havoc with his sight picture. Having tried and failed to shoot successfully left handed, his interest turned more towards his books and it was at this point that he developed a particular interest in the Crimean War. This was a pivotal moment for his collections because it led him to focus almost exclusively on the Crimean period, culminating in him creating his own, not insubstantial, Crimean War museum at his home in Prestatyn. It also opened another chapter in his life when he joined the Crimean War Research Society, becoming Chairman from 2002-04, and later Vice President. He enjoyed many a tour to the Crimea with the CWRS and contributed much to the research and modern understanding of that war.
In 1991 he volunteered to help the NRA catalogue and display the many Wimbledon exhibits in the NRA museum when it was relocated in 1994. Bill worked part time as a volunteer assistant curator until 2018. This work was of particular poignance to him because of his fascination with Whitworth rifles, one of the most accurate rifles of the late nineteenth century, and he catalogued every known example ever made. Wimbledon was opened by Queen Victoria firing a shot from a Whitworth, which is in the NRA museum, together with the Whitworth that won the first ever Sovereign’s Prize, this gave Bill an immense sense of privilege to be associated with their public display.
Growing up with him I would often hear him cheekily say, “If it opens at the breech its weak at the breech, stands to reason!”. Which, whilst a reactionary take on the post muzzle loading era, belies his own understanding and contribution to early breech loading history. He was a member of the Historical Breech Loaders Association and was awarded Honorary Life Membership. Reference to his library helped resolve many issues for HBSA members. He was one of the team of breechloader shooters in the 1990 celebration of 100 years at Bisley earning his “Green Rifleman” uniform. He was widely known and respected the world over on antique arms and militaria forums.
Bill was a prolific collector, not only of muzzle loaders, but bayonets, powder flasks, NRA memorabilia, early cartridges, Victorian gunsmithing tools and literally anything to do with the Crimean War. He had a library on muzzle loading small arms and shooting that is widely regarded to be unrivalled anywhere in the world. He was always keen to use it too, he spent literally decades of his life answering questions and helping others with their own research. The pursuit of knowledge and preservation of the past drove him and I think he inspired many in the same vein too. Bill never saw himself as the owner of anything he collected, merely the caretaker preserving something for future generations; the monetary value was of little significance to him, but its contribution to history was everything.
He survived two heart attacks and a serious stroke in his later years that robbed him of his ability to use his vocabulary effectively, either in verbal or written form. As a historian, an academic and a researcher whose passion was communicating with others about his subject, this was probably the worst that could have happened to him. It frustrated him immensely, but it never diminished his verve to try. Everyone who knew him made allowances and his contribution to research continued, albeit slowly, until he eventually passed away peacefully on 4 January 2021 in Leominster Community Hospital. Although he succumbed to old age he is officially a COVID statistic, quite fitting in a way, he would have wanted to be part of something historical and not to have just faded away.
Bill is survived by his wife Mary, and their only son Reg.
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History
150th Anniversary of first NRA Meeting.
Centenary of NRA at Bisley celebrated.
Geoff Cox used the Swing Rifle to win the Queen’s Prize
This was the first time the Sovereign’s prize was won with a stiff action rifle used in the final – Third Stage. The Swing rifle was designed by George Swenson and Laurie Ingram. Wikipedia – Swing Rifle
Prince Charles took part in the Vizianagram Competition, shooting for the Lords against the Commons.
Prince Charles becomes the Association’s 6th President.
Revolutionary ‘Swing’ rifle, developed by George Swenson, became available.
Changeover from .303 to NATO calibre.
End of the long reign of the SLME, No 4 and P14 rifles.
Visit of HM Queen Elizabeth II to Bisley
Closure of the Camp Tramway
Military Extension dismantled.
Cheap Fares for shooters restored by the newly constituted Southern Region of British Railways
Running Boar Range re-opened but closed in 1953.
First Full Annual Meeting held following the War.
WW2 Military Extension closed.
Formation of Home Guard. Bisley became their primary Camp.
Military Railway Extension re-opened to Pirbright Camp only.
