The Royal Navy's field gun competition has its origin in which war?

The Royal Navy field gun competition is a contest between teams from various Royal Navy commands, in which teams of sailors compete to transport a field gun and its equipment over and through a series of obstacles in the shortest time. The contest, which involves negotiating walls and a chasm, was held annually at the Royal Tournament in London from 1907 until 1999, apart from the periods during the World Wars. The Royal Tournament ended in 1999 because the armed services could no longer afford to free the personnel to run it. However, versions of the field gun competition are still run today.

The origins of competition lie in the epic 119-day Siege of Ladysmith (1899-1900) during the Second Boer War in South Africa. As the British Army was besieged by Boer fighters, the Royal Navy landed guns from HMS “Terrible” and HMS “Powerful” to help in the relief of the siege. The Naval Brigade manhandled six field guns each weighing nearly half a tonne over rough terrain to assist the British Army. On their return home from South Africa, the sailors from the Naval Brigade paraded their guns through London and appeared at the Royal Naval and Military Tournament at the Agricultural Hall, Islington. Displays of field gun drill continued in subsequent years.