A 9ct. gold Southern League Divison II Championship medal, 1898-99, inscribed THAMES IRON WORKS FEDE...
A 9ct. gold Southern League Divison II Championship medal, 1898-99, inscribed THAMES IRON WORKS FEDERATED CLUBS, 1898-9, SOUTHERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION II, S.P.C., the rim further inscribed S.P. CHISHOLM Thames Ironworks FC was formed by employees of this shipbuilding yard in 1895. Short of funds, the club was wound up in June 1900 and relaunched a month later as West Ham United. Connection with the ironworks was not formally broken until four years later. The present item must surely be one of the earliest West Ham medals in existence. Having won the London League in season 1897-98, Thames Ironworks were promoted to the second division of the far more competitive Southern League. They won the title at the first attempt, providing the club with the first serious honour in their history. West Ham eventually joined the Football League in 1919-20. S Chisholm played 15 of the 22 matches in the Championship season, scoring one goal. He mostly played at right-half but sometimes appeared on the left or in the centre.