The GWCT organised the Big Farmland Bird Count for the second year running. The results are in...

The Big Farmland Bird Count sees farmers record the number of birds they see on their farmland during half an hour each year. The results of the Big Farmland Bird Count are a good indicator as to species health and proliferation. While it may seem apparent to us that shooting and conservation are essential companions, to some the concept is jarring. But if you want to know how to save British wildlife it is with love, not sentiment, as the GWCT discusses here. Big Farmland Bird Count continues below…

How to save British wildlife – with love, not sentiment

• March 17, 2015

How to save British wildlife. It is one of the biggest challenges facing those who live and work in the …Continue reading »

BIG FARMLAND BIRD COUNT

Nearly a thousand farmers and keepers took part in this year’s Big Farmland Bird Count, recording 11 more species than last year. Run for the second year by the GWCT, the Big Farmland Bird Count took place from 7 to 15 February, with participants spending half-an-hour recording the birds seen on their farmland.

“Double the number of people turned out this winter and between them they recorded over 127 different species on their farms and estates,” said the GWCT’s Jim Egan. Nearly 50% of farmers taking part in the survey said they had a shoot on their land with 57% releasing birds. Half of the participants had an overwinter supplementary feeding programme.

The most common birds seen were blackbird, spotted by nearly 90% of participants, robin (80%), blue tit (79%), chaffinch (75%) and carrion crow (70%). Nineteen red list species of conservation concern were recorded. Starling and fieldfare were the most abundant, followed by linnet, yellowhammer, house sparrow, lapwing and redwing.

The species added to 2014’s list included cirl bunting and Cettie’s warbler. For the first time goshawks were among the 13 species of raptor counted. The next GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count will take place from 6 to 14 February 2016. To become involved contact the GWCT. Only by being involved can we be sure that the future of conservation remains in good hands.

A seasonal dish in commemoration of the Battle of Waterloo. Braise Belgian endive and serve with a delicious watercress and ham sauce, scattered with zesty breadcrumbs.

Waterloo recipes, or at least those with a nod to the Duke and Napoleon are at the heart of food that can be eaten this June. Trumpet victory with delicious Belgian endive. Or embark on the last of the season’s best of British asparagus.

WATERLOO RECIPE: BRAISED BELGAIN ENDIVE WITH WATERCRESS AND HAM SAUCE

Serves 4
For the breadcrumbs
■ 1 tbsp butter
■ 1⁄2 tbsp olive oil
■ 6 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
■ 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
■ 1 tsp dried herbs
■ Fine zest of half a lemon
For the endives
■ 2 Belgium endives
■ 25g (1oz) butter
■ 1 tbsp olive oil
■ 150ml (5fl oz) stock (ham, chicken or vegetable)
For the watercress sauce
■ 50g (2oz) watercress
■ 40g (11⁄2oz) butter
■ 1 tbsp plain flour
■ 300ml (101⁄2fl oz) milk
■ 4 thin slices baked ham, finely shredded
■ Salt and pepper

Belgium endive (also known as chicory) is a familiar ingredient in salads, however, it’s also delicious cooked. This waterloo recipe makes a superb side dish for a lunchtime spread.
To make the breadcrumbs, melt the butter with the olive oil in a pan on a medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, garlic and dried herbs. Fry for a couple of minutes, moving the breadcrumbs around, until crisp and golden. Take off the heat, add the lemon zest then leave to one side.

Next, slice the Belgium endives for the waterloo recipe in half lengthways. In a frying pan, melt the butter with the olive oil on a medium heat. Fry the chicory on all sides until lightly caramelised.

Add the stock (you can use ham, chicken or vegetable, all work equally well) to the pan and cook out so the liquid has evaporated and the chicory is soft. Once cooked, keep warm until ready to serve.

To make the Waterloo recipe watercress sauce, chop the watercress finely and leave to one side. Melt the butter with the flour in a pan on a low heat. Slowly whisk in all the milk and then cook, whisking continually, still on a low heat, until smooth and thickish.

Finally add the chopped watercress, shredded ham and season with salt and pepper (keep warm until ready to serve).

To serve, make a pool of watercress sauce on a warm serving plate, layer the Belgium endive on top and scatter on the breadcrumbs.

Vintage motor racing is one of the world's greatest treasures. The Field has sourced some old, fun and insightful videos that kindle enthusiasm for the wonderful golden era of motoring racing.

Vintage motor racing has evolved over time becoming less dangerous and perhaps more class friendly. With this in mind, Britain now prides itself as the leading country of the classic car. The Goodwood Revival that takes place in Spetember has become unique in the fraternity of motor sports, no other Vintage motor racing event compares.  The gentleman racing drivers and life in front line will forever comprise of high-end auto-mobiles and brave, blue-blooded men.

VINTAGE MOTOR RACING

Vintage motor racing began in the early 1900s. Topping 100mph in one of these vintage motor racing machines was the norm and the early models didn’t even have seatbelts. The drivers were not only brave but wealthy too and had blue blood as well as insanity coursing through their veins. Vintage motor racing was the sport of gentlemen all over the UK but has changed over time. To mark the evolution of health and safety we have found a vintage clip of Donnington park in Leicstershire.

VIDEO: DONNINGTON PARK IN LEICSTERSHIRE

Donington Park has a fabulous history, from the days of the pre-War Silver Arrows GP cars right through to modern times, and the Festival calls upon all that history, creating a fantastic atmosphere even today. The track is steeped in history with great moir footage to be watched. Watch the jolly clip above and witness the vintage motor racing behaviour in the 1930’s.

Allan Mallinson examines the role of the Scots Greys at Waterloo. Brigadier Mallinson is well known as the author of the Matthew Hervey series of novels, chronicling the life of the fictional officer of the British 6th Light Dragoons from the Napoleonic Wars onwards.

The Scots Greys and Waterloo stand firmly together in the memory. The paintings, the Ensign, the Greys; some consider their carge the turning point of the Battle of Waterloo. They remain one of the best known aspects of the famous battle. As we commemorate 200 years since the famous showdown of 1815 we look at the guns and the horses that helped secure our victory. And for those planning something festive, see our Waterloo recipes: Braised Belgian endive among other for suitable inspiration.

Brigadier Allan Mallinson writes on the Scots Greys and the role of the cavalry at Waterloo.

SCOTS GREYS AT WATERLOO

The Duke of Wellington was never pleased with his cavalry. In Spain he condemned them for “charging at everything”, getting cut up in the process or finding themselves on a distant part of the battlefield, horses blown, at the very moment they were needed elsewhere: “They never consider the situation, never think of manoeuvring before an enemy and never keep back or provide a reserve.” So at Waterloo the Iron Duke intended to keep the mounted arm on a tight rein.

