Hunting and shooting

Hunting and shooting

Collingwood’s introduction to hunting was with the hare-hunting Thanet Harriers. The Harriers were in financial difficulties at the time and Sir William’s money helped them to survive. Not unconnected to his father’s money, Collingwood was made joint master of the Harries at the age of 16. At the same age he sometimes went fox-hunting with East Kent and Tickham hounds. The excitement he found in hunting is palpable in his writing.

                Each August there was grouse shooting at Barras in Westmoreland and the ‘glorious’ August 12^th, the opening of the grouse-shooting season, was an important date in the family. While some today see no contradiction between shooting for sport and the love of birds, probably more find it incomprehensible. For Collingwood, brought up to shoot from his earliest days, it was just a natural part of life.

19 March 1896, Foxhunting with the Tickham hounds
Reynard doubled back after going a hundred yards, than away to the next wood where he rested for a bit but was routed out – on past Eastling and the other side of Newnham. By half past twelve we killed. Poor Fox! His tongue lolled out and the blood dripped slowly from his nose as the master brought him by the tail to an orchard hard by. So stiff was he that the master stood him up; it was more than the hounds could bear, this lifelike image seemingly ready to fly at their throats. So, as the master (Mr Rigden) and the whip gave a “Tally Hoo!! Tally Ho!!” they rushed at him, tearing at his lifeless flesh ferociously.

What a sight it was! In an orchard: the fruit buds bulging out fast and the grass as green as it can only be in an English spring, the master and the whip stood in their scarlet coats surrounded by a large pack of hounds with tongues out: in the master’s hand was the lifeless body of the fox. Behind, in a little homestead gaped some peasants and in the field outside were the steaming horses of the hunters

12^th August 1896, Barras
At nine o’clock we were started, each of us on a Westmoreland pony, and in less than an hour each in his butt at the “New Drive”. Bang! Bang!! Went some guns from over the hill and presently down swept a covey of seven or eight grouse coming straight towards me. I got my first “Right and left”, one in front and one behind. Altogether I killed 15 birds, total 240.