Centenary of Irish Olympic Shooting Gold

Sparks

From the NTSA website:

Centenary of Irish Olympic Shooting Gold
Written by Kealan Symes
Sunday, 22 June 2008

Today is the 100th anniversary of the first and only Olympic Gold Medal win in shooting by an Irish Competitor.

Colonel Joshua Kearney “Jerry” Millner was born in Smithfield, Dublin on July 5th 1847 to a wealthy family of wool merchants. At the age of 24 in 1871 he joined the Dublin Shooting Club and two years later was chosen for the Irish rifle team to shoot for the Elcho Challenge Shield.


Joshua Millner photographed at Bisley with his Gold Medal

Millner was instrumental in helping his eight man team win the event for the first time against stiff opposition from England, Wales and Scotland. At the time, rifle shooting was a very prestigious sport and the winning team returned to Dublin to a hero’s welcome. More than 30,000 people lined the streets of Dublin to cheer them home. Millner went on to take part in over 700 competitions winning many more prizes both individual and team.Colonel Millner’s collection of Elcho Challenge Shield replicas is now in the possession of Rathdrum Rifle and Pistol Club who bought them at auction in 1998.


In addition to taking part in the Elcho Challenge Match for thirty years (also being non-shooting captain in 1919) Millner was also part of the Irish team for the Creedmoor (USA) match in 1874 and 1876 and on the Great Britain team in Creedmoor in 1877. Ireland lost by three points in 1874, due to Colonel Millner shooting a bull on the wrong target. The Great Britain team of 1877 lost the match by 93 points. His skill with a rifle earned him the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Carlow Rifles Militia, although he never saw active service.

A description of Joshua Millner and his shooting style was printed in the New York Mercury on 27th September 1874 and also in the Harper’s Weekly of 17th July 1875:

"Mr. Millner is a Dublin wool merchant, and is about 24 years old. He is tall and slender, has dark brown hair, and wears side whiskers and mustache similar to the Emperor William. Mr. Millner's position in shooting is peculiar. He lies upon his back, drawng his feet up partly. The muzzle of his rifle rests firmly in the right armpit. He grasps the stock firmly with his left hand, pulling the trigger, of course, with the right. The near sight of his rifle is about an inch from the butt, which is another peculiarity."

"Mr. Millner is a wool merchant of Dublin. He is twenty five years of age, about six feet in height, of lithe figure, with "Burnside" whiskers. In shooting he lies on his back, with the butt of the rifle resting in the hollow of his shoulder, with the barrel resting on his left foot. The rear sight of his rifle is placed near the butt. In the match last year he scored eleven consecutive bull's-eyes at 800 yards distance, but by scoring a bull's-eye on the wrong target he caused the defeat of his team."

From the above it can be gleaned that Joshua Millner adopted the ‘supine’ position for prone shooting which from the description gave him somewhat of an advantage having a far greater sight radius than someone using the more conventional prone position, and also that cross-shooting was as prevalent then as it is today; and just as disadvantageous.

At the Centenial Match of 1876 at Creedmoor, Millner scored fifteen bull's-eyes at 1,000 yards for an unprecedented maximum score of 75 x 75. His target diagram is pictured below and was taken from the New York Tribune of 15th September 1876.


Target from Creedmoor match of 1876

The target was six feet high by twelve feet wide, and was divided as follows: Bull's eye, 36 inch circle counting 5; Centre, 54 inch circle surrounding the bull's eye, counting 4; Inner, 6 x 6 feet enclosing the centre, counting 3; Outer, the remainder of the target, being a strip 3 feet wide on each edge and counting for 2 points.