It was, after all, the first time he would actually face Napoleon in the field, and the situation was not auspicious. He had been taken by surprise. He famously learnt of the sudden appearance of the French on the border with the Southern Netherlands (now Belgium) at the Duchess of Richmond’s ball in Brussels on 15 June. “Napoleon has humbugged me, by God!” The following day his Prussian allies were worsted at Ligny. Hs own troops, rushed forward to nearby Quatre Bras, were badly mauled. He was on the back foot.

But his capacity to anticipate setbacks paid dividends. Some weeks earlier he had chosen a piece of ground on which to make a stand if the French were to come. The ridge of Mont St Jean, a mile south of the village of Waterloo athwart the main road from Charleroi to Brussels. The ridge ran north-east to south-west for about three miles, two-thirds of which Wellington was able to occupy with infantry and artillery. To support these he would post two brigades of light cavalry on the left (east) flank and three on the right. Two brigades of heavy cavalry, including the Scots Greys or, as they were then more properly known, the 2nd Royal (North British) Dragoons, would be in the centre. And to each of the cavalry brigadiers, as well as to the Earl of Uxbridge (later Marquess of Anglesey), the commander of the Allied cavalry and his second in command, Wellington gave strict instructions not to leave their positions without his express order.

The Duke was essentially a general who preferred to choose his ground, make the enemy attack him and then use the superior musketry of his infantry to defeat them. He intended Waterloo to be just such a battle. In addition, for the first time he had the benefit of a strong force of heavy cavalry inclusing the Scots Greys – bigger men, bigger swords, bigger horses – to counter the French heavy cavalry or break up an assault that threatened to overwhelm his infantry. And, indeed, the charge of these two brigades, best known perhaps for Lady (Elizabeth) Butler’s 1881 painting Scotland Forever! depicting the Scots Greys galloping wildly at the French, would be one of the critical actions of the battle, even, some argue, its turning point.

Was the charge of the Scots Greys the turning point of the Battle of Waterloo?

WHAT’S IN A NAME: THE FORMATION OF THE SCOTS GREYS

The Scots Greys had been formed in 1681 from a number of independent troops of dragoons (originally men who dismounted to fight with the musket, rather than fight from the saddle with sword and pistol), and known as The Royal Regiment of Scots Dragoons. The “grey” of their later title may at this time have referred to their uniform, for it was not for a dozen years that this changed to red, and there is no record that the Scots Greys used grey horses exclusively.

However, when inspected by King William III (William of Orange) in 1693 it was noted that the Scots Greys regiment were all mounted on greys. Soon afterwards they were being referred to as the “Grey Dragoons” or the “Scots Regiment of Grey Dragoons”. In 1707, after the Act of Union, they were restyled “North British”, as the parliamentary union envisaged Scotland to be. Not until 1877 would their nickname be made official. They became the 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys), inverted after the First World War to The Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons). They kept this title for 50 years until amalgamating with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales’s Dragoon Guards) to form the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys).

William of Orange assumed the united thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1689. However, James II was a Stuart, of that long line of Scottish kings, and in the 40 years following the Act of Union there were two serious Jacobite risings to restore the Stuarts: in 1715 after the accession of George I of Hanover and in 1745 during the reign of George II. The Scots Greys took an active part in the suppression of the 1715 rebellion and in the following decades they helped police the Highlands but in 1745 they had remained on the Continent, where the British army was fighting on the Hanoverian side in the Seven Years War. Thereafter the regiment saw no action until the ill-fated campaign in the Low Countries from 1793 to 1795, early in the French Revolutionary Wars; neither did they fight in the Peninsular War. However, when Napoleon escaped from Elba at the end of February 1815 to begin his “Hundred Days”, the ill-starred attempt to retake the French crown and continue his imperial ambitions, the Greys were one of a number of regiments rushed to Belgium that had yet to fight “Napoleonic” troops. Indeed, by the time of Waterloo few Scots Greys had seen battle – and they were keen to make up for it.

THE SCOTS GREYS AND THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO

Their moment came in the early afternoon of 18 June, when it looked as if Wellington’s line at Waterloo would break. The Comte d’Erlon’s corps of three infantry divisions, some 14,000 men, with 6,000 cavalry, assaulted the Allied left wing and centre, which was held by Dutch-Belgian brigades and Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton’s 5th Division, the latter experienced Peninsular troops.

Map of the Battle of Waterloo, 18 June 1815, showing major movements and attacks. Napoleon’s units are in dark blue, Wellington’s in red, Blücher’s in grey.

As d’Erlon’s men ascended the slope towards the sunken road that ran the length of the ridge left of La Haye Sainte, driving back the British skirmishers and reaching the thick hedge that fringed the road, Picton’s men stood up, formed into a four-deep line to guard against cavalry attack, advanced and began volleying.

However, the French deployed unusually quickly into line and returned fire. Picton himself was killed after ordering a counter-attack in language profane even by his own legendary standards, and soon his troops were giving way under the pressure of numbers. At two o’clock Napoleon appeared to be winning the Battle of Waterloo.

But Lieutenant-General the Earl of Uxbridge was a cavalry commander of genius. Earlier estranged from Wellington on account of eloping with the Duke’s youngest brother’s wife, he had been disbarred from service in the Peninsula after brilliantly covering Sir John Moore’s gruelling retreat to Corunna. But his cavalry coup d’oeil had not deserted him, nor his moral courage. Despite the Duke’s orders that none of the cavalry was to quit the ground it had been posted on without his express will, Uxbridge ordered his two brigades – the Household Brigade (1st and 2nd Life Guards, Royal Horse Guards and 1st (King’s) Dragoon Guards) and the Union Brigade, so-called for its English, Scots and Irish regiments (1st Royal Dragoons, 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons, and the Scots Greys) – to charge in support of the hard-pressed infantry.

With a combined strength of nearly 2,500 sabres and led by Uxbridge, the heavies advanced. The Household Brigade was first into the charge, sweeping back the cuirassiers guarding d’Erlon’s left flank. To the House-hold’s left the Union Brigade surged through the lines of red-coated infantry in the sunken road, where some Gordon Highlanders grasped their stirrups to get at the French, and at the foot of the slope routed the two advanced infantry brigades of General Joachim Quiot’s division, the Royals, capturing the eagle of the 105th Ligne while Sergeant Ewart of the Greys, 6ft 4in tall and a master swordsman and rider, captured the eagle of the 45th Ligne. Only two eagles were captured that day.

Part of a painting depicting Sergeant Charles Ewart defending the seized French standard at the Battle of Waterloo.

As with the Household, however, the officers of the Union Brigade were finding it difficult to rein in their troops, and the heavies lost all cohesion. With many casualties and still trying to reorder, the Greys now found themselves before the main French lines, their horses blown, though some galloped on to attack the guns of the Grande Batterie. This was too much for Napoleon, who had hitherto left the conduct of the battle to Marshal Michel Ney. He promptly ordered a counter-attack by two cuirassier brigades and Baron Jacquinot’s two Polish lancer regiments (a charge also painted by Lady Butler). As Major-General Sir William Ponsonby tried to rally his brigade he was captured by Jacquinot’s men, whereupon several Greys galloped to their brigadier’s rescue but the lancers at once killed him and three of his would-be rescuers, who could do nothing to overcome the lance’s reach. The rest of the heavies might also have been speared or sabred had it not been for a counter-charge by Major-General Sir John Vandeleur’s light dragoon brigade and two of Dutch-Belgians from the left flank, who had also disobeyed Wellington’s orders to stay put.

