British War Medal and Victory Medal Pair
Private Arthur Edwin Kingsford, Royal Marine Light Infantry (Silver War Badge Recipient)
Arthur Edwin was born on the 31st of May, 1895 in Medway, Kent. He enlisted on the 25th of January 1910 as a Bugler in the RMLI Chatham Division (service number Ch.16366). He briefly served on HMS Cyclops (F31) (which was later a repair ship in the Grand Fleet during the Great War and a submarine depot ship in the Second World War) from the 13th of September to the 30th of October 1912 before returning to Chatham. He was then promoted to Private on the 6th of December 1912. He then served in Chatham Division Depot from the 11th of December, 1912, to the 20th of April, 1913, before returning to usual duties. He then served on the HMS Queen, a London class of pre-dreadnought battleship serving in the Second Home Fleet, from the 15th of July 1913 to the 4th of August 1913, before returning to Chatham.
Served on HMS Shannon, a Minotaur-class armoured cruiser which served as the flagship of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron, from the 10th of January 1914. During his service, the cruiser was unsuccessfully bombed by a German aircraft on the 26th of November 1914 and was refitted. It set sail again in January 1915, and he remained on board until the 25th of June 1915, when he returned to Chatham.
He then served on HMS Duncan, a Duncan-class Royal Navy pre-dreadnought battleship attached to the 9th Cruiser Squadron on the Finisterre-Azores-Madeira Station, from the 16th of July, 1915. The battleship was transferred to the 2nd Detached Squadron in the Adriatic Sea, reinforcing the Italian Navy against the Austro-Hungarian Navy after they joined the war. It blockaded the Southern Adriatic Sea until June 1916, when HMS Duncan transferred to the 3rd Detached Squadron in the Aegean Sea, based at Salonika. Starting in December 1916, she participated in operations against the Greek royalists, beginning with the landing of Royal Marines at Athens on the 1st of December, 1916, to coerce King Constantine I of Greece to abdicate. She returned to the Adriatic Squadron in January 1917, and in February, Duncan returned to the United Kingdom to provide crews for anti-submarine vessels. She was in reserve at Sheerness until April, when she returned to Chatham and Arthur transferred to the Plymouth Division.
He then served in the Victory Royal Marine Brigade, the pay and administration section of HMS Victory V or VI, from the 18th of May 1917, noted as hospitalised on the 9th of February 1918 at No. 3 Casualty Clearing Station, Poperinghe, Belgium, while serving with the 1st Battalion, RMLI, and returned to Plymouth Division on the 29th of June, 1919. He was awarded the SWB (number 43346) on the 18th of October 1919 and noted as “invalided” on the 5th November 1919.
He returned to Chatham Division on the 15th of July 1922 and enrolled in the Royal Fleet Reserve until the 9th of June 1925 due to medical unfitness.
He died in 1974, at age 79
Correctly impressed: PLY.19443 PTE. A. E. KINGSFORD. R.M.L.I.
Condition: Very good, however, the suspender has been repaired
