In Memory of Serjeant CHARLES ALLUM 47933, 13th Bn., Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers who died age 41 on 21 July 1918 Son of Mrs. Rose Ellen Allum, of 296, Lancaster Rd., North Kensington, London; husband of the late Millicent Maud Allum, of 189, Lancaster Rd., North Kensington, London. Remembered with honour PLOEGSTEERT MEMORIAL Charlie Allum 1876-1918 Champion of England from fight record compiled by the boxing historian Harold Alderman for the Allum family 1876 Charlie/Charley Allum was born in Notting Hill. 1896 Joined the Rugby Club boxing section and won the Rugby amateur boxing club ‘old guards’ challenge cup at catchweight (any weight). 1898 Beat CW Humphries, CJ Clarke and Albert Brewer. In the latter Polytechnic boxing club fight at the Turnhalle in Kings Cross, according to The Mirror of Life he ‘shaped like a professional, which Brewer accused him of being.’ 1899 In another Mirror report, he boxed at the opening show of the season Kensington boys clubs competition at the Drill Hall, Wood Lane, Shepherd’s Bush. Then he joined the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers after the outbreak of the Boer War. 1900 The Mirror of Life had ‘Charlie Allum, captain of Kensington amateur boxing club, who boxes like a disguised professional, now left for South Africa with his regiment, the Royal Fusiliers, is one of the best amateurs of his weight 10 stone (140 pounds).’ In May it was reported that he was at the front and ‘had served with Captain Buller all through the siege of Ladysmith (November 2 1899-February 28 1900) 1901 The following year the Mirror reported Charlie Allum back at the front in South Africa. In the Boer War British forces were besieged at Ladysmith, Kimberley and Mafeking by the Boer army of the Transvaal republic-Orange free state alliance. After the arrival of reinforcements under Roberts and Kitchener, Mafeking was relieved, the Transvaal invaded and Pretoria occupied in 1900. 1902 After the Boer War, Charlie Allum beat R Batchelor at the Kensington boxing club HQ Drill Hall on Wood Lane and announced he was turning professional. 1903 In his first professional bout Charlie defeated Ted Francis at the Covent Garden National Sporting Club, then Jack Andrews, Fred Blackwell and Fred Robbins, but was knocked out by Bill Curzon. He also fought an exhibition bout with the cricketing boxer JWHT Douglas, ironically known as ‘Johnny Won’t Hit Today’ by cricket fans, who won the Olympic gold at middleweight in the 1908 White City Olympics. Hard Knock Life The Mirror of Life February 3 1904: ‘The principal battle of the evening was a 12 round contest between Charlie Allum and Charlie Knock, who met at catchweight for a purse and stakes amounting to £275, the winner also receiving a silver cup. Both men went to the scale near 11 stone, and there had been considerable rivalry for some time betwixt the two as to which was the better man... The struggle was undoubtedly one of the very best seen in the building for a long while past... Charlie Knock (Stratford) beat Charlie Allum (Notting Hill) – the seconds were... for Allum, George Smith, Ned Kiley, Bill Natty and Jack Farley. Allum was slightly the heavier of the two, but otherwise they were well matched... The Notting Hill lad opened the second by landing a stiff left to Knock’s jaw... In the ninth the Notting Hill man again led, but now Knock gave back as much as he received...’ The Mirror of Life August 16 1905: ‘Charles Allum first saw the light at Notting Hill (W11?) on April 23 1876, and has been boxing about 10 years in all, but first came under notice when he won the Rugby Old Guard Challenge Cup some nine years ago; he finished the year by winning several other competitions, and is a member of the Kensington boxing club; won several important competitions including the 10 stone Belsize and 10 stone German Gymnasium in 1898, he also beat J Bull of the Anchor boxing club in 6 rounds, and R Batchelor in one and a half rounds, but lost in two finals, Polytechnic and German Gymnasium middleweight. ‘Served three years in South Africa while the Boer War was on, and took part in nearly all the most important engagements, including the relief of Ladysmith and the capture of Pretoria. Allum has two medals and seven bars for his service in South Africa with the 2nd Royal Fusiliers. On arriving home he joined the professional ranks, and has beaten such men as Ted Francis of Norwich in one and a half rounds at the NSC, he then boxed a 6 round draw with Harry Sherring. And again at the NSC beat Jack Andrews in 2 rounds, Fred Blackwell in one and a half rounds and 2 rounds, Fred Robins 3 rounds, but lost on points to Curzon. ‘He boxed a 6 round draw with Dick Jordan of Woolwich, the heavyweight, but beat him in another 6 rounds at Wonderland. He next stopped Bill Dooley in 3 rounds at Wonderland, and then met Charlie Knock of Stratford in a 6 round go, but Knock got the decision. Allum’s people were not satisfied and matched him against Charlie Knock for the 10 stone 4 pounds championship, which Allum won in 9 rounds after a severe tussle; but he again met Knock in a 12 round go at catchweight and lost on points. He next met Young Peter Jackson, the welterweight champion of the world, but lost in 6 rounds. Was then matched with Jack Kingsland for the middleweight championship at the NSC, on Monday February 17 1905, and he gained the decision in 10 rounds. His last encounter was a 15 round contest with Harry Smith of Birmingham at the Liverpool Gymnasium, Charley winning in 5 rounds.’ He also fought an exhibition bout with Charlie Wilson of Notting Hill at the Harrow Road Drill Hall, and was subsequently challenged by Wilson several times. 1906 Sporting Life reported Charlie running a boxing school in Stockholm and boxing in France where he had a dubious claim to the French title. Later in the year he was knocked out in the 5th by Frank Craig, a former world title claimant known as ‘the Harlem coffee cooler’, at the Wonderland on Whitechapel Road. 1907 Charlie challenged Sam Langford, ‘the negro landlord considered as one of the greatest fighters of all time.’ 1908 Sporting Life had ‘Charlie Allum, who’s been on the retired list with an injured hand, is to have a benefit on Monday 1st at the Blechynden Hall, Notting Hill.’ (Kensington Baths?) Unfortunately Harold Alderman found no further mention of this local benefit show. Sporting Life listed him as the 10-10 150 pounds English champion. 1909 Charlie defeated Joe Smith at the Shepherd’s Bush Lime Grove Baths, drew a bout with Jack Kingsland of Paddington, and had exhibition bouts with his brother Bert Allum at the Rugby Club Victoria Works and G Fiddler at the Rugby Club boxing club HQ Clay Hall. The picture of Charlie appeared in the Mirror of Life, captioned: ‘Charlie Allum The popular Notting Hill boxer who is down to meet Ted Nelson of Australia at the NSC on Monday night.’ He controversially lost this fight. 1910 Charlie defeated Frank Inglis at Hammersmith Palace (Palais) but lost to Arthur Harman at Wonderland. 1911 In the last Charlie Allum bout traced, aged 35, he put down the Frenchman Karl Wonders in the 5th at the Whitechapel Wonderland. 1915 According to his medal index card, Sergeant Charles Allum went to France with the Royal Fusiliers. 1918 July 21 Charlie was killed in action in France and awarded the military medal for bravery posthumously. He has no known grave but his name is on the World War 1 memorial in the cemetery at Ploegsteert in Belgium (known as ‘Plug Street’, near the trench turning nicknamed Hyde Park Corner). Charlie Allum was a local hero period, not only sporting. http://www.historytalk.org/Notting Hill Sport/sport3web boxing.pdf
