Royal Navy: Portsmouth BAE Systems crew wins field gunners competition at HMS Collingwood - pictures

HMS Collingwood in Fareham hosted the annual Junior Leaders’ Field Gun Competition on Friday (July 11). People aged between 16 and 24, who recently joined the armed forces or are studying in college, raced to see who could complete the course the fastest.

Crews competed from local colleges and BAE Systems from across the country. Teams came into the contest with little or no prior experience of Field Gun and only had one week to train. They had to perform well in front of their friends and family watching on from the crowd.

NOW READ: 34 photographs from the Junior Leaders’ Field Gun Competition at HMS Collingwood

The Junior Leaders’ Challenge is the only competition open specifically for new recruits and youths, offering them a chance to work as a team and challenge themselves.

The BAE Systems A crew based at HMNB Portsmouth won the final. Crew member Jack Dawe, 24, apprentice, said: “It’s been an amazing week, a real adrenaline rush. To win today but brilliant, it’s just been so great to be part of this.”

Daisy Watts, 16, was originally part of the Itchen College team but joined various other junior field gunners to generate a ‘Barbarians’ crew, consisting of individuals from the other teams in the competition. She said: “It’s shown me that you can push past things you think you can do and achieve even more. It’s been a fantastic experience.”

The BAE Systems A crew took home accolades for having the least amount of penalties and being the fastest team. The crew from HMS Sultan in Gosport won the Plate 1 Final Trophy.