Chiltern Smallbore .22 Rifle Club Watlington Oxfordshire

CLUB COMMITTEE OFFICIALS

Looking after the interests of club members is sure to be a pleasure for you whatever your interest or activity. Serving as an officer on the commitee may also bring you a certain respect in the community. Whether it's a sport, hobby or social activity your motive will be to put something back in your community by encouraging people to enjoy your pursuit. Many like to give and say it's a privelege to be able to serve. Committee officers must have a friendly nature and enjoy helping others. Above all an understanding of the principles of sportsmanship not to say fellowship is essential. Serving on a local club committee is about setting an example to members, visitors and spectators. If you don't find it easy getting on with people the job isn't for you. Politeness helpfulness and patientce are essentials. If you put yourself first rather than the club members don't serve on a local committee. People are easily offended when common curtesies aren't observed. Most clubs don't worry too much because the committees can get away with it. Fortunately the majority of commitee members are honest and decent. the sort who will treat others as they'd want to be themselves. This is a reminder not to take them for granted. They are unpaid and volunteer their services out of kindness. Their reward is in giving. It would help clubs to display a code of behaviour for members and committee officials to use as an aide memoire. Not everyone has a complete set of people skills or finds it easy to deal with people. On the other hand we all know we'd like to be treated in a fair and friendly manner. Being polite keeps everyone happy!

I want to find out what written rules clubs have which protect individual members from abuse by the committee or a member(s)?

DANGEROUS DAN

I also want to tell my story about what happened to me at The Chiltern Rifle Club in Watlington. It's a traditional club which I was very happy to attend for a year under Angus. I first took up smallbore rifle shooting at 13, captained the Aylesbury Grammar school team and shot my first 100 as a twenty year old at Leicester university. I missed top shot at Sandhurst by one point. The winner was a gentleman. He know how much I fancied my chances and apologised for beating me! That was a first but as I say he was a gentleman. He explained that he was born into a farming family which was better described as a  'shooting farming family'. He joked that once he was in a pushchair his dad gave him a .177 air pistol! By the time he was 12 he shot 12 bore and .22 live rifle. I told him what a lucky fellow he was! We'd competed using the 9mm Browning pistol, 9mm SMG, 762 SLR and the GPMG. The rifle was always my favourite but with the Battalion I had five highly enjoyable shots using the KG 84mm anti-tank gun. Still on the menu today it has a large variety of toppings!
Of all the sports I played the only one I really excelled at was target rifle shooting. I'd snapped an ACL in the army and replaced team sports with smallbore. I went on to read law at Leicester uni. By chance they had a range underneath the refectory. Fred Pratt the captain and I lived down there and soon started to shoot hundreds. I bought an Anschutz Match 54 from the club and added a shooting mat, jacket and other kit necessities. With noone else using it rifle my set-up was always identical. I was absolutely  relaxed on my home range and couldn't go wrong. I knew if I had a bull without using the scope. It was only a short spell but Fred and I loved it. Circumstances took over and I didn't pick up a rifle again for another forty five years.

The next time I shot was at The Chiltern Rifle club, in Watlington, Oxfordshire. Angus Coe ran evening sessions on a Wednesday. Unfortunately I was hopeless. My eyesight had deteriorated and age had taken its toll. I was experimenting with different lenses in an effort to improve sighting but the process was time-consuming and I was holding people up. I decided to change to Fridays. For a good reason which I was to find out the sessions were not as popular as Wednesdays with Angus.

The Friday Range Warden was a person by the name of Dan Marshal who I'd never met. The first thing he told me was that he was the club chairman and a member for 20 years. He was a matter of fact character and didn't ask me anything about myself. An abrupt and unfriendly person he was a complete opposite to Angus. I was surprised that he hadn't warned me. I was surprised that someone like that could be considered suitable for the committee.

Minutes later I saw him entertaining what I could see were a few of his cronies. He was having a laugh about the Monday evening committee members who took the sport seriously. They included the secretary. Disrespectful it was obvious that Marshal had a chip on his shoulder. The rifle club must have had trouble filling the position and had scraped the barrel to find a chairman.

