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Where community comes first
The Defence Academy Shooting and Conservation Club represents everything good about our sport, while also spreading the word to participants from all over the globe, as BASC member Lt Col Rupert King-Evans reports.
Tucked away in the Oxfordshire countryside, the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom serves as the intellectual heart of the British Armed Forces, where military officers, civil servants and our international partners come together to study the art and science of leadership, strategy and defence in today’s increasingly complex world. It is a world-class centre for professional military education, research and leadership development.
It is where the UK’s armed forces and our international partners cultivate the intellectual edge needed for leadership in defence and success on operations. Situated on a secure estate near Shrivenham, the Defence Academy combines the UK’s proud heritage of military professionalism with the academic rigour and discipline of a modern university. Course members learn to think critically and deeply about the changing character of war in the modern era. They study the skills they will need to lead in conflict and in peace, including artificial intelligence, cyberwarfare, history and ethics in conflict. Alumni now hold senior positions in NATO, the UN and across Whitehall, testament to the Academy’s enduring influence on UK defence posture and our international relationships.
A welcome break
Life at the Defence Academy is busy. Courses are demanding, the pace ferocious and a return to essay-writing and academia after years spent in the field can be challenging for even the most capable officer. But beyond the lecture halls and syndicate rooms, the Academy also sustains a thriving community, more in keeping with a past age of military life, one that values tradition, balance, family and community. Nowhere is this spirit better reflected than in the Defence Academy Shooting and Conservation Club (DASCC).
The DASCC traces its roots to at least the early 1960s, when staff officers and academics at Shrivenham came together to bond over a shared love of field sports. Over the decades, it has grown into one of the most enduring clubs at the Academy, with conservation work and traditional sporting days that bring together locals, students, staff and visiting officers from around the world.
International companionship
Shoot days are as much about companionship as marksmanship; new Guns are guided through every aspect of the day by experienced mentors and are tutored on shotgun shooting through two days on clays, ensuring they are appropriately experienced before the start of the season. While we aim for a relaxed atmosphere, international members in particular enjoy learning about the etiquette of shooting and experiencing the traditions.
Over the last few years, new Guns from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Jamaica, Kenya, Kuwait, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Sweden and the United States have all had the opportunity to try this most English of pastimes with their families.
For these international officers, a morning in the field offers a glimpse of a very British tradition. Through tweed-filled morning briefings, the shared pleasure of a well-taken shot or the friendly laughter at a miss, elevenses in the woods and the end-of-day congratulations and sharing out of the bag, lifetime friendships are forged as well as quiet, personal bonds that underpin the UK’s extensive soft power reach with our allies and partners.
For these international officers, a morning in the field offers a glimpse of a very British tradition.
Trying something new
Like many members, Lt Col Elon Were from the Kenyan Army was new to shooting when he joined but, as he explains, it was a thoroughly rewarding decision: “I was apprehensive about what to expect when I signed up for the DASCC. To be clear, I was a complete novice in this game, but you wouldn’t have known it from the welcome I received. DASCC is far more than a shooting club; it’s a heady mix of adventure, camaraderie and the sort of good-humoured expertise that makes you feel part of the family almost instantly.
“The mentors were professional, the people delightful, and everyone seemed genuinely invested in safety and in my not shooting myself in the foot – figuratively, of course. One key tip I shall never forget is the legendary ‘Four Bs’ (bum, belly, beak, bang), simple in theory but very geometric in execution. I was baffled by how so many of my cartridges vanished into thin air without so much as a polite nod from the birds overhead. That said, the skill did improve with time and my passion was fulfilled. I’m glad I dared to join.”
Conservation to the forefront
The conservation side of the DASCC is taken even more seriously than its sporting traditions. The estate is large and there are numerous opportunities to contribute to it through 12 formal conservation workdays. Recent activity has included extensive rubbish collection, including the removal of thousands of old tree sleeves from established plantations, the cutting back of rides, bug-hotel building and tree planting. DASCC volunteers have planted nearly 2,000 trees, a mixture of hawthorn, blackthorn, dogwood, crab apple, guelder rose, dog rose, hazel, oak, field maple, sweet cherry, grey willow and rowan.
Future plans include the creation of a large pond, the installation of nesting boxes and the linking of fragmented woodland habitats to provide movement corridors for small mammals. These small, practical projects have a measurable impact on biodiversity across the estate, and the increased sightings of pollinators, songbirds and small mammals suggest the balance between managed woodland and open space is improving year on year.
During the ‘hungry gap’ between December and May, when natural food sources are scarce, members have volunteered to help our neighbouring farmers put out high-energy seed mixes on carefully chosen sites across the estate, helping songbirds survive until spring. This initiative, supported by Defra and Natural England, has seen a marked increase in linnet and yellowhammer sightings. Some of the areas that have been fed also border a large golf course, so the collection of brightly coloured golf balls has become almost as popular with our younger members as shooting.
I have learned so much about conservation through my time with the club here and the satisfaction of contributing to local conservation and the field-to-fork culture has been amazing. Sharing the experience with my family has been a highlight.
A family affair
This active younger element helps parents to foster in their children an early understanding of the countryside and, most importantly, to step away from screens and reconnect with the natural world. They take part in all aspects of the club’s conservation work, collecting grain and filling feeders, planting trees, building bug hotels, gathering in tree sleeves and hunting for cast deer antlers and beetles. Through this work, they learn how these different habitats support a variety of species. It is not uncommon to see a young helper proudly explaining the difference between hawthorn and blackthorn or pointing out where deer have browsed a sapling.
Lt Col Matt Dobney from the Australian Army has loved his time away from the classroom and said: “The club is incredibly welcoming and gives international officers a unique opportunity to experience the best of British field sports culture. I have learned so much about conservation through my time with the club here and the satisfaction of contributing to local conservation and the field-to-fork culture has been amazing. Sharing the experience with my family has been a highlight.”
These conservation days nurture patience, respect for nature and an awareness of the countryside’s rhythm throughout the seasons; they have become a popular activity for many families, blending outdoor education with quality family time, building memories that will last long after the mud has been washed off. In an age when the link between people and the land can feel increasingly abstract, the DASCC’s approach ensures an understanding and respect for nature is not lost. These children will grow up seeing conservation not as a duty but as a fun activity.
The community spirit
With its blend of camaraderie, environmental care and responsible sport, the DASCC mirrors the Academy’s wider purpose: to produce educated, thoughtful and grounded leaders who value stewardship as much as strategy. As the seasons turn, the club continues to nurture not just the land but the community here at the Academy. This spirit of community, service and the respect that it develops will endure through its members and will itself pollinate as members return to units, services and nations. As the game season turns full circle, the club stands as a reminder that service and community are inseparable. In that sense, the Defence Academy and the DASCC share the same enduring lesson: leadership begins with care: for people, for place and for the land we stand on.
Perhaps we should leave the final word with Lt Col Rene Laporte from the Royal Canadian Air Force: “Not only does it feel great to be part of such an impressive conservation effort, the camaraderie with women, men and children of all ages is unprecedented. The culture of respect for all living things, and the underlying message of field to fork has been refreshing. It’s one of the best things my family and I have been a part of since moving to the UK.”
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