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The Great Rifle-shooting Match on Wimbledon Common - Her Majesty firing the first shot, 1860. Creator: Unknown
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The Great Rifle-shooting Match on Wimbledon Common - Her Majesty firing the first shot, 1860. Creator: Unknown
The Great Rifle-shooting Match on Wimbledon Common [in London] - Her Majesty firing the first shot, 1860. Queen Victoria inaugurates the meeting of the National Rifle Association by firing the first shot from a Whitworth rifle at a range of 400 yards. [The Queen said:] "I, together with my Royal Consort, have gladly given encouragement to a body whose object it is to render permanent an armed force limited exclusively to defensive purposes...I have witnessed with pleasure the manner in which the ancient fondness of the English people for manly and sylvan sports has been converted by your association to more important ends, and has been made an auxiliary instrument for maintaining inviolable the safety of our common country"...Mr. Whitworth was presented to the Queen, and had the honour of explaining the mode in which her Majesty was to fire the first shot from one of his own rifles. A piece of scarlet cord attached to the trigger was handed to the Queen, who gently pulled it, and the Royal rifle-shot was fired. In an instant the red and white flag was shown by the marker, and "three points" were scored to the Queen of England. Loud cheering followed, as her Majesty declared the prize meeting opened... From "Illustrated London News", 1860
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Media ID 36351310
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Albert Prince Consort Alexandrina Victoria Arms Association British Army Ceremonial Ceremony Competition Contest Empress Of India Firing Military Review National Rifle Association Opening Ceremony Prince Albert Prince Albert Of Saxe Coburg And Gotha Prince Albert Of Saxe Coburg Gotha Pulling Queen Victoria Rifle Rifle Range Saxe Coburg Gotha Albert Shooting Target Practice Wimbledon Common Wimbledon Merton London England
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This photograph captures a historic moment in British history: Her Majesty Queen Victoria inaugurating the Great Rifle-shooting Match on Wimbledon Common in London, in the year 1860. The Queen, dressed in an elegant gown and adorned with her crown, is seen preparing to fire the first shot from a Whitworth rifle at a range of 400 yards. Surrounded by an esteemed gathering of gentlemen, the Queen expresses her support for the National Rifle Association and its mission to maintain a defensive armed force. Mr. Whitworth, the inventor of the rifle, is presented to the Queen and assists her in firing the shot. With a gentle pull of the scarlet cord attached to the trigger, the Queen's rifle roars and the red and white flag is raised, signaling a perfect shot and scoring three points for the monarch. The crowd erupts in cheers as the prize meeting is declared open, marking the beginning of a significant day in the annals of British history.
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