"The Bell Medal" - Know Anything About It?

[Alanrus 0]

I too found a Bell Medal in a box of old family objects. It looks as though it has been struck from different dies from the two examples above.  I’m guessing it’s late 30s as it comes with other SMRC medals dated 1936-1940, including the Anglo-American Pershing Trophy Match Fund Competition Medal. I think they were won by my grandfather Robert Russell, who lived in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. 

[Emma 0]

My Grandad won The Bell Medal some time in the 30s.  My Mum has just loaned me a collection of his medals which I plan to research as she doesn't know much about them other than he shot at Bisley.  They are all dated between 1930 and 1938.  His name was James Selmes possibly of Kent, East Sussex or Hampshire.

[S. Muphy 0]

My grandfather won the Bell Trophy shooting for the English team in the international match at Bisley in 1901. He had the highest possible score, 30 dead centre bulls..his name was  ( major) Philip Spencer Robinson.

[Brian Woodall 0]

On 6/15/2020 at 5:14 PM, Alanrus said:

I too found a Bell Medal in a box of old family objects. It looks as though it has been struck from different dies from the two examples above.  I’m guessing it’s late 30s as it comes with other SMRC medals dated 1936-1940, including the Anglo-American Pershing Trophy Match Fund Competition Medal. I think they were won by my grandfather Robert Russell, who lived in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. 

I'm happy to be able to confirm that R Russell of Kirkcaldy Rifle Club is known to have been the winner of the Bell Medal in 1935. It is recorded in the August 1935 edition of The Rifleman, the journal of the SMRC.  The Pershing Trophy medal is probably bronze and was an award in a fund-raising competition to help send a British team to the USA in 1940.  One was given to every entrant who scored at least 185 ex 200 in the preliminary stage and 3,796 competitors won them.  The 1940 trip never took place, but instead the Americans contacted the SMRC in early 1939 to say they would come to the UK for a match - a good tactic which resulted in them winning for the first time.  Since the war the match has always been held in the USA (about once every eight years) and the USA has not lost a match since.  If you care to send me a scan of the other SMRC medals you have, I'll be happy to let you know more about them.  Scans to bwoodall.nsra@gmail.com.

[Brian Woodall 0]

On 7/16/2020 at 7:49 PM, Emma said:

My Grandad won The Bell Medal some time in the 30s.  My Mum has just loaned me a collection of his medals which I plan to research as she doesn't know much about them other than he shot at Bisley.  They are all dated between 1930 and 1938.  His name was James Selmes possibly of Kent, East Sussex or Hampshire.

Unfortunately James Selmes is not amongst the names of recorded winners of the Bell Medal. There were about 55,000 medals issued between 1909 and 1939, but we only know the names of about 16,000 winners, i.e. about 30%. If I can aid your research about the other medals, please drop me a scan of them - to bwoodall.nsra@gmail.com.

[Roger Hill 0]

      Found the medal which belonged to my great uncle,don’t know

       anything thing about the date,I am 81,his name was Albert E Tucker

      and lived in Wellington Somerset,as you say you may not have a

      listing for him.

        

[Brian Woodall 0]

4 hours ago, Roger Hill said:

      Found the medal which belonged to my great uncle,don’t know

       anything thing about the date,I am 81,his name was Albert E Tucker

      and lived in Wellington Somerset,as you say you may not have a

      listing for him.

        

I'm afraid that there is no A E Tucker on the list, but there is one M A E Tucker who won the Bell Medal in 1934.  He was shooting with the Great Western Railway Rifle Club, based at Swindon.  This is quite some way from Wellington, which is close to Taunton (also on GWR), but if he was a railway employee he might well have qualified for free or subsidised travel on GWR, particularly if taking part in sporting activities in the name of the railway.

There are a couple of other Tucker's who won Bell Medals with Somerset clubs, but the initials don't match. Might the medal have been won by another member of the Tucker family perhaps? These two medals went to J Tucker of Porlock Valley in 1913 and to E Tucker of Sexey's School Cadet Corps, Bruton in 1926.

[Brian Woodall 0]

On 9/17/2020 at 11:01 PM, S. Muphy said:

My grandfather won the Bell Trophy shooting for the English team in the international match at Bisley in 1901. He had the highest possible score, 30 dead centre bulls..his name was  ( major) Philip Spencer Robinson.

I have no information about this trophy, match and shooter, but the details and dates mentioned in your post clearly show it has nothing to do with the Chas Bell Trophy and this Bell Medal. 

[gazamataz 0]

Hi Brian ,

his is my Medal,  I am wondering if you have  anyone on your list from Whitstable surname Wyver or Mount who may have won it.

 

Thanks

 

,   

[Brian Woodall 0]

16 hours ago, gazamataz said:

Hi Brian ,

his is my Medal,  I am wondering if you have  anyone on your list from Whitstable surname Wyver or Mount who may have won it.

 

Thanks

 

,   

Dear gazamataz

I'm sorry that neither Wyver nor Mount came up on the list. There was a Whitstable & District Rifle Club which had registered four of its members as winning the Bell Medal.  They were:

1927   A H Smart

1928   B W Harris

1929   H R Norman

1930   G Ford.

There was another reference in the list to one of the above winning a Bell Medal. This came from a report about the club in early 1929. Unfortunately I do not have access to a copy of this report, and with the lockdown in place I have no idea at the moment when I may next be able to get to Bisley to check it out. It may be fruitful as the report may be about the club's prize-giving or annual general meeting, and may therefore make reference to a number of other club members. I will look it out and get back to you when I can.

In the meantime, unfortunately your picture/s of the medal did not come out in your post. If you care to email them to me at bwoodall.nsra@gmail.com, I may at least be able to get an idea of approximately when it was issued, which could tell us if the late 1920s/early 1930s could be the right timeframe to find the names you mentioned.