New Sniping and Sporting Range opened at Bisley
This included an automatic Running Boar Range.
Outbreak of WW2.
Camp again handed over to Military.
Retirement of Major C.R. Etches as Secretary
Arthur Fulton wins the Sovereign’s Prize for the third time.
Marjorie Foster first woman to win the Sovereign’s Prize.
Range Tramway equipment including the tram locomotive “Wharncliffe” disposed of for scrap.
Arthur Fulton wins the Sovereign’s Prize for the second time.
Lord Cheylesmore, the NRA Chairman, dies after being involved in a car accident.
The ‘Pavilion’
The ‘Pavilion’ prefabricated refreshment Building from Wimbledon demolished and replaced by the present brick building.
Death of Lt. Col. C.R. Crosse, the NRA Secretary.
Major C.R. Etches took over his position.
War Office wartime control of Railway ceased.
Firearms Act
Firearms Act, effectively restricting their use to holders of Firearms Certificates.
Camp Tramway re-opened
Camp Tramway re-opened but however the wartime Railway Executive refused to countenance cheap fares for shooters. This was reversed when questions were asked in the House of Commons.
Military Railway handed over to LSWR to manage.
By December Military Railway Personnel demobilised causing LSWR to close Military Railway.
Military Railway completed
Military Railway completed and opened in 1917. Whole line, including Bisley Camp Station taken over by Military.
Concerns over ownership
Concerns over ownership of Camp Tramway and NRA remuneration by railway company put into the hands of the Associations Solicitors.
War Office decides to construct a Military Railway
War Office decides to construct a Military Railway to Pirbright, Deepcut and Blackdown Camps starting at Bisley Camp.
Outbreak of WW1
Outbreak of WW1 Bisley Camp offered to Military Authorities for duration. Major General Lord Cheylesmore becomes Camp Commandant with Lt. Col. Crosse as his Adjutant.
Formation of School of Musketry
Formation of School of Musketry to train Instructors for the new British Armies.
Last Meeting at which the Range Tramway was used.
Arthur Fulton wins the first of his three Sovereigns Prizes.
New SMLE tested by members of Council at Bisley
New SMLE tested by members of Council at Bisley but the Long Lee continued use in competitions until WW1.
Lord Cheylesmore introduces Boys Camp
Lord Cheylesmore introduces Boys Camp (for schools without Cadet Corps) at Bisley.
King Edward VII visits the Camp.
New Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) first tested by British Army.
Death of George, Duke of Cambridge, the President of the NRA.
Lord Cheylesmore becomes Chairman of NRA.
Formation of Civilian Rifle Clubs
The NRA gives its support to the formation of Civilian Rifle Clubs following the serious reverses to the British Army during the 2nd Boer War.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s paper on formation of Civilian Rifle Clubs
He agrees to sit on the new NRA Rifle Clubs Committee.
Col Mackinnon falls seriously ill at end of Meeting and resigns in November.
Lt. Col C.R. Crosse appointed Secretary.
Water Supply breaks down at height of Annual Meeting
Railway Company supply old engine tenders as temporary measure.
Lee-Enfield (Long Lee) Rifle (using smokeless ammunition) comes into general use at Bisley.
Lee –Metford permitted in United Services Cup.
Winifred Leale of the Guernsey Rifle Club becomes the first woman to shoot in NRA Competitions.
Prefabricated buildings and Range tramway, brought from Wimbledon, re-erected.
Prince and Princess of Wales open Ranges and Camp Tramway on 12th July.
Col. William Mackinnon, late of the Hythe School of Musketry, becomes NRA Secretary.
Queen Victoria signs the NRA Charter of Incorporation.
Council agree site at Bisley by a large majority. Ratified by Spring Meeting
Acquisition of land.
Acquisition of land assisted by fact that much of it was owned by the War Office. Local landowners would only sell all or large parts of their land.
Royal Engineers start construction.
Royal Engineers start construction of ranges and earth works of Tramway to connect the new Camp with Brookwood.
Capt.St John Mildmay resigned as NRA Secretary.
The .303 Lee Metford rifle.