The charge saved the remnants of the Household and Union brigades but their casualties had been heavy, including the Greys’ lieutenant-colonel, James Hamilton, who was killed. The official recorded losses for both brigades that day were 1,205 troopers and 1,303 horses, an extremely high proportion.

However, 14,000 French troops of D’Erlon’s corps had been committed to the attack on the Allied centre at a cost of some 3,000 casualties and irrecoverable time. It was four o’clock before they were ready to advance again, by when, with the Allied line holding along the ridge and Prussian troops beginning to arrive on the field from the east, it was be-coming clear that Napoleon had lost the battle, although there would be another two hours of increasingly desperate, bloody but futile French attacks before Wellington judged it the moment to signal the whole line to advance.

The Scots Greys would later incorporate the image of the captured eagle in their cap badge, and Sergeant Ewart would be commissioned as an ensign (second lieutenant) in the 5th Veteran Battalion of Infantry. The following year he was invited to a Waterloo dinner in Edinburgh, where Sir Walter Scott asked him to speak. But Ensign Ewart begged that he might be excused, saying, “I would rather fight the Battle of Waterloo over again than face so large an assemblage.”

Allan Mallinson’s latest Matthew Hervey novel, Words of Command, set in the Duke of Wellington’s cavalry, is published by Bantam, £19.

This makes one of our trio of Waterloo recipes as it is served with Waterloo cheese. Tenuous? Perhaps. Delicious? Yes.

Warm black pudding salad is the perfect meat lovers salamagundi. Cheese and greens? Check. But is there something meaty to add a bit of pep? For those of a carnivorous bent it doesn’t quite get the green light without that little extra. And warm black pudding salad is the perfect way to do it. Alternatively try pigeon and blue cheese salad with russet dressing. If we imagined the pigeon were Waterloo messenger pigeons, it might just work…

The best black pudding is a closely fought thing, between Bury in Lancashire and Stornaway on the Isle of Lewis. We would plump for Stornaway. Philippa Davis gives us her recipe below.

WARM BLACK PUDDING SALAD WITH BROAD BEANS AND WATERLOO CHEESE

Serves 4
■ 200g (7oz) young broad beans
■ 1 tbsp olive oil
■ 400g (14oz) black pudding
■ 1 large clove garlic
■ 100ml (31⁄2fl oz) dry cider
■ 2 tbsp finely shredded mint leaves
■ Juice of 1 lemon
■ 2 tbsp good-quality extra virgin olive oil
■ 100g (31⁄2oz) baby-leaf spinach
■ 150g (5oz) Waterloo cheese
■ Salt and pepper

Waterloo cheese is made on the Duke of Wellington’s Stratfield Saye estate on the Berkshire/Hampshire border. The creamy, rich flavour goes well with the freshness of the mint and the brightness of the spring broad beans.

Blanch the broad beans in boiling, salted water for a couple of minutes then drain.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the black pudding for the warm black pudding salad until crisp on both sides (don’t move the black pudding around too much or it will break up). Add the garlic and continue cooking until the garlic just starts to colour. Add the dry cider, broad beans and half the mint and turn the heat up to full.

Cook until the liquid has almost gone then add the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, the rest of the fresh mint, baby spinach and slithers of Waterloo cheese. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Finish your Waterloo menu with quintessential British strawberries poached in French Napoleon brandy.

Strawberries poached in Napoleon brandy are indulgent without being cloying. A fresh and slightly exotic take on our standard summer time fruit. For something rather more time consuming try Andrew Pern’s Elderflower Jelly with Strawberries, Lemon Balm Custard and Sponge Fingers. Or of course eat straight from the bowl unadulterated.

STRAWBERRIES POACHED IN NAPOLEON BRANDY AND CARDAMOM

Serves 4

For the lime posset
■ 400ml (14fl oz) double cream
■ 3 tbsp caster sugar
■ 2 tbsp lime juice and the zest from 1 lime

For the poached strawberries
■ 200ml (7fl oz) brandy (Napoleon if you have it) plus 100ml (31⁄2fl oz)
■ 1 vanilla pod
■ 200g (7oz) demerara sugar
■ 10 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
■ 250g (9oz) ripe strawberries hulled and chopped in quarters

To make the strawberries poached in Napoleon brandy follow the method below…

As you lift the lid on this dessert it’s impossible not to surrender to the pleasant wafts of spice and booze. You will need four Kilner jars or jam pots with lids.

To make the posset, bring the cream and sugar to a boil, simmer for one minute, take off the heat and add lime juice and zest.

Divide the mix into the Kilner jars and leave to set for at least three hours (this can be made up to 24 hours in advance).

To prepare the strawberries poached in Napoleon brandy, bring 200ml (7fl oz) of the brandy plus the vanilla, sugar and crushed cardamom pods (easily done with a pestle and mortar) to a boil with 50ml (2fl oz) of cold water. Simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Add the strawberries and 100ml (31⁄2fl oz) more of neat brandy. Leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes.

When you are ready to serve it, add a spoonful of strawberries and a little of the juice to the top of each posset.

Close the lid and leave for 20 minutes at room temperature. Allow each guest to open their own jar to appreciate the sensational waft of the cardamom, strawberries and that kick of brandy.

Does your hip flask taste peculiar when you take your tot? If so it needs cleaning. Here is how to clean your hip flask correctly and prevent a tainted brew.

Knowing how to clean your hip flask properly is a sporting person’s dilemma. Nothing is worse than stopping for a nip on the hill, to find your best brewed sloe gin tastes like a mouthful of mercury. Follow our useful advice on how to clean your hip flask, and you will never need to waste another sip.

And if you are wondering what to put in to your hip flask this year, we would recommend one of our Hip Flask Championship 2013 winners, Raspberry Gin. It is ambrosial. And if you are keen to upgrade your current hip flask look no further than our list of the best hip flasks and take you pick.

QUERY: I have recently purchased a large, silver-plated hip-flask and having washed it out with water I topped it up with my home-made damson vodka but, to my displeasure, I noted a distinct unpleasant aftertaste. Having sampled the vodka that did not go into the flask I know my prized brew is not to blame. Have you any suggestions as to how I might sort this out please?
MH, by email

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR HIP FLASK

ANSWER: Field readers recommend several methods concerning how to clean your hip flask.

Firstly, fill the flask with a solution of warm water and a few drops of washing-up liquid, shake well and then thoroughly clean with warm water before use.

To clean your hip flask you can also fill the flask with equal quantities of vinegar or lemon juice and hot water, secure the lid, shake well, then leave for about five minutes before rinsing thoroughly.

