WHITEPARISH History Group took a trip to HMS Excellent, Whale Island and were met at the gate by Lt Commander Brian Witts, curator of the Gunnery Museum.

They first visited a building housing the State Funeral gun carriage first used for the funeral of Queen Victoria.

It was a cold, February day in 1901, when the Queen's body was delivered from the Isle of Wight.

The horses that were meant to pull the carriage had become restless and were rearing - so they were unhitched and sailors from HMS Excellent, who were the Royal Guard that day, attached ropes and pulled the carriage themselves.

King Edward VII was so impressed with this arrangement that all state funerals since then have been conducted this way.

Members were told how and why Whale Island became the first land-based Gunnery School. In the mid 19th century, there was a greater need for gun accuracy for use in engagements with the enemy at sea.

The French had built an iron-clad warship, which was countered by the building of HMS Warrior. A bigger dock was needed, so local convicts were used to dig this out, and the resulting soil was dumped between two small islands in Portsmouth Harbour, joining them together to form HMS Excellent, Whale Island.

History Club members were then given a guided tour by Brian, where they learned, among other things that the island at one time had its own zoo.