The .303 Lee Metford rifle, still using black powder ammunition, replaced the Martini Henry. This rifle in turn was replaced some years later by the same calibre Lee Enfield (Long Lee) rifle using smokeless powder ammunition
A reduced Council Meeting agreed that the best site was that offered by Lord Wantage, the NRA’s Chairman, on his Berkshire Downs estate.
Intervention of Lord Wemyss (the former Lord Elcho) postpones a final decision.
Bisley site located by Hoey (Association’s Clerk of Works).
The safety of the Wimbledon Ranges became threatened by building development.
The safety of the Wimbledon Ranges became threatened by building development along with the increased range provided by the latest types of modern rifles and ammunition.
The Duke of Cambridge, the NRA’s president serves notice on the Association, under the terms of the 1870 Notice of Determination Agreement.
Efforts to find a new site instigated.
James Loyd Lindsay, Lord Wantage, becomes Chairman of the NRA
Formation of the National Rifle Association
Volunteer Movement re-formed (originally disbanded after Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815).
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GDPR
National Rifle Association (NRA) Privacy Policy
About this policy
This privacy policy explains how and why the National Rifle Association including the National Shooting Centre for this purpose (NRA), collect personal information, use it and keep it. It also explains your rights in relation to it.
We will collect, use and store personal data, as described in this Privacy Policy when people engage in activities of the NRA. This includes members, visitors, guests and others using the facilities and services of the NRA. For purpose of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we are considered the Data Controller of this personal data and we may make use of third-party services, print and mailing houses and online backup/storage facilities.
We may amend this policy from time to time without prior notice. You are advised to check our website regularly for any amendments at NRA.org.uk.
We will only share your personal data with any third parties as outlined below. The data will be retained in compliance with the GDPR and other applicable UK law. Further details on GDPR may be found at the website for the UK Information Commissioner (ico.org.uk).
Information we collect
The personal data you provide to us, and/or we collect from you:
- Name, address, date of birth, gender
- Contact details, including telephone numbers and email address
- Financial information, including bank details and credit/debit cards (although we do not retain complete payment card information)
- Criminal convictions, health details and medical history
- Information from firearms and shotgun certificates
- Participation in competitions and scores
- Attendance at events
- Club affiliation
- Gift aid declaration
- Photographs/videos both CCTV and of sporting competitions and events
How we collect information about you
The personal information you provide to us, we collect from online submissions and paper documents in the following circumstances, among others:
- When you apply for membership
- When you renew your membership
- When you purchase ammunition or other goods or rent firearms from us
- When you purchase insurance through us or make a claim on that insurance
- When you register to receive information from us
- When you interact with us, respond to communications or surveys
- When you enter competitions
- When you attend training courses
- When you book ranges
- When you attend a corporate day or a guest day event
- When you request accommodation
- When you make enquiries or raise concerns with us
- When you enter into license, leases or contracts with us
Use and sharing of personal information
We use personal information for the purposes of:
- Administering your membership in the NRA
- Providing you with insurance cover and related services
- Using payment details to process payments relating to your membership, including fees, premiums, renewals of membership
- Communicating with you about your membership (including renewals), policies, and claims, and responding to enquiries
- Supply you with our magazine and other communications
- Administer Gift Aid
- Promoting our competitions, events and the sport generally
- Promoting marksmanship
- Issuing Shooter Certification Cards (SCC)
Your personal data:
- Will be used to notify the police when you apply to join the NRA club
- Will be used to notify the police, the Home Office or other government agencies for any other appropriate notifications required by law
- Will be used for the purposes of organising and operating the competitions and events and competition entries/results may be published in our magazine, on our website or other public media
- May be shared with another National Governing Body or a Home Office Approved Club
- May be published on our website or in our magazine in connection with disciplinary actions where appropriate
- Will be shared with insurers and with third party service providers for the purpose of handling insurance claims, including our claims team, solicitors, medical agencies and Police (explicit consent having been given to us by you to act on your behalf)
- Will be shared with third party service providers who support the operation of our organisation and services, such as IT and financial service providers, mailing houses etc.
