Flying Angel
During the three parts to a full field gun run, one of
the most critical movements is that of the flying angel. this member brings back
with him the 10 foot spar holding the main wire on the enemy side.
The simple theory is to stop anyone using any
of your equipment to
follow you.
On the run back when all members and equipment are taken over the 28 foot chasm, the last man over hesitates slightly whilst the wire is slackened, and he lifts the 65 lbs pole from its sleeve, before dropping down onto the ramp awaiting the arrival of the traveller.
As the traveller arrives, this crew member must mount the traveller, whilst holding the 10 footer pole and both then traverse the chasm. As they reach the "home" ramp and about to alight from the wire (very gingerly), the whole of the rig collapses under him, in a very spectacular array of bodies and falling equipment.
Notable angel's
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Mark was the first flying angel for youth field gun,
he performed at
many shows including Portsmouth's HMS Excellent in 1990 & 1991.
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John took on the challenge, excelling at his skill in
mastering one of the most difficult drills contained within a myriad of
complications that make up field gun.
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Dave is arguably the best and most consistent of the
angels we have had, he certainly held no fears and was responsible on
many occasion for "catching" the other crew when all seemed
lost, when every second counts. (see Dave in action on the video clip)
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Guy (pictured above) has the least service. However, his rapid progress, along with the fact that he is the "only" angel to have performed in South Africa during the centenary celebrations at Ladysmith, ranks him as unique in the History of youth field gun. Guy is the current angel and long may he continue. |
Video Clip
See it in action, Mpeg video clip of youth field gun angel Dave Sloan running on Portsmouth's RN field gun track in 1997. 3,098 KB takes approx 8 min to download with a 56K modem.