Alternatively, pour into the flask a solution of 2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda mixed with a cup of distilled vinegar, shake well for 20 to 30 seconds, empty and rinse thoroughly.

Once your hip flask is sparkling clean, and your home brew tastes as it should, take inspiration from the latest edition of The Field, and step outside…

Janet Menzies talk to the ninth Duke of Wellington about his illustrious ancestor, the 1st Duke of Wellington. And the pivotal moment for Europe, the Battle of Waterloo.

The Duke of Wellington speaks to The Field, on the anniversary to mark 200 years since the Battle of Waterloo, about his ancestor and the pivotal battle. For victory recipes and military features see our Waterloo page.

DUKE OF WELLINGTON AND WATERLOO

The first Duke of Wellington is supposed to have said (but almost certainly didn’t): “The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.” According to his descendant, the ninth Duke of Wellington, the hunting field is a far better place to look for the origins of Wellington’s decisive victory. “In recognition of his successful campaigns, the first Duke of Wellington was voted a considerable sum of money by the House of Commons to purchase a country estate and when Stratfield Saye was acquired in 1818, its potential for hunting and shooting was an important factor. The first Duke of Wellington very much liked both hunting and shooting. In the Peninsular campaign he used to try to hunt as often as possible as a way of taking exercise. He was a good rider – and he needed to be, because in his military life he rode very long distances in order to be always present at important engagements.

“At Waterloo he moved around the battlefield a lot, as was his custom in nearly every battle. Famously at Waterloo, and in the last three years of the Peninsular, he had his great horse, Copenhagen. What made Copenhagen remarkable was that he had extraordinary stamina and so the Duke of Wellington could ride him all day without changing horses. The battle of Waterloo didn’t start until about 11am because it had rained heavily through the night but the battle was still continuing at 8pm. So it was a long day. It wasn’t the first time that Copenhagen showed that stamina and that partnership with the horse formed a substantial aspect of Wellington’s career.”

Now, 200 years later, Europe is still celebrating Wellington’s victory at Waterloo. What is it about that one battle that has made it iconic?

“It is easy to see why Waterloo made such a difference,” stresses the present Duke of Wellington. “Only a year earlier, in April 1814, all Europe thought the Napoleonic Wars had come to an end. Napoleon himself had been forced to abdicate and the powers of Europe convened the Congress of Vienna, where all the governments, including the newly restored French monarchy, met to discuss the political future of Europe. They thought it was the end of 20 years of European warfare. So when the news arrived that Napoleon had escaped from Elba and was back in France, everything changed.

The Duke of Wellington was already at the Congress, having replaced Lord Castlereagh, and so he was asked to assemble an allied army in the Low Countries. Wellington put together that army and won the battle – which was such a resounding and total victory that Napoleon was again forced into exile. The victory was so complete that it removed forever the risk of another Napoleonic war and led to a new era in Europe. That new era lasted a long time. There was essentially peace in Europe from then until the First World War. So it was significant from a military and a political point of view. Waterloo is one of the big battles, and decisive battles do have a long-term effect.”

And Waterloo, suggests the present Duke of Wellington, highlighted the start of modern industrial and technological Europe. “During the Napoleonic Wars technological developments were beginning. The outcome of the Napoleonic Wars was enormously enhancing for Britain as a nation. Our Industrial Revolution got under way – for example, in September 1830 it was the Duke of Wellington who opened the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.”
Wellington was a man of his times, making modern changes throughout his life and career. “At Stratfield Saye he made a number of practical innovations,” points out the ninth Duke, “including the heating in house, and he had double glazing put on the windows and the corner cupboard lavatories in every bedroom – all improvements that were both foresighted and quite modern. He was interested in the estate and it was well kept, although the accounting records we have suggest his steward was not financially adept. When he originally chose Stratfield Saye he had objected to one of the alternatives, Uppark in Sussex, because it stood on a hill and he was worried about the cost of the shoes for the horses going up and down the hill. He was a generous man but he was also practical.”

This rigorous, disciplined thinking distinguished the Duke of Wellington’s military career. At a time when military command was generally considered a sport for amateurs, Wellington brought a professional attitude that is recognised and admired to this day.

“I have read a lot of the Duke’s orders and dispatches and he had an extraordinary attention to detail,” says his descendant. “For example, the orders that he issued on the morning of the storming of Ciudad Rodrigo outlined precise instructions about timing and equipment, even down to the length of the ladders for the storming of the walls. No manager of men then or since could have been more mindful of the necessity of giving detailed and accurate orders. And he did it with a very small central staff.”

Many historians of Waterloo have suggested that Napoleon under-estimated the Duke of Wellington and, surprisingly, Napoleon was not present on the field for much of the battle, unlike Wellington. But the ninth Duke has a slightly different interpretation, highlighting the different personalities of the two men. “At the library here at Apsley House [the London townhouse of the Dukes of Wellington] we have the first copies of Napoleon in Exile, or A Voice from St Helena, written by Napoleon’s doctor, Barry O’Meara. He writes that Napoleon believed the Duke of Wellington took a huge risk positioning himself where he did at Waterloo, because if he had been defeated, retreat would have been very difficult. In fact, Wellington had written a report for the government a year earlier called The Defence of the Netherlands, in which he had identified that area south of the Forêt de Soignes as a good, defensible position and that, indeed, was where the battle of Waterloo took place.”

The first Duke of Wellington pointed out an important difference between France’s conscript army and Britain’s professional soldiers: “The conscription calls out a share of every class – no matter whether your son or my son – all must march; but our friends – I may say it in this room – are the very scum of the earth. People talk of their enlisting from their fine military feeling – all stuff – no such thing. Some of our men enlist from having got bastard children – some for minor offences – many more for drink; but you can hardly conceive such a set brought together, and it really is wonderful that we should have made them the fine fellows they are.”

His descendant stresses, “There was a huge sense of national pride in Britain about the fact that we had fought this war consistently, sometimes on our own, sometimes with allies, for more than 20 years. And we were part of the victory and that led to an enormous increase in Britain’s prestige and our pride as a nation.” A nation proud of its soldiers – and in the 200 years since Waterloo we have had cause to be proud of them again and again.

THE BATTLE OF THE WELLINGTON BOOT

The Duke of Wellington’s boots, c1800-c1850.

Thanks to Wellington, the British even beat the French at boots. “He developed his shorter boot so that it worked with trousers,” says the ninth Duke, describing the evolution of the Wellington boot.
Newly fashionable trousers, as opposed to knee breeches, were as prone to pinch then as now, so Wellington’s low leather boots were more comfortable, while the high front offered protection for the knee. In 1853, just a year after Wellington’s death, a French firm, Aigle (the Eagle), became the first company to manufacture vulcanised rubber long boots that, to this day, are known as Wellington or wellie boots, rather than “eagle boots”. So Wellington captured yet another Eagle.