Sports clubs are like any other organisation. They're only as good as the people at the top. Rude and anti-social Dan Marshal from Brill was a disgrace to himself and to the Chiltern Rifle Club. At their annual dinner it became obvious to me that the membership was divided. On one hand Marshal had a small following while the respectable majority avoided him. Anyone with experience of groups of men will have seen them establishing themselves in the pecking order.

This sad individual then started to pick on me - it seemed to be his way. He was wasting his time because I'd had lots of practice over the years and it was water off a ducks back. In fact I enjoyed it! It was always a pleasure giving back more than I'd got. Marshal was several years younger. I was surprised he hadnt  got past all that not that it worried me. What I didn't realise at the time was that this unusual Range Warden couldnt actually laugh at himself. He could certainly dish it out to thers but the poor fellow couldn't take it back.

The next week I'd been on the firing point by myself with the door closed. I finished my sesion and returned to Marshall and his friend Roger Minns in the club room. Marshal suddenly began criticising my rifle safety. I realised he wasn't joking and that his insults were meant seriously. I wasn't going to stand for it because I was absolutely confident that my shooting was impeccable. The oaf went beserk and grabbed me by my lapels shaking me. I knew better than to hit him. What would have happened if I'd retaliated and broken his jaw? I told him twice he was assaulting me and eventually he released his grip. I realised later that Roger Minns was in on the whole thing. I got my things and left.

I had no physical injury but his behaviour was inexcusable. I've been shooting my entire life and could write a book about what I know. To be attacked like that breaks all rules of shooting standards and safety. I was to find out that it counted for nothing

I reported the attack to Angus Coe who agreed it was serious. He said it would need an investigation which would take time and be drawn out. I didn't need an investigation I knew exactly what took place and the matter was too serious to leave. I reported the offence to Thames Valley Police who appointed a PC House to investigate. From that point on the Chiltern Rifle Club Committee Officers lied and lied again. They stooped so low as to claim that it was me who assaulted Marshal and consequently they voted to ban me from the club. At that stage I could see there was no sense in arguing. I was up against a judge and jury so I had to let them have their way. Committees can lie through their back teeth when they have an individual member at their mercy. A case like this however involves peoples reputation and decency. As an individual I should really be entitled to have had my case heard by all of the Chiltern Rifle club members. I know as a fact that the majority were disgusted by Marshals behaviour and wanted him out. I don't know how they are now. It saddens me that there are people like Marshal voted onto local club committes while carrying large chips on their shoulders. He did resemble Tinker from TVs Lovejoy
but like Roger Minns it was really that they resented me shooting hundreds while they could only just  manage a barn door!

People don't like bullies but I'm surprised how they're able to thrive. Committees are the same. A couple of thugs and the others are easily influenced. This true story of mine about the Chiltern Rifle Club in Watlington is a classic example. If the ordinary members can't vote against a corrupt committee then the club's a dictatorship. The people who voted for Marshal should leave. If the highest standards aren't observed in a club what hope is there for the future? There are many good members at Chiltern Rifle Club who should not have to put up with an obnoxious chairman or a dishonest committee. Now is the time for the membership to turn out the bad apples.

What can I say about Thames Valley Police and the NSRA? They both knew I was telling the truth but the police let the criminal chairman off and told me that I had provoked Dangerous Dan and brought his attack on myself! Utter rubbish! What does that tell us about our Police Force? I'm a former Army Infantry Platoon Commander, a retired litigation solicitor and a good judge of peoples characters. This incident worries me Dan Marshal is a thug and a troublemaker unfit to be trusted with firearms.

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I remained unimpressed when I talked to Dave Froggett at The NSRA. They ask whistlebowers to come forward and report misconduct in rifle clubs. Off the Record he accepted I was telling the truth and agreed with me (after all nobody would make up such a story!). I told Mr Froggett that his hands would be tied and he'd be bound to accept the clubs majority decision.
 

Do honesty and 'respect' come into the equation? Is Chiltern Rifle Club still shielding a violent man?

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