Research Press

Historical Firearms, Long Range Target Shooting & Military History

The National Rifle Association was founded in 1859 and held its first annual rifle meeting at Wimbledon in 1860. Queen Victoria fired the inaugural shot at the first rifle meeting on 2 July 1860. The Queen further offered encouragement by founding an annual prize that Volunteers competed for in two stages; originally the first stage was fired at 300, 500 and 600 yards, and the second at 800, 900 and 1000 yards. Prize money was £250.

Winners of Her Majesty The Queen's Prize

Year Name Rank Regiment
1860 Edward Charles Russell Ross Private 7th North York
1861 Joseph Middleton Jopling Private South Middlesex
1862 Stuart Pixley Sergeant Victoria Rifles
1863 James Roberts Sergeant 12th Shropshire
1864 John Wyatt Private London Rifle Brigade
1865 John Sharman Private 4th West York
1866 Angus Cameron Private 6th Inverness
1867 Henry Lane Sergeant 1st Gloucester (Bristol)
1868 John Barham Carslake Lieutenant 5th Somerset
1869 Angus Cameron Corporal 6th Inverness
1870 William Humphries Private 6th Surrey
1871 Alfred Paget Humphry Ensign Cambridge University Rifle Corps
1872 William Michie Colour-Sergeant 7th Middlesex (London Scottish)
1873 Archibald Menzies Sergeant Queen's Edinburgh
1874 William Christopher Atkinson Private 1st Durham
1875 George Pearse Captain 18th Devon
1876 Robert Pullman Sergeant South Middlesex
1877 George Jamieson Private 15th Lancashire
1878 Peter Rae Private 11th Stirling
1879 George Taylor Corporal 47th Lancashire
1880 Alexander Ferguson Private 1st Argyle
1881 Thomas Beck Private 3rd Devon
1882 Alexander Lawrence Sergeant 1st Dumbarton
1883 Robert Mackay Colour-Sergeant 1st Sutherland
1884 David Gallant Private 8th Middlesex
1885 Walter Bulmer Sergeant 2nd Lincoln
1886 Charles Henry Jackson Private 1st Lincoln
1887 Reginald Olliver Warren Lieutenant 1st Middlesex
1888 George Edmonston Fulton Private 13th Middlesex
1889 David Reid Sergeant 1st Lanark (Engineers)
1890 Henry Bates Sergeant 1st Warkickshire
1891 David Dear Private Queen's Edinburgh
1892 James Pollock Major 3rd Renfrewshire
1893 William T Davies Sergeant 1st V.B. Welsh Regiment
1894 Malcolm Stark Rennie Private 3rd Lanark Rifles
1895 Thomas Heywood Hayhurst Private 13th Battalion Canadian Rifles
1896 John Lorimer Thomson Lieutenant Queen's Edinburgh
1897 William Thomas Ward Private 1st V.B. Devon Regiment
1898 David Yates Lieutenant 3rd Lanark Rifles
1899 William Arthur Priaulx Private Guernsey Militia
1900 William Thomas Ward Private 1st V.B. Devon Regiment