The India Pattern musket, nicknamed the Brown Bess, was the gun carried by most of our troops on that fateful day in June 1815. Mark Murray-Fletcher of the Royal Armouries traces its history.

The Brown Bess musket was as essential a part of the victory at Waterloo as the Scots Greys and their famous charge. In celebration of the victory in Belgium 200 years ago we have spoken to the present Duke about his ancestor,  The Duke of Wellington and Waterloo. We have also put together a victory menu for those keen to celebrate at the table with waterloo recipes. And of course the story of the Brown Bess. So how did the Brown Bess musket play its part in the most important battle for a hundred years?

THE BROWN BESS

On a soaking wet morning in what is now Belgium, on Sunday, the 18th of June 1815, two armies waited to do battle: the French under the Emperor Napoleon around La Belle Alliance and the allies under the Duke of Wellington near the small village of Waterloo on the ridge of Mont St Jean.

The ensuing battle was to be the last on the European continent to involve a British army for almost a hundred years – until the First World War – and one of Britain’s greatest and most important victories. It was also probably the last time that the musket played a decisive, indeed a pivotal role in a European conflict.

THE MUSKET – INDIA PATTERN MODEL

The standard musket issued to the British soldier throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries was the India Pattern model, made in two variants and used against both Revolutionary and Napoleonic France. The first model was introduced in 1793 and the updated version in 1810. These muskets are similar to the shotguns we use today in that they are of the same calibre – .729in to .76in, or, in shotgun terms, 12-bore – and in their ranges, both being effective at about 40 metres, al-though as muskets use a solid lead ball they were capable of reaching beyond 100 metres. Interestingly, during the 20th century, in parts of Africa, the musket could still be found in use as a shotgun.

The story of the development of the British India Pattern musket is that of the government’s response to an urgent need for small arms to fight the French. Today we would term it an “Urgent Operational Requirement” or UOR, the sort of process that governs the issue of urgently needed equipment for the conflict in Afghanistan.
This story starts at the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783 when the British army was armed with the Pattern 1777 and Pattern 1779(S) Short Land Pattern musket, a musket characterised by its 42in barrel, made to the strict quality-control guidelines of the Board of Ordnance. In 1783, at the conclusion of the American war, the expectation was for a period of peace, a time when the need for ordnance materials would be low, so the contracts then standing for the Pattern 1777 and the Pattern 1779(S) musket were cancelled.

This common response to peace would be repeated many times in the following decades. Parliament was not prepared to fund equipment it deemed unnecessary, so financial retrenchment was the order of the day.

The world changed in 1793, a mere 10 years after the loss of the American colonies, when Britain found itself again at war, this time with Revolutionary France. An army now reduced in size to an authorised strength of only 44,432 men had to be expanded rapidly along with the local militia and volunteer forces. The call for muskets was going to be huge but in 1793 the total stock of muskets in armouries around Britain, including the central arsenal at the Tower of London, was around 60,000. Compare this with the stocks held in French arsenals, which amounted to 700,000-plus. The picture was not encouraging and something needed to be done.

At first the Ordnance tried to ramp up production of the Short Land Pattern muskets by engaging new contractors. But they were able to produce only slightly more than 31,000 muskets in 1793, a number woefully inadequate for the expanding forces. The Ordnance had to fill the gap somehow and did this by ordering 10,000 muskets from the Birmingham gun trade and 10,000 from its usual emergency suppliers in Liège, Belgium. But even this would not be enough, especially as the private contractors in Birmingham and London were hard at work fulfilling orders for the private trade and for the East India Company, one of the biggest private purchasers of military arms, both of them prompt payers.

To begin to solve this lack of supply the Master General of the Ordnance, the Duke of Richmond, suggested to the government that the East India Company be persuaded to sell its stocks of muskets to the government and agree not to place further orders until the Ordnance’s requirements were met. He told Henry Dundas, the Home Secretary, that he was:

‘…aware how unpleasant it must be to take such a step, and to deliver out to our troops these East India Arms, which are considered of somewhat an inferior quality to ours, but …the least important must give way to the most; and you will be best able to judge whether the East India Company can admit of a delay in respect of these arms. [Henry Dundas, as Chairman of the Board of Control, had earlier been instrumental in securing parliamentary approval for the renewal of the East India Company’s monopoly.] And altho’ they might not be quite so perfect as ours, they undoubtedly must be serviceable ones, and such as the new Raised Corps must put up with on the current Emergency.”

The suggestion was agreed to and by the end of 1794 the company had delivered into government stores 29,920 muskets, all that it could spare. Transactions for company muskets would continue throughout the duration of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. By 1815 the company had sold the Ordnance at least 142,970 small arms.

Below: Model 1793 India Pattern musket, with a swan neck cock. Above: 1810 India Pattern musket with a ring-neck cock.

The musket that the East India Company supplied was originally designed by General Lawrence for company service and then altered and simplified by Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Windus in 1771. In company service it was known as the “Windus Pattern”. In 1795 the Ordnance began to order “India Pattern” muskets on its own account and by 1797 it adopted the musket officially as the Model 1793 and began to place substantial orders for it with the Birmingham gun trade.

The Model 1793 India Pattern musket was standardised by the Ordnance in 1797 to take account of its cheapness, simplicity of design and ease of manufacture. And by the end of 1797 the Birmingham gun trade was able to have delivered some 72,000 muskets to the government proof house at Bagot Street. The success of this model, along with its slightly modified successor, the Model 1810 India Pattern, can be gauged by the fact that between 1795 and 1815 nearly three million were produced at an average price of 18s.5d. It was the Model 1810 that was most numerous at Waterloo, although some of the Guards were armed with an intended replacement for the India Pattern, the Pattern 1804 New Land Pattern musket, the development and subsequent issue of which had been stopped due to an outbreak of peace.

The Model 1793 India Pattern is stocked to 41⁄2in (11.43cm) of the muzzle, the 39in barrel (99cm) being retained by three pins and an upper swivel screw. There are three brass ramrod pipes, as opposed to the four for the Short Land Pattern musket. All the brass is simpler in design, which aided the mass production of cast parts for the “setter uppers” (assemblers), as is the lock. The stock is plain walnut, the wood of an inferior heart and sap quality. Supplies of this walnut were still obtained from Italy, despite Napoleon’s attempts to throttle British trade with Europe. The amount of powder to be used for a charge was recommended as 6dr. The overall length of the musket is 55in (139cm) and with its attached bayonet 73in (185.5cm). The weight is measured at 9lb 11oz (4.394kg), almost a pound less that the earlier Short Land pattern musket, a weight similar to that of the current British Army L85A2 rifle.

SHORTCOMINGS OF THE BROWN BESS MUSKET

During the India Pattern’s service many in the army and within the Ordnance were aware that the India Pattern had shortcomings. Hans Busk, author of The Rifle and How to Use It, wrote in 1859 that the British service musket was: “The very clumsiest and worst contrived of any firelock in the world. It required the lar-gest charge of powder and the heaviest ball of any; yet owing to the absence of every scientific principle in its construction, its weight and windage were the greatest, its range the shortest, and its accuracy the least; at the same time it was the most costly of any similar arm in use, either in France, Belgium, Prussia or Austria.”