- Photographs/videos made during events or competitions may be published in our magazine, on our website or on social media sites (see special statement about CCTV images)
- Will not otherwise be provided to third parties without your consent
Lawful Basis
Our legal bases for processing your data are:
- Contract: by agreeing to be a member, using our services, such as certification as a NRA-qualified RCO or issuance of an SCC, making armoury purchases or using our ranges, using the insurance cover there is a contract in each instance (written or implied) between the NRA and the individual.
- Legal Obligation: This applies to processing personal data that is disclosed to the police and other legal requests (for example, if an incident is recorded on CCTV and is reported to the police)
- Legitimate Interest: our legitimate interest is upholding and promoting the charitable purposes of the NRA through its membership and affiliated member clubs as well as the legitimate business interests of the NRA in supporting such purposes and managing those in a financially sustainable manner. We are committed to promoting all forms of marksmanship in a safe, enjoyable and secure manner.
- Consent: As part of your membership, you are asked to consent to the communications and services you wish to receive from the NRA. Also, when entering competitions or attending events, you will be asked to consent to using your images for use in publicity related materials. You may withdraw this consent at any time but once published your image will enter the public domain. This does not apply to membership card photographs or SCC.
Your Rights
You have the rights to the following:
- To be provided with information about how your personal data is processed (this is the purpose of this Policy together with any consents provided)
- To access your personal data (you may request a copy of your data)
- To have your personal data corrected
- To have your personal data erased in certain circumstances
- To object to or restrict how your personal data is processed in certain circumstances
How long we keep your information
- We will keep your information at least as long as you remain a member of the NRA, a NRA-qualified RCO or hold an NRA issued SCC.
- We may keep your information for up to 7 years after membership, your RCO certification or SCC expires but may keep it longer for reasons of legal and civil actions or other ongoing case management.
- All other information we may keep up to the statutory period contained in the guidelines which generally is up to 6 years.
- In certain circumstances, such as a claim, information may be held longer for the purposes of processing existing or future claims.
- Data retention periods are subject to change without further notice as a result of changes to associated law or regulation.
- Data, such as competition results, may be published and therefore released to public domain
- Names and scores may be kept indefinitely for reasons of historical significance
How we protect your data?
- We may hold your data in both paper form and on an electronic database
- All electronic data will be held on computers and servers, in the cloud and offsite backups. Our computers and servers are password protected, our cloud based storage is secured with appropriate levels of encryption and our backups are secured offsite.
- Paper copies are kept in locked cabinets in locked offices
- We use a recognised online secure payment system for online payments
- The third party service providers who support our operations, such as IT and mailing services, are either located in the European Economic Area or in a country that has been approved by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of protection for personal information and we have entered into contracts for these services that provide requiring that the service provider to safeguard personal information in accordance with European Commission guidelines In the unlikely event of a breach of the security of the data we will notify you promptly
Request to see your personal information and contacting us
We have appointed a data protection officer who will be the point of contact for data privacy related matters who can be reached at dataprotectionofficer@nra.org.uk or by calling 01483 797777 and ask for the Data Protection Officer (DPO). If you wish to know what personal data the NRA holds or have any other request relating to the personal data the NRA holds, please contact the DPO. We will respond within 1 month following receipt of your request unless your request is very complex in which case we will inform you if this is the case. We may take steps to confirm your identity before responding to your request.
If we fail to comply with any of your requests within the prescribed time limits, you may complain to the Information Commissioner’s office in the UK.
Each individual member is responsible for keeping the NRA informed of changes to their data (e.g. address/telephone number etc.) and this is updated at least once a year at renewal and you are at that time authorising the NRA to hold such data on file. Such changes should be notified to the membership department by emailing: membership@nra.org.uk or calling 01483 797777 and asking for the membership department.
CCTV Images
The NRA is registered with the ICO as an organisation that uses CCTV:
- CCTV is used to record activities throughout the NRA site in the interests of supervision, safety and crime prevention.
- For these reasons the information processed may include visual images, personal appearance and behaviours. This information may be about members, members of the public, employees, and those inside, entering or in the immediate vicinity of the area under surveillance.
