Hello,
The chap I am currently researching, William Kemp RNVR, who was lost on the SS Marmion in August 1917, was awarded 3 lots of Prize Money [after his death]
The awards were made on the 31 Dec. 1921, 30 Sept 1922 and lastly a 'supplementary prize share' on the 2 Dec 1926. The awards were, in order, £5, £7-10s and £1
William served on the HMS Dreadnought 2nd Sept 1915 to 28 Aug 1916. He was then on HMS Excellent until 26 Nov 1916, I think he was on a gunnery course. He was serving with DAM's from the 18th April 1917 until his death in August 1917, but was with President III from 27th Nov 1916 so may have been serving on DAM's prior to April 1917.
Is it possible to find out what the prize share was for? I understand they are listed in the Navy List.
Thanks for taking the time to read this,
Many thanks,
Stewart

PRESIDENT III was the accounting base for men drafted to DAMS so their record will appear as PRESIDENT III whether they were at sea, at a DAMS base between cruises or undergoing DAMS courses. It is difficult to break down their service.

Have you searched the forum for threads on the Prize Fund or prize money? There have been several. Here's one to get you started:
http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...p;hl=prize+fund

Hello,
Yes, I have been trawling the forum for answers, can't seem to find an exact one as to how to ID the ship/vessel the money was awarded for. I am going to have a crack at the LG site and see if I can turn anything up there.
Many thanks for the link,
Stewart

In WW1 Prize Money was not paid for individual ships. The total value of prizes taken during the war was distributed throughout the Navy after 1918. (I think that the share of an Able Seaman was about twenty-five pounds).

Head Money or "Bounty", calculated on the number of the crew of an enemy warship was, however, paid directly to the ship's companies responsible for the sinkings.

Many thanks for putting me straight on that, the way I read it, I thought each ship was awarded money for each vessel they captured or sunk etc.
Many thanks once again.
Stewart

That was how it was calculated in the Napoleonic Wars, but as discussed in previous threads by WWI it was more of a communal pot.

My understanding is that the calculations were based on the prizes allocated to individual ships as determined by the Prize Court but paid later, in one or more lump sums. Once the Prize Court passed an order for condemnation and sale of the captured ships, they were sold commercially, including the cargo usually, and the proceeds were put into the Naval Prize Fund (the communal pot mentioned by per ardua).

Cases for Prize Bounty were also heard by the Prize Court. One case in The Times in June 1916, on behalf of the officers and ship's companies of HMS Dwarf and HM submarines E 16 and E 4, claimed prize bounty for the destruction of the German armed steamship Nachtigal, torpedo-boat destroyer V 188 and patrol boat Senator van Berenberg Gossley. The bounty was calculated at £5 per head. From ionia's reply, however, these payments were made to ships' companies rather than into the Naval Prize Fund.

On Aug 1917, an announcement appeared in The Times (and London Gazette) that preparations were being made "for the intended distribution of the prize bounty awarded for the battle of Heliogoland Bight on August 28, 1914, the following ships being entitled to share in the award" (it lists the ships and submarines).

After the war, the money that had accumulated in the Prize Fund was distributed and, from my understanding, payments were based on (1) the individual's service (what ships they served on and for what periods) and (2) their rank/s at the time of service on those ships. Naval Prize distribution regulations were updated/published early in 1919, outlining what share of the Prize Fund each of the different ranks were due, e.g. Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet, 1000 shares, right down to the bottom of the ladder, the 13th class, supernumeraries and canteen staff, who got just 2 shares. I imagine that the men of the 12th class, which comprised "Ordinary Seaman, Boy, Private, Gunner, and Bugler of Marines, and equivalent Ranks and Ratings, Native Seamen and Stokers", might have had something to say at the time at receiving just one more share than this.

If anyone wants the distribution regulations in full, as published in The Gazette, and the full list of ranks and shares, I can send it.

regards,
Martin

It was my understanding that the old prize rules were officially abolished by the Admiralty in the first months of World War I (August or September 1914). Apparently, they later chose to distribute prize money using a more communal pot system.

Regards,

Bucephalus

For general interest, I'll post the Distribution Regulations for the Naval Prize Fund, published early 1919.

Clause 5 clarifies how they handled duration of service at sea:

"5. Participation at the full rate shall be allowed to each individual
officer and man who has performed service at sea as above defined
for a period of not less than 30 months, between August 4, 1914,
and November 11, 1918, or such later date as may be fixed by the
Admiralty, to cover the cases of officers and men taking part in
subsequent hostilities at es [sic]. For lesser periods the rate shall be
proportionate to the number of months so served, one month to be
the minimum period of service at sea to qualify for participation,
and final broken periods of 15 days or more to count as one month,
but no one who shall be qualified to participate in the distribution
shall be allotted a less amount than £1."

Additionally there were special provisions for those killed, invalided, made prisoner of war, etc. to receive the maximum rate for their particular rank, irrespective of actual time served at sea.

Looks like the individual ships served on weren't part of the equation.

Attached are the two parts of the article, the regulations and the list of defined classes and corresponding shares.

regards,
Martin