Olympic Games 1908

The Olympic Games of 1908 were hosted in London having originally been awarded to Rome. The rifle competitions were managed by the NRA and held in Bisley (the clay shooting events were held at Uxendon) from the 9th to the 11th july 1908. The participating countries and number of entrants was listed as follows:

Country|Arrival Date|Number
France|June 29th|22
Sweden|June 29th|21
U.S.A.|June 29th|20
Norway|June 30th|15
Canada|June 30th|17
Finland|July 3rd|10
Holland|July 8th|14
Denmark|July 6th|13
United Kingdom|July 4th|66
Greece|July 4th|7
Hungary|-|2
Belgium|July 2nd|12
Germany|-|1
Italy|Absent|-
Australia|Absent|-

Extract from the report of the 4th Olympiad

..the majority taking advantage of the arrangements made for practice on the ranges, and in many cases occupying the huts belonging to the Association.

That the arrangements made were satisfactory is evinced by the numerous expressions of thanks which the Council received from the representatives of the teams who have expressed their satisfaction with the arrangements made for their comfort and the facilities afforded for practice.

The representatives of the various countries were entertained by the Chairman and Members of the Council at luncheon at the Council Club on each day of the Olympic meeting, and on the Thursday and Friday evenings a cinematograph entertainment was given in the Umbrella Tent.

The weather conditions on the first two days were most unfavourable and not at all conducive to good shooting, and although there was a decided improvement on the closing day of the meeting both the wind and light were extremely trying.


Pistol Shooting Competition in the rain at Bisley


Naturally the greatest interest was centred on the International Match for teams at 200, 500, 600, 800, 900, and 1,000 yards, won by the United States, the United Kingdom being second, with Canada third.

There was a large attendance of spectators on the Saturday to witness the final stage of this competition.

The other competitions, although not so attractive to the ordinary spectator, nevertheless aroused the keenest interest in those who took part.


The United Kingdom Team at the 1000 yard range.

Colonel Millner in addition to the 1000 yard free rifle event, also took part in the single and double-shot running deer events, coming 9th in the first and a hopeless 15th in the second. The winner of the single shot event: Oscar Swahn who was sixty at the time, went on to become the oldest Olympic medal winner ever, winning silver in the double-shot running deer event in the 1920 Olympics at the age of 72.

It is interesting to note that the closing date for entries for the shooting competitions was June 1st 1908 a mere 38 days before the first event. The 300m event which was held at the first modern Olympiad in Greece in 1896 was also held in Bisley and survived as an Olympic competition until the Munich games in 1972 after which it was dropped from the Olympic Calendar; ostensibly because host countries did not have big enough areas for the range required.


Maurice Blood: Bronze medal winner at 1000 yards, shooting in the kneeling position in the 300m match.


As described above, the weather was not conducive to good shooting and so it was a considerable feat for Joshua Millner to achieve the score he did on the day. The conduct of his match was described in The Field Magazine of the time and reproduced in the Olympic Report:

LONG RANGE INDIVIDUAL. — Twenty shots at 1,000 yards by Col. J. Millner, United Kingdom representative. Wind varied on one occasion three points or 30 inches between two shots. Elevation lowered on account of high shot, No. 10, in first target, with result No. 1 in next series struck low. Next shot with same elevation remained low. Elevation then raised, but when No. 4 struck high the average elevation was resumed and remainder were bulls.



Millner won the competition by a margin of 5 points from Captain K. Casey of the United States and by 6 points from the Bronze Medal winner Maurice Blood of the United Kingdom. Only 10 shooters of the field of 49 broke a score of 90. The scores of all competitors are reproduced below.