This was somewhat unfair, being written some 30 years later with the benefit of hindsight, for test results then and now show that the India Pattern was, indeed, no worse than many of its foreign competitors and in some cases considerably better. However, it should be noted, that the quality of British gunpowder was by far the best in Europe and the most widely available. In fact, Britain supplied much of the powder used by her allies on the Continent during the Napoleonic wars.

The 28th foot, the Gloucesters, in a square to withstand the French cavalry.

Engagements for the infantry were traditionally at relatively close distances, often the result of closely controlled battlefield management. In 1811 a soldier of the 71st Regiment of Foot, writing of fighting the French at Fuentes de Onõro, recorded: “… during our first advance a bayonet went through between my side and clothes, to my knapsack, which stopped its progress. The Frenchman to whom the bayonet belonged fell, pierced by a musket ball from my rear-rank man. Whilst freeing myself from the bayonet, a ball took off part of my right shoulder wing and killed the rear-rank man, who fell upon me. We kept up our fire until long after dark. My shoulder was black as coal from the recoil of my musket; for this day I had fired 107 round of ball cartridge.”

This was not an uncommon account and it would have been just as true of Waterloo. If we were to take an average of 80 cartridges fired by about 50,000 allied infantry at Waterloo the expenditure of ammunition would have amounted to more than four million cartridges. Although not scientific, it does give a flavour of the ferocity of battle that Sunday in June 1815.

In terms of performance, tests show that the musket is most accurate at about 50yd. Analysis of 19 battles between 1750 and 1830 shows that the average engagement distance for infantry was 64yd and that closing fire, when infantry was advancing and firing, was delivered at a mere 30yd. In terms of rate of fire a British infantryman was expected to manage three rounds a minute in combat. Tests carried out by the East India Company in 1834-5 using a Board of Ordnance India Pattern musket showed that it could penetrate three 1in-thick deal planks set 12in apart at 60yd and then penetrate 1in into the third three-layer set of planks. This set of results was with the service charge of 6dr of good-quality British powder, and when you observe the slow-motion footage of a musket ball penetrating a gel block and the shattering of simulated bone you can well understand the damage that musket balls wrought on the field of Waterloo.

See the weapons of Waterloo at the Royal Armouries, Leeds exhibition: Waterloo: The Art of Battle, 22 May to 23 August. The museum is open daily 10am-5pm. Entry is free; www.royalarmouries.org.

Barrel maker Bill Blacker makes our list of the top 10 gunsmiths.

The top 10 gunsmiths are those chosen who are at the top of their trade. Whether you have a stock that needs straightening, a gun looking for a service before or after the season or a barrel with a ding, the top 10 gunsmiths will iron out your problems. If you are looking for a barrel specialist look no further than Bill Blacker.

BILL BLACKER BARREL MAKER: TOP 10 GUNSMITHS

Bill Blacker went to Holland & Holland from school at 16 as a barrel-making apprentice. He left to go to Purdey in 1983, where he stayed for several years before becoming an independent tradesman working for gunmaking’s “carriage trade” (Holland & Holland, Purdey, Boss, Hartmann & Weiss, and Peter Nelson). Bill Blacker has brought his sons, James and Matt, into the trade and can tackle – to the highest London standards – anything relating to barrels, smooth-bored or rifled. He can make new chopper-lump barrel sets for shotguns .410 to 4-bore and double rifle barrels from .22 to .700.

Blacker is expert in barrel repairs of all sorts – lifting dents, lapping bores – and is well known for his choke-work and regulation. He is one of the few who keep the latter art alive. (Steve Cranston at Holland & Holland and Stuart Richards at Westley Richards are other great exponents). “I see too many good old barrels and some new ones damaged by poor work,” Blacker comments. “If you have a best gun, it needs someone properly qualified to work upon it. A lot of hassle can be prevented by good maintenance and care and not just throwing a gun in the cabinet at the end of the season without due preparation. One good idea is a service before putting it away for the year.” Tel 01268 730375; email ; website.

Never dispose of a Barbour just becasue the zip has gone a bit skew-whiff. Find out how to replace a heavy duty zip and keep you kit functioning.

Knowing how to replace a heavy duty zip can be very useful if your eveyday jacket is on its last legs. Follow our useful advice on how to replace a heavy duty zip, and you will never put a country jacket to waste.

Losing a zip isn’t the end of the world. But the useful gentleman should know how to fix it. And while contemplating where to get your kit repaired scrub up on Field fashion and take a look at what a gentleman should wear. Quality will always reign over quantity.

QUERY: I have a Henri Lloyd wax jacket that is getting on a bit. The zip has become separated at the bottom and I cannot reconnect it. I need a source of heavy-duty zips. I have tried the internet without success. A local shop will put in a replacement if I can obtain a suitable zip. I would be grateful if you could assist.
JT, by email

HOW TO REPLACE A HEAVY DUTY ZIP

ANSWER: Field readers recommend several methods concerning how to replace a heavy duty zip.

At the moment Henri Lloyd does not offer a repair service but recommends LSR Repairs and Outdoor Gear, which can replace the zip at a cost of £37 plus £8 p&p to return the jacket. The firm suggests you send the jacket with your name, address and telephone number and details of your requirements. Call LSR Repairs on 01282 439109 or visit www.lancashiresportsrepairs.co.uk. Bespoke zips can be bought from A&N Trimmings, which offers a heavy-duty zip in golden brass or antique brass. You can select colour, width of teeth (eg in a No 10 the teeth are 10mm wide), zipper function and length. Price depends on specification but is likely to be less than £20 with delivery from three to four weeks. Call 0121 771 4040 or visit www.antrimm.co.uk.

Once your zip is back on track, and your wax jacket feels as good as new, find a copy of the latest edition of The Field, and find out the latest Field fashion…

Frenchman Stephane Dupille is one of Britain's best-known stockers.

Stephane Dupille is the man to visit when your stock is called into question. One of our top 10 gunsmiths this Frenchman is a whizz on English guns. Knowing when your gun might need altering can be harder than you think. And the chaps who go to see Dupille are often very keen shots who know what they want. If you are looking for a general gunsmith glance through the list of our top 10 gunsmiths.

STEPHANE DUPILLE STOCKER: TOP 10 GUNSMITHS

Stephane Dupille was born in Normandy and became a student of mechanical engineering in his native country. He is a graduate of the gunmaking school in Liège (where he concentrated on action filing and woodwork). He is now one of Britain’s best-known stockers having come here in 1998. Initially he worked for Watson Bros then Holland & Holland. He is now based at his shop – Stephen and Son – at Harlington, Bedfordshire. Stephane Dupille specialises in re-stocking English guns but undertaking general maintenance, too.

