Advertisement
U.S. markets open in 3 hours 14 minutes
  • S&P Futures

    5,205.25
    -9.50 (-0.18%)
     
  • Dow Futures

    39,178.00
    -45.00 (-0.11%)
     
  • Nasdaq Futures

    18,184.50
    -47.00 (-0.26%)
     
  • Russell 2000 Futures

    2,045.80
    -4.00 (-0.20%)
     
  • Crude Oil

    82.60
    -0.12 (-0.15%)
     
  • Gold

    2,155.60
    -8.70 (-0.40%)
     
  • Silver

    25.08
    -0.19 (-0.75%)
     
  • EUR/USD

    1.0846
    -0.0031 (-0.28%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.3400
    0.0000 (0.00%)
     
  • Vix

    14.67
    +0.34 (+2.37%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2676
    -0.0052 (-0.41%)
     
  • USD/JPY

    150.5600
    +1.4620 (+0.98%)
     
  • Bitcoin USD

    63,630.45
    -4,089.07 (-6.04%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • FTSE 100

    7,720.05
    -2.50 (-0.03%)
     
  • Nikkei 225

    40,003.60
    +263.20 (+0.66%)
     

SAS veterans win five-year battle to save their clubhouse after 'reckless' rent demands

The Regimental Clubhouse in Bisley, Surrey, of 21 SAS (Artists), one of the two Reserve units of the SAS. 21 SAS (Artists) recruits from the south of the UK. The other Reserve unit, 23 SAS, recruits from the north. - gofundme
The Regimental Clubhouse in Bisley, Surrey, of 21 SAS (Artists), one of the two Reserve units of the SAS. 21 SAS (Artists) recruits from the south of the UK. The other Reserve unit, 23 SAS, recruits from the north. - gofundme

The future of the Regimental shooting clubhouse for one of Britain’s elite military units has been secured after a five-year legal battle.

Campaigners for the Artists Rifles Regiment, which amalgamated into the SAS in 1947 to become 21 SAS (Artists), won a recent arbitration against the National Rifle Association (NRA), the owners of the land on which the clubhouse was built.

The NRA had sought a rent increase of over 300 per cent and had tried to introduce a clause that allowed it to give the tenant 12 months notice to leave without compensation.

In a letter to the Charity Commission, overseers of the NRA’s charitable status, Adam Holloway, MP for Gravesham, said the NRA had "fruitlessly pursued a vastly higher rental".

The NRA and the Artists Rifles settled on a new annual rent of £4,000, but Mr Holloway said the NRA had spent “between £200,000 and £300,000 of charitable funds on professional fees” in order to fight the case.

“By any standards, it appears [the NRA] have behaved recklessly in the extreme, causing a vast loss to their charity”.

Interior of the 21 SAS (Artists) clubhouse.
Interior of the 21 SAS (Artists) clubhouse.

One member of 21 SAS (Artists) told the Telegraph: “The NRA has a culture of arrogance. Their attitude is ‘the Queen is our patron, Prince Charles is our President, we own land worth over £100million and we’ve got hundreds of thousands of pounds in reserves; take us on if you dare’”.

Following the legal settlement over the rent, the Charity Commission has launched an investigation into the conduct of the NRA over the matter.

The Artists Rifles clubhouse was built in 1926 at a cost of £2,200, paid for by members of the regiment. It was subsequently used by the SAS for training purposes and social functions. Former members of the unit include artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti and actor Noel Coward. 

Formed in 1860 from gentlemen with a flair for art and creativity, the Artists Rifles Regiment was the most highly decorated regiment in the First World War, winning numerous battle honours including eight Victoria Crosses, the nation’s highest battle honour. The clubhouse has supported hundreds of veterans, some with physical and mental injuries, by organising social and shooting events.

In 2014 the NRA sought to increase the rent from £3,150 a year to £14,700, a move which would have meant continued operation of the shooting club was untenable.

SAS veteran Tim Collins - Credit: PA
SAS veteran Tim Collins launched a campaign to help fund the 21 SAS (Artists) legal bill Credit: PA

Launching a funding page through the ‘Go Fund Me’ website to pay the legal fees for the campaign, Tim Collins, a former commander of British troops in Iraq, said the “tortuous legal battle” has left the club “steeped in debt, which jeopardises its future”.  

“It is a sad fact that our country does not have the resources to help all of our veterans and relies heavily on charities and on organisations such as the Artists Rifles Clubhouse to help look after them.  If the costs of the litigation cannot be met then the future of this special resource is at immediate risk.”

Andrew Mercer, Chief Executive and Secretary General of the NRA, said: "I can confirm NRA Trustees are entirely confident that their actions have been in the best interests of the Charity and fully compliant with the charitable Object."

"Since 2014 the NRA has successfully negotiated 53 new leases and renewals; the number of contentious matters is very small but incur a disproportionate amount of legal fees."

A Charity Commission spokesperson said: "“We engaged with the trustees of the National Rifle Association following concerns raised during a dispute between the charity and its tenants that occupy land/premises on the Bisley Camp in Surrey. That engagement is ongoing so we are unable to comment further at this time."

One former Commanding Officer of 21 SAS (Artists) said the clubhouse is “the spiritual home of the Artists”.

“For an organisation as big as the NRA to be using such bully boy tactics is a classic David and Goliath story,” he says.

“Unfortunately they picked on the wrong David.”

Advertisement