Champions > Dips de Putron

DIPS DE PUTRON

Thomas John “Dips” de Putron started out in shooting as part of the hugely successful Elizabeth College shooting team of the late 1950s. He would go on to make an indelible mark on Guernsey rifle shooting, despite the relative brevity of his career in the sport.

As a cadet, Dips top-scored for the College VIII which won the Staniforth (the small-bore equivalent of the Ashburton) in 1956. A year later, he again registered the top score for the VIII which finished second in the Ashburton by one point. He was selected to shoot for Great Britain in the annual cadet match against Canada at Bisley in 1957 and 1958, top-scoring on both occasions and captaining the team in the latter.

The 1956 Staniforth-winning College team, top scored by Dips (seated; far right)

Having also top-scored for Guernsey in the Kolapore match in his final year as a cadet in 1958, Dips announced himself as a senior Guernsey Rifle Club shot by winning his first Island Championship only a year later in 1959. At the time of his second championship title in 1961, he was just 21 years old.

Dips (stood; far right) with the Guernsey Kolapore team in 1960

Whilst his contemporaries, including the likes of Bruce Parker, Frank Le Maître and Mike Martel, had similar shooting successes, what set Dips apart was his mastery of the mechanics of shooting. Whilst others relied on Captain (Don) Bisset and Tommy Henry to keep their rifles in working order, Dips would strip down his own and (sometimes literally) knock it into shape. He made successful adjustments, for example, to his “No 4” rifle, which others at Bisley only later copied.

Dips won several more trophies with the club in the 1960s, but by his thirties had more or less given up shooting. Nonetheless, he maintained a life-long interest in the club and the achievements of its members.

Text by Charlie Brewin, last updated 2024.