“I work for the London trade and Westley Richards but also for the public with regard to stocking and renovation. Usually it is keen shooters who come to see me. They want to select their wood and have a very clear idea of what they want. I can follow the house styles of all the great makers or create something special for them. I source all wood myself. It is always hard to get good blanks now with decorative grain in the butt as well as strength through the hand. I offer a variety of finishes, including polished and matt oil. Much depends on the period of the gun; a high-gloss finish is not always appropriate,” says Stephane Dupille. Tel 01525 872522; email ; website.

A general gunsmith who started when he was 16, Carl Langton is one of our top 10 gunsmiths.

Carl Langton didn’t do a formal London apprenticeship, but works for London makers now. They work with all marques and make our list of the top 10 gunsmiths. So if you are within easy reach of Hertfordshire add him to your speed dial for servicing and repairs.

CARL LANGTON: TOP 10 GUNSMITHS

A general gunsmith, Carl Langton began in 1984 at 16 in the Hertfordshire premises in which he works today. “That’s ambition for you,” he says. His introduction was traditional – sweeping up and making the tea for the late Brian Broomfield who had a particularly good reputation for working on Mirokus: “Brian was one of the few to have visited the island factory in Japan; he gained special expertise in barrel fitting.” Langton, of Ladbrook & Langton Gunsmiths (L&L), is known for similar work (and “breathed on” the Perazzi barrels of Olympic gold medallist Peter Wilson). “I have learnt so much on the bench with the many who have passed through here over the years – some from the London trade, others from different but interesting backgrounds. You learn things for yourself as well. I didn’t do a formal London apprenticeship – although we do much work for London makers now. I became, like all of us here, a bit of a generalist.” These days, 70% of L&L’s work is for the trade but, like everyone else mentioned, the firm welcomes retail customers, too, and can offer a full range of gunsmithing services: routine maintenance; stock bending and alteration; fitting of pads or re-coil devices; new springs; new screws; and choke- and rib-work (a house speciality). The firm keeps a large selection of Browning and Miroku spares although it works on all marques, old and new. Tel 01923 854639; email; website.

Tight lines but don't be tight - bid generously. The Wessex Chalk Stream and Rivers Trust have organised a fishing auction to raise funds, open for bidding now.

Fishing auctions are a splendid way to pick up days or rods on rivers and beats that are often not available to the public. We adore a good sporting auction. The Wessex Chalk Stream and Rivers Trust is definitely one to look at now. Beats at a bargain? Yes please…And remember to bid generously. It is all in aid of a good cause. After all one of the rivers may well be one of the 5 things to add to your fishing bucket list.

The Wessex Chalk Stream and Rivers Trust have organised this fishing auction to raise funds for their great charity. The money raised will be used towards the charity’s main scheme which is to protect the fragile and globally important chalk-based ecosystems of the rivers of the Wessex region.

FISHING AUCTION

The UK is home to around 85% of the world’s chalk-streams and the trust’s catchments of the Dorset Stour in the West, the Avon, the Test, the Itchen and the Meon in the East, contain many of the most iconic examples of this rare and important habitat. The Trust is carrying out large numbers of river improvement projects across the Test, Itchen, Hampshire Avon and other rivers in their catchments. In order to help The Wessex Chalk Stream and Rivers Trust, a fishing auction has been organised so start by placing your bid and send your email to Lee Bush at the Trust.

Lots range from a day on the Test for one rod at Greatbridge with a inclusive river side picnic to a rare opportunity to fish on the Salisbury and District Angling Club waters. These lots are aimed at both the serious fishing enthusiast and the sort who like to have an experienced friend with them to untangle their hook from the bullrushes.

As workshop manager at GMK, Grendon is in charge of somewhere with a great reputation, and makes our list of the top 10 gunsmiths.

Malcolm Grendon is the man to go to if you have a Beretta. Or a Franchi, Benelli, Sako or Tikka. GMK import these guns and their workshop will service them for you with consummate skill. A service, adjustment, or

MALCOLM GRENDON: TOP 10 GUNSMITHS

Malcolm Grendon is the workshop manager at GMK. In common with all members of his workshop team, he works at great pace in a modern environment. He started at GMK in 1986 and, while working as a junior, completed a formal apprenticeship under Gordon Swatton (now at William Evans). He is particularly strong on the latest methods. It is a necessity in his situation. And is as much engineer as gunsmith being qualified in mechanical engineering and toolmaking as well as gunsmithing. The GMK workshop has an outstanding reputation. It can take on any work on Beretta, Franchi, Bennelli, Sako and Tikka guns, setting industry standards for quality of workmanship and speed of completion.

The operation of the GMK workshop is organised rather like a Formula 1 pit crew. No observer can fail to be impressed when the air-powered wrenches start whirring and a gun is taken apart or re-assembled in seconds. “We do warranty work, repairs and a significant number of modifications. There is a huge range of tasks, from basic overhauls to replacements of components such as firing pins and springs, rebarrelling, restocking sidelocks. Nearly everything is done in-house, including stocking. Some work is done traditionally. Some work done by using techniques developed here or passed on from our suppliers,” Malcolm Grendon explains. He also sits on a Beretta focus group that considers new models. Tel 01489 579999; website.

Apple scones are the perfect summer afternoon treat. Introduce a hint of spice to this quintessential English custom, with a gentle sprinkle of cinnamon.

Apple scones? Summer garden? All may well be right with the world. With just a small sprinkle of cinnamon and some cloudy clotted cream, summer all of a sudden becomes romantic. This easy apple scone recipe is perfect for an outside tea party or for nibbling on a summers walk, accompanied with a hot flask of tea.

The first taste of the orchard apple tends to be in late August. But luckily, with useful storage apples are available year-round.

To assist the chopping process learn how to peel perfect apples before you begin scone making. If you have a few apples leftover, then try our Apple Tarte Tatin with Wensleydale Cheese Ice-Cream.

APPLE SCONE RECIPE

Serves 8
■ 1 medium cooking apple
■ half a cup of sultanas
■ 250g of self-raising flour
■ 1 tsp salt
■ 1 tsp baking powder
■ 60g butter
■ 60g castor sugar
■ 150ml milk

For the glaze

■ dash of milk
■ sprinkle of brown sugar
■ grated cinnamon

To begin your apple scone mixture start with apple. Peel it, removing the core and chop finely into small dice.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking powder to the mix is light and airy. When the butter is soft, mix it in a different bowl to the flour adding the sugar, sultanas, chopped apples and a little hit on cinammon.

When the apple scone mixture is smooth, pour it into the bowl of flour and keep mixing it until it turns into a nice dough.

When your  apple scone dough is the correct texture, not too sticky and not too dry, roll out the mixture onto a floured surface to about ¼”thick and 8″ round and mark into 8 wedges.

Place these wedges on a greased baking sheet, brushing the top with milk and sprinkle with the brown sugar and grated cinnamon.