- When necessary or required this information is shared with the data subjects themselves, employees, agents, service providers, police forces, security organisations and persons making enquiry.
- All images are stored securely onsite in (the camera system memory or secure server kept in a locked server room and access is password protected)/ The images/data are stored for approximately 1 month and then are overwritten. This data is not backed up.
- Any complaints which rely on this surveillance about theft/bullying/abuse etc. must therefore be made within 1 month of the incident otherwise the images will have been overwritten.
Affiliated Clubs and Issuance of SCCs
Information received from Affiliated Clubs will be treated in the same manner as information received from individuals under this Policy.
The NRA issues Shooter Certification Cards to enable NRA members and members of Affiliated Clubs to shoot at Bisley and on MoD military ranges. The primary reason underpinning SCCs is to ensure that shooting under the auspices of the NRA is conducted safely by / supervised by duly competent shooters. SCCs are, at present, mandatory for shooting on NRA and MoD ranges. In practical terms our range staff at Bisley (and MoD staff on military ranges) should be able to ask every single unsupervised shooter on the point for an NRA SCC that confirms competency for the type of firearm being used (or the same from the shooter supervising a probationer, uncertified shooter or guest). For certainty of identity of the individual receiving an NRA SCC, we are requiring individuals whether as members of the NRA or through an Affiliated Club, to provide their name, address, email address, date of birth and photograph. Only the name and photograph will be printed on the SCC.
Information received from Affiliated Clubs for the purpose of issuing SCCs through the Affiliated Clubs to their members will be held solely for the purpose of issuing and administering the SCCs:
- We will only contact an individual SCC holder directly should his or her Club’s affiliation ceases or is suspended, or we need to suspend/cancel an individual’s SCC
- We ask that each Affiliated Club notify us should an individual cease being a member of the Club in order to cancel such individual’s SCC
- We will respond to inquiries and requests from Affiliated Club’s in respect of their individual member SCC holders as provided above
- We will respond directly to inquiries and requests from individual Affiliated Club SCC holders as provided above but will also inform his or her Club of the inquiry and the response
8th April 2019
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Clayton Challenge
The Clayton Challenge is open to Cadet Team comprising of eight members. Held annually at Bisley the match is fired using the Cadet Target Rifle at ranges of 300 and 500 yards.
History
It first started in 1984 as a direct consequence of the Sussex Schools match being held during Charterhouse’s Half Term.
An invitation was sent out by the then Shooting Master of Charterhouse, Tony Clayton, to a number of schools. The match was designed for the next year’s teams, so members of the second-year Sixth Form were excluded.
As a consequence Michael Nash of Epsom College and Barry Williams of St.John’s, Leatherhead, called the match the ‘Clayton Challenge’.
In 1987 the entry fee was raised to purchase a trophy, and with a high number of entries an attractive Edwardian rose bowl was acquired. It has since become known as the Clayton Challenge Trophy.
In 1992, after the premature death from leukemia of Mick Nash, the Charterhouse SSI, a tankard was purchased and inscribed The Mick Nash Tankard. This is to be presented to the highest scoring individual during the competition.
As a consequence of changes in both the cadet shooting world and also the nature of public examinations, the restriction on second-year sixth-formers no longer applies. From 2010 the competition was thrown open to teams of eight from single-service cadet units.
How to Enter
Visit the Clayton Challenge Website for further details and to post your entry.
More Details
For more details about Cadet shooting, visit our Schools & Cadet Shooting page.
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Trafalgar Meeting 2018
Trafalgar Meeting
Saturday 20th – Sunday 21st October
The upcoming Trafalgar Meeting is a must in the Classic and Historic calendar, held at Bisley on the weekend of Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 October 2018.
This Meeting is full of character, with competitors seen entering into the spirit of the event and some wearing appropriate clothing for the firearms used at the time
The guns being used attract attention especially when, what is basically a museum piece, can be seen in full operational glory. This offers the pleasurable opportunity to use, view and handle historical, classic and vintage arms. Museums and private collectors do preserve our heritage firearms, however practical use by shooters with knowledge of these guns adds another dimension. These firearms being shot across the ranges is a reminder of the history of their development, from flint muzzle-loader or matchlock, to breech-loading nitro cartridge firearms.
