doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com St. Partridge Day

You rang?
Some gray’s
They squawk when they launch like a rusty door hinge
[img]https://i.imgur.com/YlKVBwo.mp4[/img]

Passed on my dove shoot this early AM as they were (and are) mostly not present this fine early Fall day (too-cold these past few nights). The club called yesterday to give me the rather damning prognosis and I actually considered the news a small blessing. The amount of materials (frozen and otherwise) that my bride is burdening me with on my 2-day sojourn across the Great Plains is becoming rather significant. It's not that you can't find some of this stuff up in Nowhere, Minnesota, it's the time, trouble and nearly-staggering cost of acquiring it all there, so...anyway. Since this year is my/our biggest planned-for stay-time yet up there yet, I'm fully accommodating the process (way better than normal, I am truly mellowing with age, finally.)

It all begins in the early AM tomorrow.

No, I am me here. Bluestemis another Flatwater alum. The termGrousmas was coined by the late and lame ted Wingshooter16.

Mikes death was a real shock.

It was, for sure.

I started this thread 4 years ago with this photograph and :-

“Tucked into my maternal Grandfather’s copy of the 1906 edition of the “Art of Shooting by “ Charles Lancaster” ( in fact Mr. Thorn) is this faded photograph with St. Partridge Day 1925 written on the back.

His shooting books were given to me by his son, my Uncle John, who is the schoolboy on the left as you look at the picture stood next to his father.

The tall gentleman in breeches and leggings seems to be holding a leg of mutton case under his arm.

I have not otherwise seen the term St. Partridge Day, but it is clearly a reference to the opening of the season on 1st September.

Good Hunting to all those fortunate enough to be out today!”

Today is the Centenary of that photograph being taken, so I thought I would add a little about my Uncle John (1910 to 1995).

He grew up to be an Estate Agent, joined the Territorial Army and was Commissioned in the Royal Artillery in 1936. His Gunners Officer’s sword therefore bears the Royal Cypher EVIIIR.

He went to France with his unit, 229 (Eastbourne) Battery as part of 58 Field Regiment R.A. where they fought the Blitzkreig until they had to be evacuated at Dunkirk.

He was posted to India, and fought in Burma as a Gunner as part of 14th Army, losing the sight in one eye.

I lent him George MacDonald Fraser’s “Quartered Safe Out Here” and when he returned it he commented that he had worked out the artillery fire plan for the taking of Meiktila.

Sadly, we never got to go shooting together although I remember him saying to me once he would love to go snipe shooting in Ireland. Perhaps he had shot snipe in India.

Anyway, have a good dove season in your side of the pond, and Happy St. Partridge Day to you all!

Thank you Parabola. Happy St. Partridge Day to you too. Even though the dove are few, I will be in the field this afternoon. I will be using the little 20 gauge sxs that my father gifted me 53 years ago.