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 Campaign Trails offers holidays and excursions using the theme of military expeditions of 18th and 19th centuries. |
Record Breaking times by first two teamsWith an impressive display of power and control the Ist Battalion Irish Guards B team set an opening time that was not bettered on the sunny and windy day on Wagon Hill Ladysmith on Sunday 6th April. Five teams competed against the clock to draw the 1300kg Naval long 12pdr on wooden trail up the 1:1 slope of 130m. The Ladysmith Titans followed with an impressive first performance at the event but fitness told and their finishing time was with some generous assistance. The Devonport Field Gun Team are experienced handlers of guns and had power and weight in their favour as they started and had an impressive arrival at the halfway point of less than five minutes. Changeover was quickly done and the team had the gun breasting the vertical final slope at just 11mins. The final slope has a hazard of a large rock and the team were unable to avoid it and had not the strength to lift the gun over it at this stage of the competition so minutes were lost and energy sapped as the obstacle was finally cleared and an impressive run to the finish achieved. 5 SAI formed up with Zulu chanting and ululating supporters and showed their power and experience in getting the gun to the halfway point in similar time to the Irish Guards but the second part of the hill told on their fitness and strength. Last to run was the Irish Guards misnamed A team who put in a creditable performance full of pluck and grit but they had not the weight and power that had been enlisted into the winning B team. They also were grateful for assistance from their brothers in arms to finish the competition. Prizes were awarded by Her Worship the Mayor of Ladysmith and the event was watched by an enthusiastic crowd of some 600 who were entertained between the timed runs by energetic Zulu dancing and the Dundee Die-Hards. Gun lowering and marshals were from the NMR and the UMR.
First = Ist Bn Irish Guards 'B' 16min 53.3sec Second = Royal Navy, Devonport Field Gun Team 18min 12.69 sec Third = 5th Bn South African Infantry 28min 38.44s Fourth = Ist Bn Irish Guards 'A' 34min 26.56s Fourth = Ladysmith-Emnambiti Municipality 37min 13.25
The previous best time was set by 2 Royal Regiment of Scotland (The Royal Highland Fusiliers) of 20mins 58sec in 2007 Dates for 2009 will be Sat 4 th & Sun 5 th April.
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