The interesting Royal Navy Featherweight Boxing Champion’s Great War group and Boxing Prize Medals, including the Royal Navy and Marines Boxing Tournament 1907 Prize Medal in Gold, as awarded to Leading Signalman George Kilham, Royal Navy, who was the Mediterranean Fleet Boxing Association Featherweight Champion for 1906, and Chatham Royal Naval Barracks Featherweight Boxing Champion for 1907 to 1908, and Featherweight Champion and winner of the Royal Navy and Marines Boxing Tournament Prize Medal in Gold for 1907. During the Great War he saw service off German East Africa in support of the operations ashore at Dar-es-Salaam during 1916, and later became a member of the Corps of Commissionaires. He appears to have at some stage embellished his group, quite possibly adding Second World War awards, but certainly adding a fellow serviceman’s Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, possibly to enhance his appearance whilst performing his duties as a Commissionaire. The long service medal was awarded to Chief Stoker Ernst George Carr, Royal Navy, who was aboard the Royal Yacht “Victoria and Albert” during 1907 to 1909 and was with the submarine depot ship Maidstone when he received long service medal in 1913. He served with submarine depot ships during the Great War.
Group of 6: 1914-1915 Star; (203363, G. KILHAM. L.SIG., R.N.); British War Medal and Victory Medal; (203363 G. KILHAM. L.SIG. R.N.); Defence Medal; War Medal 1939-1945; Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, GVR Adm. bust; (287659. E.C. CARR, STO. P.O. H.M.S. MAIDSTONE.), mounted swing style as worn, however note last is named to a different recipient to the first, though believed as worn by Kilham, who was never entitled to the long service award but had presumably acquired Carr’s medal for the purposes of wear.
Condition: last named to a different recipient, otherwise Good Very Fine.
Together with the following:
Corps of Commissionaires Long Service Medal, silver and enamels, not hallmarked, reverse engraved: ‘G. KILHAM’.
Royal Navy and Marines Boxing Tournament 1907 Prize Medal in Gold, .375 9 carat gold marked, weight 8.3 grammes inclusive of affixed silver horizontal pin, bearing hallmarks for Birmingham with date letter ‘h’ for 1907 and jewellers marks ‘PK&P’ for Page of Plymouth, reverse engraved: ‘ROYAL NAVY && MARINES BOXING TOURNAMENT WON BY G. KILHAM. Q.S.’, this housed in its fitted presentation case, the inside lid marked up for ‘Page, Keen & Page Jewellers George St. Plymouth’, the outer case titled in gilt lettering: ‘R.N. & M. BOXING TOURNAMENT 1907.’ Originally interned to be worn from a fob or else at ribbon on a suspender, this award has been modified with a horizontal wearing pin fitted to the reverse, the mounts for which obscure in part some of the naming on the reverse.
Mediterranean Fleet Boxing Association Prize Medal in Silver, silver hallmarks for Birmingham with date letter ‘g’ for 1906, reverse engraved: ‘M.F.B.A. Featherweight Champion 1906’, housed in its Fattorini presentation case.
Royal Naval Barracks Boxing Championships 1907-08 Prize Medal in Silver, silver hallmarks for Birmingham with date letter ‘h’ for 1907, a spectacular award bearing the makers details for Croneen of New Brompton, reverse engraved: ‘R.N. BARRACKS CHATHAM Feather Weight Champion - G. KILHAM.’, housed in its Croneen of New Brompton marked presentation case
1) Larding Signalman George Kilham, Royal Navy later Corps of Commissionaires, the Mediterranean Fleet Boxing Association Featherweight Champion for 1906, and Chatham Royal Naval Barracks Featherweight Boxing Champion for 1907 to 1908, and Featherweight Champion and winner of the Royal Navy and Marines Boxing Tournament Prize Medal in Gold for 1907, who during the Great War saw service off German East Africa in support of the operations ashore at Dar-es-Salaam during 1916.
