In October 2009, 14 Maritime Reservists flew to Basel in Switzerland to compete in the 5th International St Barbara Shooting Competition at the Militärkaserne in the town of Liestal. The team consisted of two Officers, four Senior Rates and eight Junior Rates from HMS King Alfred, HMS President and the RNR Air Branch. It was the first time many had competed at a foreign NATO competition.
The opening ceremony was rounded off with a 10 shot salute from a 7.5cm Field Cannon, a march through the centre of Liestal, a reception with local civil dignitaries and an evening meal before lectures on the competition procedures and the principles of marksmanship. This competition is different to other NATO competitions in that it concentrates purely on marksmanship.
The weapons used are the Stgw 57 (7.50mm Assault rifle), the Stgw 90 (5.56mm Assault rifle) and a Sig 9mm pistol. Each competitor has to select one of the rifles as the competition weapon for the chance to win a medal and the other weapon is fired for the experience.
This year’s MR team consisted of a number of Junior Rates who had never held or fired a pistol. The senior members of the team coached the new shooters and excellent scores were recorded by the whole UK team. On completion of the competition, there was a barbeque and refreshments.
In the afternoon, competitors were encouraged to visit local museums and sites as part of the cultural experience of Switzerland. The Maritime Reserves were taken on a guided tour of the city of Basel by a local Artillery Officer who proved to be a very accomplished guide. It was very interesting to see the reaction of the local population to uniformed servicemen and women walking through the centre of the old town of Basel and some thought the British were Americans.
The prize giving ceremony and informal evening meal concluded with the visiting countries presenting the organiser of the competition with gifts. “POAEA(M) Steve Woodhouse, Royal Naval Reserve Air Branch, said “It was a very worthwhile exercise for all the UK competitors. Everything carried out by the Maritime Reserves, from the parades to the shoots, was carried out to the highest standards and as such the Swiss have asked us to return again next year, even though due to the popularity of the competition, the number of competitors is being held at 250.
“This trip was retention positive and now Maritime Reserves are being deployed as Ship Protection Teams in the Middle East competitions like these can only help to develop confidence in weapon handling and marksmanship. Overseas competitions give the UK Reserves Forces an opportunity to demonstrate our professionalism and the calibre of our manpower to our NATO allies.”
To obtain a full list of the events supported by the UKRFA, contact the Secretariat on 020 7426 8361 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