Bake in the pre-heated oven at 200C  for 20-25 minutes until lightly brown. Serve the apple scones outside with some warm butter or a dollop of cream for extra enjoyment.

Do not forget the extra sprinkle of cinnamon to enhance the flavouring of the apple.

TOP TIP: Do not handle the scone dough any more than is absolutely necessary.

One of the best general gunsmiths in Britain, David Sinnerton has earned his place on our list.

Davdi Sinnerton is in the premier league of general gunsmiths. He has an absolute eye for detail. So whether your gun is a treasured hand-me-down or one of the 10 most expensive guns in the world, you can count on him putting it right. He is also a gunamker, so if you are looking to start from scratch then contact him. But just make sure it is long enough before the season starts. And while you are waiting, brush up on your skills with the Editor’s 12 top tips for game shooting.

DAVID SINNERTON: TOP 10 GUNSMITHS

David Sinnerton, a former Purdey finisher and a gunmaker in his own right, is one of the best general gunsmiths in Britain. He has been self-employed since the late Eighties. I have known no problem defeat him, including the trickiest repairs on obscure, single-trigger mechanisms and ejector systems. He is also a true master of cosmetic repair and restoration. “Apart from general servicing and stock repairs [David Sinnerton also offers a re-stocking service], I see a lot of malfunctioning ejectors and single triggers. Often this is down to age or wear.

Sometimes, though, there are design issues, more so on foreign guns, but these can usually be overcome with a little thought. I do advise that people get their guns looked at well out of season – don’t bring me a problem job at the beginning of August. With difficult problems, I think it is an advantage to talk to the guy doing the work directly rather than to have the gun passed on by an intermediary.” It is not without reason that David Sinnerton, who is based in West Sussex, is sometimes referred to as the gunsmith’s gunsmith. Tel 01798 813849; email.

Fundraising is a piece of cake according to the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution - the RABI are launching a cream tea campaign to raise the awareness of poverty within the farming community.

The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution ‘cream tea campaign’ aims to raise the awareness of poverty within the farming community. The RABI is a welfare charity. Its charitable endeavours provide £2 million in grants to help 1500 farmers, farmworkers and their dependants, of all ages.

The charity is raising money for farmers, farmworkers and their dependents who are experiencing financial difficulty. So grab a scone and raise some money for the RABI this week and raise awareness of poverty within the farming community. If you need some scone-making inspiration see The Field’s own apple scone recipe. 

GRAB A SCONE FOR FARMING CHARITY

As every British Afternoon tea devotee knows, there is nothing better than a display of homemade cakes in the company of a piping hot teapots. Tea consumption increased dramatically during the early nineteenth century and it is around this time that even Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford said so herself she too experienced the “sinking feeling” during the late afternoon. The ‘cream tea campaign’ is here to rectify that sinking feeling.

The RABI have announced that up to a quarter of farming families live on or below the poverty line. In order to survive this poverty line, this charity is asking people to get involved and come together to organise or host their own cream tea party at a low-cost to make a difference to people’s lives. Not only will it keep the farmers happy, but it is a wonderful way to promote British farming and agriculture. The wonderful unison of arable – the flour for the scones, dairy – for the cream and fruit – for the jam promotes pride in British farming.

RABI: HOW YOU CAN HELP

There are several ways the RABI encourages you to help. One is to fund a relief worker to help a farmer recovering from an accident. Alternatively you can provide specialist equipment to someone who is ill or disabled. Cream tea fundraisers will be happening all over the country during the summer period so make sure you put the dates in your diary. To find your nearest event, contact the head office team on 01865 724931 or email.

For more info visit the RABI’s confidential helpline on 0300 303 7373.

Swatton, now based at Bisley, can tackle pretty much any job he is presented with. And finds himself on our top 10 gunsmiths list.

Gordon Swatton is a general gunsmith who now resides at Bisley. And no job will defeat him. So when it comes to the end of the season take your gun in. And while all the bits and pieces are being fitted, polished, tightened and tweeked use the time to set your head straight for the season. So if you are heading to the moor take heed of our rather effective tranche of grouse shooting information. Or just go direct to the Editor’s top 12 tips for grouse shooting. If your fun on the peg is mainly pheasant and partridge do not leave home without reading our 11 pheasant shooting tips first. It could save much embarrassment. And of course dressing correctly is essential. Just follow our guide on what to wear when shooting.

GORDON SWATTON: TOP 10 GUNSMITHS

Gordon Swatton, now at William Evans at Bisley, began his gunsmithing career at Jennings & Groves on Fareham High Street. He went to Gunmark (now GMK) in 1982, became tech-nical manager and stayed for 18 years. For the past 15 years he has been at Bisley. Swatton is a man of great integrity and humour, a brilliant all-rounder capable of taking on almost anything; I know of no job that has defeated him. “We get all sorts of work: routine servicing; re-laying ribs; making and fitting mainsprings and firing pins; re-regulating and repairing ejectors. We seem to be sorting out a lot of single triggers recently,” remarks Gordon Swatton. Tel 01483 486500, email.

Other general gunsmiths in out top 10 gunsmiths list are: Carl Langton, David Sinnerton and John Wiseman. For those with more specific skills see the rest of our list of the top 10 gunsmiths.

A dependable corkscrew is imperative to any wine sipping household. If the auger has started to shear off and you're considering a trip to the atic, we have a solution.

Knowing how to repair your corkscrew is crucial to keep the party going. Nothing is worse than a man without his most important appendage. And if the corkscrew belonged to your dearest grandpapa and has been opening bottles for generations then don’t bin it, have it repaired.

The Field’s Country Queries has a good contact who knows how to repair your corkscrew with minimal fuss. So the Merlot in the cellar will not be there much longer.

In the interim while your faithful corkscrew is being repaired decide just what to open when you get it back.  The Field’s Johnny Ray suggests chilled red wine as a summer alternative to standard white. A good solid grape never goes out of fashion so try the best red wines from the Decanter World Wine Awards 2010 and discover some great booze to pair with your supper.

QUERY: I have a corkscrew that has served my grandfather, then my father and now me for more than a hundred years. God alone knows how many bottles we’ve collectively enjoyed. Recently the auger sheared off. Can you recommend someone who can repair or replace it? My daughter anticipates another century of steady use.

PD, Surrey

HOW TO REPAIR YOUR CORKSCREW

ANSWER: Field readers recommend several methods concerning how to repair your corkscrew.

To repair your corkscrew when the auger has started to shear, contact Richard Andrews of Andrews Restorations in Oxfordshire. He would try to repair the auger with specialist soldering so it is crucial that you save the broken screw for authenticity. To repair your corkscrew Email a photograph of the corkscrew to: richard@andrewsrestorations.co.uk, from which he will able to quote for the work and give a timescale, or call him on 07590 694026.

Once your corkscrew is repaired, and your vintage bottle of red has been hauled up from the cellar, find Jonathan Ray’s wine suggestions in the every edition of The Field.