It was the hottest July on record, at around 90F / 32C, and the blazing heat was making it challenging for all competitors, none more than those shooting for the Dewar International, where the mirage on the 100-yard range caused considerable challenges! The British Team still managed to produce a record score, with The Rifleman noting, ‘if we compete long enough we shall eventually give the cup a sea trip to these shores’. This eventually did happen three years later in September of 1926, when the British team won by 60 points.

Participants may have also experienced what the Met Office reported as ‘remarkable thunderstorms’ in London and the surrounding counties over the evenings of 9th & 10th July. That year’s Meet would certainly be memorable with The Rifleman remarking ‘This meeting… has broken all records of hot weather, number of entries, and the number of high-class scores’. Amusingly, the publication also noted that ‘people from the North’, struggled more noticeably with the heat; ‘it was not until two or three days after their arrival that they became acclimatised and settled down to their best shooting form’.

Wednesday was the first stage of the Earl Roberts Memorial Challenge Cup Competition which proved to be incredibly popular! Chief Range Officer Mr C Laywood and Statistical Office Mr FJ Tucknott stated, ‘in all their experiences they had not yet encountered such a busy day’ with ‘queues of competitors behind each target waiting their turn to shoot’ ‘from early morning until 5pm’.

Courtesy of The Rifleman