Range Crew
As always, we are actively seeking Volunteer Range Crew to run this event. If you are able to offer your time, please complete the online form. Range Crew will have access to the ranges to shoot their matches on Friday 26 October – please note RCO qualifications are not required.
Arms Fair
There is also something for the collector at the Arms Fair over the weekend – a good opportunity to search for those hard-to-find pieces of kit as well as to discover new items for a collection.
Click here for more details
Trafalgar Dinner
This year the annual Trafalgar Dinner will once again be held in the historic surroundings of The Canadian Pavilion on Saturday 20 October, with a sumptuous offering of a three course meal with wine followed by coffee or tea, a glass of port and after dinner mints, all for only £19.
Click here for more details and to book your places.
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Trafalgar Meeting
Trafalgar Meeting 2019
Saturday 19th – Sunday 20th October 2019
The upcoming Trafalgar Meeting is a must in the Classic and Historic calendar, held at Bisley on the weekend of Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th October.
This Meeting is full of character, with competitors seen entering into the spirit of the event and some wearing appropriate clothing for the firearms used at the time
The firearms in use attract attention especially when, what is basically a museum piece, can be seen in full operational glory. This offers the pleasurable opportunity to use, view and handle historical, classic and vintage arms. Museums and private collectors do preserve our heritage firearms, however practical use by shooters with knowledge of these guns adds another dimension. These firearms being shot across the ranges is a reminder of the history of their development, from flint muzzle-loader or matchlock, to breech-loading nitro cartridge firearms.
If you have any queries about matches and which rifles can be used, please email Neil Macfarlane via: historicarms@nra.org.uk
Range Crew
As always, we are actively seeking Volunteer Range Crew to run this event. If you are able to offer your time, please complete the online form. Range Crew will have access to the ranges to shoot their matches on Friday 26 October – please note RCO qualifications are not required.
Arms Fair
There is also something for the collector at the Arms Fair over the weekend – a good opportunity to search for those hard-to-find pieces of kit as well as to discover new items for a collection.
Trafalgar Dinner
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Competitions
Early Entry Draw
Who will make their mark on history in the 150th Imperial Meeting?
A 10% early entry discount is available to all entries made before midday on Friday 31st May.
www.nra.org.uk/imperial
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Membership Bulletin Oct 18
| ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS |
The membership renewals are fast approaching and we will be contacting all our Individual members, Clubs, Schools and Associations in mid-October with the renewal information for 2019.
Our preferred method of contact will now be by email. We will only send letters to those members for whom we do not hold an email address.
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP
2018 individual membership and more importantly NRA insurance expires on 31st December 2018.
Renewal information will be sent to our individual members by either email or letter in October. If you have not heard from us by mid-November, please contact the Membership team.
Please renew your membership before 31st December to ensure continued cover. New membership cards will be sent out by the end of the year.
Direct Debit Payments
For our individual members who have selected to pay by direct debit, the annual renewal fee will be taken on the 14th December 2018.
For those of you who wish to pay by direct debit and save £2.50 on your annual membership fee, please download and complete a form https://nra.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Direct-debit-form.pdf and send to the Membership team. All direct debit forms should be returned by 23rd November to ensure payment is set up before the direct debit run on 14th December 2018.
Gift Aid
Gift Aid is a vital fund raising opportunity for charities such as the NRA, and is worth up to £20.00 for each NRA full member’s annual subscription. Furthermore we may be able to collected Gift Aid on four prior year’s subscriptions. If you pay more than £20.00 of UK income tax in the year than you can Gift Aid your annual subscription; it doesn’t matter whether the tax is paid on your salary, pension or other earned income.
If you would like to donate Gift Aid to the NRA, please download and complete a form https://nra.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Gift-Aid-Declaration.pdf and send to the Membership Team.