George Kilham was born on 21 October 1883 in St. Giles, London, and having worked as a layer on in printing, then joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class (Chatham No.203363) with Boscawen from 19 February 1899, being rated as a Signals Boy 1st Class on 15 November 1899. Kilham was with the battleship Illustrious when he was rated as a Signaller on 21 October 1901 and as a 2nd Signaller on 21 May 1903, and he then went on to excel in boxing. Kilham was with the base ship at Malta, Egmont, when he was awarded the Mediterranean Fleet Boxing Association Prize Medal in Silver, he having been the Fleet Champion in the Featherweight Category during 1906. Having then returned home, he won the Royal Naval Barracks Boxing Championships 1907-08 Prize Medal in Silver when representing Chatham Barracks as the Featherweight Champion during 1907 to 1908, having also in 1907 been awarded the Royal Navy and Marines Boxing Tournament Prize Medal in Gold.
Advanced to Signalman on 1 October 1907, he was discharged ashore ‘time expired’ on 24 October 1913, and enrolled into the Royal Fleet Reserve with the Chatham Division (No.B.10188) on the following day. Kilham was therefore recalled with the outbreak of the Great War, and was sent aboard the battleship Illustrious, which as an old vessel, was employed as a guard ship with various ports in northern England. At Loch Ewe at the time of his joining her, she transferred to Lock Na Keal in October 1914, and the the Tyne in November 1914, followed by Grimsby on the Humber form December 1914 to November 1915 when she was converted to a disarmed guard ship. Kilham had been advanced to Leading Signalman aboard her on 23 July 1915 and was then posted to Vivid I from 27 November 1915.
Posted to the battleship Vengeance from 16 December 1915, he saw service with her in East African waters where she supported operations leading to the capture of Dar es Salaam during the campaign in German East Africa. Kilham was posted home to Pembroke I from 3 March 1917 and having joined the submarine depot ship Platypus from 27 March 1917, ended the war with this vessel. Posted to the cruiser Gibraltar in March 1919 he was released from service through Pembroke I on 13 June 1922 when he was pensioned. Kilham was never awarded the Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, despite it being mounted in with his group, and there is also no evidence to suggest he returned to service for the Second World War. He however did go on to become a member of the Corps of Commissionaires, and received the long service award of this body of former military servicemen.
2) Chief Stoker Ernst George Carr, Royal Navy, who was aboard the Royal Yacht “Victoria and Albert” during 1907 to 1909 and was with the submarine depot ship Maidstone when he received his Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in March 1913. He spent the war predominantly with submarine depot ships in home waters.
Ernest George Carr was born on 15 January 1880 in Haywards Heath, Sussex, and originally worked as a butcher before joining the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class (Portsmouth No.287659) with Victory II from 4 February 1898. Rated as a Stoker when with Fisgard on 166 February 1899, and to Stoker 1st Class whilst with Sapphire II on 1 July 1906, he was still with this establishment when advanced to Leading Stoker on 1 July 1907, but reverted to Stoker 1st Class on his appointment to the Royal Yacht “Victoria and Albert” from 3 October 1907, and then advanced back to Leading Stoker on leaving the yacht and being posted to Victory II from 11 June 1909.
Carr joined the submarine depot ship Arrogant from July 1911 and was promoted to Stoker Petty Officer on 11 August 1911, and then spent the remainder of his career with submarines, though it would appear to be that he found employment aboard the depot ships. He was with the depot ship Maidstone when he was awarded the Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 29 March 1913, and was with this vessel at Harwich when the war broke out in August 1914, and remained as such until posted to Victory II in September 1915. Joining the depot ship Lucia in July 1916, he was appointed to Acting Chief Stoker on 1 July 1918 and then confirmed in his promotion to Chief Stoker on 5 March 1919, being posted to Victory II and then demobilised on 5 March 1920. Additionally entitled to the 1914-1915 trio.
