Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Society for the Protection of Life from Fire, 5th type, silver (James Kemp, Bartholomew Close, E.C.7, 7 July 1917) nearly extremely fine £250-300

Ex Sotheby’s 24.3.1995.

The Society for the Protection from Fire 1918 annual report states: Case 15,707, James Kemp, a Police Sergeant was awarded £5 5s and a Silver Medal for rescuing Jennie Park, aged 21 years from a fire at Bartholomew Close following a German air raid on 7th July 1917.

During the morning of 7th July 1917 a fleet of twenty to thirty Gotha bombers crossed the coast at Margate and flew towards London. With the first bomb dropping at 10.36 a.m., the raid was described as ‘awe-inspiring’ and ‘magnificent though terrifying’. British defences on this occasion were largely ineffective, with anti-aircraft batteries failing to make any impression and fighters only making contact as the Gotha’s turned for home. The planes dropped 66 incendiary and 41 high explosive bombs, mainly on the City of London and adjoining boroughs to the north and east. In the City, bombs fell in St. Bartholomew’s Court, Golden Lane, Finsbury, Bread Street, Cox’s Court, Little Britain, Aldersgate Street, Cheapside, Whitecross and Fenchurch Streets. 58 people were killed, 193 injured and 903 buildings were damaged. The loss would have been greater but a number of bombs failed to explode. In the raid the German’s admitted to the loss of one plane, the British claimed four.

Sold with copied Society Report extract, copied page from The Belfast News-Letter, 9th July 1917 - containing several reports of the air raid and other copied details.