CLUBS, SCHOOLS & ASSOCIATIONS
The renewal information will be sent out to all CSA secretaries by the end of October, by post. If you have not received any information by the middle of November, please contact the Membership team.
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SAFETY CERTIFICATION CARDS
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Individual NRA Members
The NRA produces 4-year SCCs for their members. These cards are available, without assessment, for NRA members who meets the following requirements:
- Qualified NRA RCO
- Qualified NRA Club Instructor
- Have entered an NRA competition in the past 12 months
- Have shot at least 3 times with the NRA Shooting Club in the past 12 months
- Have shot with the F-Class League in the past 12 months
For those members who do not meet any of the above, the NRA can assess each required discipline at a cost of £25 for one discipline, or £35 for two or more.
If you do meet any of the above requirements, please request an certification application form from memadmin@nra.org.uk or contact Sarah Boxall on 01483 797777 ext 162, to arrange an assessment.
Clubs, Schools and Associations
2019 sees the change of the production of Safety Certification Cards for Clubs, Schools and Associations.
All current Club SCCs expire on 31st December 2018. New cards will be produced annually in-house by the NRA for each affiliated Club member. Member details should be uploaded onto the spreadsheet which can be found on the NRA website (https://nra.org.uk/safety-legal-and-technical/club-certification/) and sent to the Membership team, either by email: sccrenewals@nra.org.uk or through the dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/request/T0BI6S6N3aDzDNgaN1km
Please do send your club members requirements in as soon as possible. We would like to thank all those CSAs who have already sent through their information.
The team are working extremely hard inputting the data we have received and we will be sending out the new cards to the Club Secretaries in the coming months.
The remaining Guest Days for 2018 are listed below:
| Date |
Range |
Sessions |
|
| Saturday 27th October |
600 yards – Century |
PM available |
|
| Saturday 24th November |
Gallery Rifle – Cheylesmore |
AM & PM |
|
Attendance price is £35.00 per guest per session.
Spaces are limited so please contact the Membership team to secure your place – 01483 797777 extensions 162, 122, 138 or 142.
We will continue to hold a suite of Guest Days in 2019 at varying distances.
The next NRA Shooting Club day will be held on Sunday 14th October. The available ranges/distances are:
AM SESSION PM SESSION
Melville Range Stickledown 1000 yards – ELECTRONIC targets
Century 600 yards Century 300 yards – ELECTRONIC targets
Short Siberia 100 yards
Followed by Thursday 25th October when we will have the following ranges/distances available:
AM SESSION PM SESSION
Century 100 yards Century 100 yards – ELECTRONIC targets
Century 600 yards Stickledown 1000 yards – ELECTRONIC targets
Melville Range
The NRA Shooting Club is available to all NRA members, especially those who have just passed their probationary training. If you wish to build your confidence on the ranges the NRASC provides RCOs who are there to ensure a safe range and offer assistance.
The NRASC is run on a monthly basis and offers supported shooting on various ranges and distances either in the morning or afternoon. The cost is £30 for the morning or the afternoon. If you want to use an NRA firearm please contact the Armoury. (01483 797 777 Ext 134, armoury@nra.org.uk)
Remaining Dates – 2018
Saturday 10th November, Thursday 22nd November, Thursday 6th December and Saturday 15th December
Update – Changes to Note
Ammunition is only available for purchase from the Range Office and no longer from the firing point. We have reduced the on-range admin to enable the RO’s to focus on the members and their shooting
Please be aware that lack of bookings on ranges will result in the cancellation of firing points – we will inform you of any changes within a week of the date of the Shooting Club taking place.
Melville Range continues to be poorly utilised by our Shooting Club members and we may look at removing this as an option altogether – members who wish to use Melville can do so on a ‘casual’ basis by booking in the Range Office and shooting on Bay A which is always available for casual shooters.
Logging your Shooting History
Do remember that you can log your shooting at Bisley online, either in the Range Office or at home, which will help you to maintain your records for FAC renewals. Please ensure you record on the day of shooting as it cannot be entered retrospectively.
Please contact the Membership Team if you need any help setting up your online login.
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