Page 101 - QDG Volume 9 No. 5

Field Sports
2024 has proven to be another great
year for field sports in the QDG, with
officers and soldiers enjoying a variety of
outdoor pursuits wherever and whenever
possible within a particularly ■■■ oper-
ational period. Fishing has continued to
increase in popularity and it has been
fantastic to see so many junior soldiers
improve their shooting on regular basis,
making use of the Regiment’s clay traps
and guns.
Milborne Wick Shoot, Dorset
In November, several officers, both
serving and retired, gathered in Dorset
for the much-anticipated Milborne
Wick shoot, kindly organised by Jono
Beatson-Hird. The day was a massive
success, offering the rare opportunity for
QDGs to gather and enjoy a good day’s
shooting in the scenic South West. By
all accounts it was a shoot to remember
and those who attended have already
marked their calendars for next year.
Notably, Capt. Ed Carter (retd.) taught
Capt. Zaki Al-Khamiri how to breast and
crown a pheasant, which unsurprisingly
Capt Al-Khamiri took to like a natural.
The Officers’ Mess Shoot
The Officers’ Mess enjoyed another
superb shoot on the Hoe Estate in
January 2025, thanks to the great gener-
osity of the Keith family. Improving on our
bag from the previous year, the Officers’
Mess definitely benefited from the extra
few hours on the clays in the days
leading up to the shoot. That is not to say
that the Officers were greedy, as Capt.
Toby Clark put it “I just didn’t think it was
sporting to shoot at such close range”,
1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards The Polish fields and chief of police
out stalking near Bemowo Piskie – the
European hat wear is an obvious distinction
having already fired both barrels… seem-
ingly as warning shots in the direction of
the pheasant, good drills Sir.
Discombobulated by the initial ride
in the game keepers gun bus, the Mess
took some time to warm-up to the day of
shooting. Maj. Arthur Purbrick was quick
to dish out the banter on the land where
he had doubtlessly shot more times than
every other Officer combined. Yet, it
was on the second drive where he too
proved his ability to miss a bird just as
effectively as the remainder of the QDG
RSPB Swanton Morley Division. It didn’t
take long however, with the sun shining,
a pleasant breeze, and a quick elevenses,
for the Mess to return to its natural form.
With at least 20% of our shots on target,
the Officers were gaining confidence
by the second and the bag was slowly
99
inching in the right direction. In the heat
of it all, and with that glorious sunshine…
which by this point was overwhelm-
ingly bright might I add… the inevitable
happened. No the beaters were fine,
but Lt. Thibaut Petitjean, on exchange
from the French Army, had shot his first
pheasant. Proudly blooded and ready
Stalking sunset Poland