Name|Country|Score
Millner, Col. J. K. (Winner Olympic Gold Medal)|United Kingdom|98
Casey, Capt. K. K. V. (Winner Olympic Silver Medal)|United States|93
Blood, M. (Winner Olympic Bronze Medal)|United Kingdom|92
Barnett, R. W.|United Kingdom|92
Ranken, Capt. T.|United Kingdom|92
Caldwell, T.|United Kingdom|91
Sellars, Dr. J. C.|United Kingdom|91
Kerr, S.-Sergt. H.|Canada|91
Utton, Sergt.-Maj. F. W.|Canada|90
Crowe, Capt. C. R.|Canada|90
Leushner, Sgt. W. F.|United States|89
Brown, Ar.-Sgt. S. S.|Canada|89
Jeffers, Sgt. C. J.|United States|88
Eastman, Pte. I. L.|United States|88
Benedict, Capt. C. S.|United States|88
Winder, Major C. B.|United States|87
McInnis, Corp. D.|Canada|87
Fremantle, Col. Hon. T. F.|United Kingdom|87
Whitehead, P. K.|United Kingdom|86
Boigne, Comte de|France|86
Morris, Sgt. F. H.|Canada|86
Simon, Lieut. H. E.|United States|86
Angelini, Capt.|France|85
Hopton, Col. J.|United Kingdom|84
Green, Capt. E. A.|United States|84
Hessian, J. W.|United States|84
Freeborn, C.-Sgt. J.|Canada|83
Rogers, A. E.|United Kingdom|82
Colas, P.|France|82
Elmitt, Lieut. F. F.|Canada|82
Jones, Major J. M.|Canada|82
Bru, J.|Norway|82
Martin, Ar.-Sgt. A.|Canada|79
Jorgensen, O.|Sweden|77
Rowe, Pte. G. J.|Canada|75
Hecht, L.|France|75
Steele, Pte. A.|Canada|74
Merillon, D.|France|69
Moreaux, E.|France|67
Erdmann, G.|Norway|61
Enger, A.|Norway|58
Kvam, K.|Norway|58
Ohlsson, P. E. F.|Sweden|54
Mossberg, K. F.|Sweden|48
Theofilakis, A.|Greece|30
Rosell, E. O.|Sweden|27
Glomnes, M.|Norway|26
Tetart, L. E.|France|21
Wagner-Hohenlobbese, Dr. E.|Germany|12

Joshua Millner received his gold medal on the 25th July 1908 from Princess Alexandra. Along with the medal he was also presented with an oak leaf spray taken from the oak trees in Windsor. In 1998, the Olympic Gold Medal and Oak leaves were purchased at auction by John Botos for the sum of IR£3,000.


Photograph from the catalogue of Whyte's Auction rooms.

From The NRA(GB) Journal, March 1932

Colonel J.K. Millner

"News has just come to hand that Colonel J.K. Millner died on November 16th, 1931. He was a distinguished match rifle shot, and represented Ireland in the Elcho Match for thirty years and captained the team in 1919, although he did not shoot.

In 1874 Colonel Millner was a member of the Irish team which visited the United States. Ireland lost by three points, and Millner began his score at 900 yards with a bull's-eye on the wrong target. In 1877 he was a member of the British tem at Creedmoor which was beaten by 93 points. In the Olympic games of 1908 he won the individual match rifle competition at 1,000 yards.

A member of the Council from 1907 to 1914, Colonel Millner did much valuable work, and until a few years ago was a regular visitor to Bisley. In his later year he devoted much time to the breeding of sporting dogs and published a very valuable book on the subject. He was an inimitable mimic, and those who heard the corncrake or other unusual birds cry during the Bisley Meeting were listening to "Josh" Millner indulging in a little fun at their expense."

Bloody interesting piece.

pullandbang

Fascinating reading.

Hopefully this year, another chapter can be added..........

Sandy22

Anyone who's interested in the above may also be interested in this: http://www.museum.ie/en/list/calendar-of-events-arts-and-history.aspx?eventID=105

marlin vs

Good post sparks ,thanks

Sparks

Don't thank me, thank the guy who wrote it...

patrickdt10

a good read. just thinking - 1000yd shots (bulls) using iron sights, thats phenominal.

Kryten

Yeah, Try that at the New Midlands range without the sissy scope and bipods and paraphanalia. :D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Sparks

That kindof shooting is still done - 1000 yards, 7.62mm NATO ball ammunition - issued at the match to prevent tuning your rifle to your ammo - iron sights, the works. Look up "Palma Shooting".

sandiethe dog

In the City Rifle Club at Bisley there are caricatures of all the British shooters in the Elcho, and under the one titled Erin Go Bragh there is a picture which from memory am sure is the man mentioned in this article shooting in the position described, prone but feet first resting the rifle on his extended legs.