Waterloo Shoot Risk Assesment
Current Waterloo Shoot Risk Assesment
The Waterloo Commemorative Shoot 18 June 2019
It all started with a comment from Tony ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to do a shoot based on volley fire?’. That got Simons cogs turning and eventually a plan was put to the committee and it must have made sense as they gave the go ahead to run the inaugural Waterloo Commemorative Shoot. The plan was to put on a shoot that anyone could enter, that would be challenging, a little bit different, a lot of fun and above all safe.
The British Army of the time was equipped with the Brown Bess musket and a well drilled infantryman could achieve 3 rounds a minute with it. The gun wasn’t particularly accurate but the weight of fire directed at the approaching enemy was often enough to reduce their numbers to the point the survivors turned and fled or were so outnumbered they were easily dispatched with a bayonet.
With all this in mind the plan was for teams of five shooters to form up in two ranks and under the control of an Officer in Charge to shoot volley fire at an array of targets down range. As Tony was the creator of the original idea, he was asked to be the inaugural Officer in Charge. The shoot rules where soon drawn up, with a balance of fun but ensuring range safety was adhered to at all times.
On
the 18th June, the closest day the club could get to the anniversary of
the actual Battle of Waterloo, 12 brave volunteers ventured out at the Walled
Garden between thunderstorms to take part, the numbers necessitated a change
to teams of 4 which actually balanced the ranks out.
The Teams were;
The Baguette Bashers – Bryn, Bob, Richard N and Richard M
Lucky Shots – Ian, Saif, John P and Colin.
The Black Watch – Matt, Jack, William and John.
The three teams discussed tactics in hushed tones in case the competition
overheard
As plans where formed the first teams stepped forward and took position
Front Rank FIRE
Rear Rank FIRE
Advance.....
Many Thanks to Tony (The OIC) who drilled each team throughout the shoot
and Simon who was responsible for the scoring. After the third team had
completed the course, the scores were totaled up and Simon had the honor
of presenting The Black Watch with the spoils of war
A small hamper of smelly cheeses, onions, garlic, baguettes and a miniature
bottle of brandy each.
All that was left to do was clear the range before tucking into a selection of scrumptious cakes (a massive thank you to Chris) and listening to everyone claiming to have shot Napoleon!
It’s not really about the numbers but the scores were as follows:
Highest Possible Score – 81
The Black Watch – 21
Lucky Shots and the Baguette Bashers – 19
Total number of smiling shooters - 12
The plan will be to run this event again later in the year, and hopefully
more club members will attend for a fun evening. In order to prepare have
a good read of the the rules for the shoot which are covered
here