The Rifle Club
Besides classic cars, the men in our family loved target practice!
Leon A. Mawson, Henry O. Creque, and Dante de Lagarde enjoyed this sport as well as their friends, Albert Commissiong, Carl Martin, Denis Souffront, Norman Griggs and Mr. Towles.
Forming the Rifle Club
In 1935, an additional nine members joined together to form an official rifle club in St. Thomas.
Desmond Fabio was elected president, Mr. Creque, the vice-president with Mr. Mawson as treasurer.
Most of the men grew up hunting for deer, mountain doves, and wild goats and were very accomplished marksmen.
Together, they nicknamed their west-end shooting range, Camp Brewers and practiced as often as they could.
Mishaps at the Rifle Club
Despite their accuracy, one day one of the members missed their target and accidentally wounded Mr. de Lagarde with scatter shots in the leg and chest.
Fortunately, he recovered, and the story became a joke they often shared with each other.
Competitions Among Rifle Clubs
There was always fierce competition among the visiting clubs.
The St. Croix Rifle Club, the U.S.M.G. team, and the USCG Marion’s team competed many hours under the blistering sun to hit the bull’s eye target 25 and 50 yards away.
At different times, the winning title went back and forth among the participating teams, but everyone enjoyed those exciting displays of true sportsmanship.