Firstly two updates on 2009 events. The Companions Trophy final will now be held on Saturday 4th April 2009 at Roves. The winner will receive for the next six months the Companions Trophy and bragging rights over all the other archers! The second update is that one of our Have-A-Go at Roves Farm will now be on Sunday 21st June 2009. If this date seems familiar it’s Fathers Day and as such we’ll be playing a part in the Fathers Day celebrations at Roves. Both of these events are now updated in the Calendarpage, so please look there for easy reference. Companions Challenge This week’s Companions Challenge was inspired by a man who at the time was Captain Jack “Fighting Jack” Churchill and was the last known person to use a longbow in war. The year was 1940 and Jack Churchill was part of the retreating BEF in France. He and his squad had to kill some German sentries and as Jack Churchill was (a) what we might now call a character, (b) an archer, (c) an archer who took his longbow and some broad head arrows to France with him, he ordered his squad only to shoot when his first arrow shaft had struck home. I’ve read many differing accounts of the shot but for this challenge we set our 3D field target bear up as the sentry and dressed him in “appropriate” attire. The bear was a little short at about 5’ 2” tall but as he’s standing up on his two back feet he made a reasonably man sized target. The hard hat, BB gun and green vest were included just to make the bear seem a little less bear like and also make the target look more distinctive. One account listed the distance of the shot at around 100 yards and as there’s probably more than one account listed this is “version one” of the Challenge as we also set the shooting line at 100 yards. Unlike Jack Churchill who completed the shot with his first arrow we were generous and gave each archer 3 arrows to kill the sentry. In a pique of further generosity the archers were also allowed three attempts (so that’s nine arrows altogether)! If no archer could hit the sentry at a 100 yards with one of their nine arrows the Challenge would be
Left to right: The sentry, Dave A’s shot and the damage to the sentry’s helmet, Dave A. Opening up the Prize of Dubious Worth
Well overall no archer managed to complete the Challenge so this for this one we’re calling it a definite failure. However, with his first arrow too, Dave A. (a.k.a. Dangerous Dave) did manage to shoot the “helmet” clean off the sentry’s head. Seeing as the bear is a bit short it would’ve perhaps been a kill if the “man” had been a couple of inches taller. So although the Challenge failed Dave A. was awarded this week’s Prize of Dubious Worth (a boxed set of Chinese eating utensils – no, not just a couple of chopsticks, the bowls and mats and what not todo). Next week’s Challenge will be a repeat of the Howard Hill mirror trick shot. Find out how we fare next time! To read more on Jack Churchill and what a character he was click here. Special Mention For Clive As promised at last Saturday’s shoot special mention this week to Clive who managed some extremely accurate and consistent shooting during a game of “colours”. Clive, we salute you!
And Finally As always … got a suggestion or question for the club (or committee)? Send it to suggestions@companionsofthelongbow.com or send them direct to any of the committee members e-mail address (see Contact Uspage for these). There’s also a Suggestions Box in the first shed at the Roundel. It’s tucked in on the right hand side of the door, is blue and is marked “Suggestions Box”.
