1914 Boxing Tournament Silk Programme 2nd Life Guards 16 March Regents Park Barr

Description : Up for sale is an incredibly rare, authentic antique military sports souvenir program printed on genuine silk cloth for the 2nd Life Guards Boxing Tournament. This historic event took place on Monday, March 16th, 1914, at the Regent’s Park Barracks in London, just a few months prior to the outbreak of the First World War.

Item Specifications:
Regiment: 2nd Life Guards
Commanding Officer: Lieutenant-Colonel A. P. H. Ferguson
Event Type: Boxing Tournament and Assault-at-Arms
Location: Regent’s Park Barracks, London
Event Date: Monday, March 16, 1914
Material: Printed on genuine silk fabric with frayed edges
Producer: Produced by the Proprietors of Boxing magazine

Condition Details:
Material Condition: Authentic antique silk program with natural age toning and light vintage foxing spots typical for a delicate textile item over a century old.
Edges: Original decorative frayed fringe borders remain beautifully intact on both the left and right edges.
Text: The dark letterpress printing remains bold, perfectly legible, and sharp across both the left and right interior pages.
State: Free of major tears or structural shredding. A beautifully preserved example.

Fight Card and Event Highlights:
The inner text details all 14 programmed events of the night. This includes Juvenile Boxing, an Indian Club Solo, a Swedish Drill, and specific Three-Round Contests featuring boxers from the London Rifle Brigade Boxing Club, the Herts Yeomanry, the City of London Yeomanry, and the 2nd Life Guards. It features an exhibition match between Amateur Middleweight Champion W. Bradley and Ex-Middleweight Champion Jim Sullivan. It also features a traditional Sword and Foil Display demonstrating foil combat and historical precision cutting techniques on bars of lead, broomsticks, and apples. A prominent central note confirms the arrival of His Majesty the King for the second half of the program.

Fight History and Significance:
This silk program is a magnificent, highly collectible piece of British military and sports history from the late Edwardian era. The event was a prestigious exhibition held by the elite 2nd Life Guards household cavalry regiment under the command of Lieut.-Col. Ferguson. Notably, this historic tournament was a high-profile royal affair, with the second half of the evening’s events attended directly by King George V in his capacity as the Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment. Because these programs were printed on expensive silk instead of standard paper, they were strictly reserved as luxury keepsakes for high-ranking military officers, aristocrats, and special VIP guests. It stands as a stunning pre-WWI historical artifact.