Anthony Charles Kingston or “ Kingo" to his friends and fellow Masons, received an e-mail at 23.30 hours on Friday 16th June 2023 informing him of the Honour of the award of the British Empire Medal for services to Cricket and the Community.
W. Bro Tony Kingston BEM and his wife Judy
`Kingo` was awarded this nickname by the Northants and England cricketer Alan Lamb early during his time at the Northants County Cricket Club (NCCC) and it has stuck ever since. Tony`s involvement with NCCC began in the late 1970s when he helped to resurrect the County Colts side. Illness forced him to hang up his white coat in 1988, but at the behest of NCCC Coach Bob Carter, he began scoring for the Second XI and a couple of years later took over for the first team. He was the Northants first team scorer between 1990 and 2019, before eventually having to step back completely in 2022.
Tony was Initiated into Cytringan Lodge No 4048 in Kettering in 1986 and attained the Chair in 1999. He subsequently reached the Provincial rank of PPrGSuptWks and continues to be a subscribing member of the Lodge to the present day.
Kingo is a splendid singer and a longstanding member in his church choir at Boughton where, among other things, he has sung the solo of `Once In Royal David’s City` each Christmas since the age of 12, making that some 71 occasions, not out! In Lodge, his rendition of `The Visitors Song` seldom ended without a standing ovation by all present.
His career included five years with British Timken, National Service with the British Army and finally the remainder of his working life was with the East Midland Electricity Board. His reputation for attention to detail, numeracy and record keeping, went before him and early during his National Service he was promoted and appointed to Control, the Advance Planning and running of "Operation Hope Not”, which was code for the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill.
Ill health has limited Tony`s attendance in Lodge during the last two years, but he is planning to attend the Installation Meeting of the Master Elect of Cytringan Lodge on Monday 2nd October 2023 – How`s That!
On behalf of all the Provincial Grand Master and all the Brethren of the Province, we send our many congratulations on your well deserved award, together with our best wishes to you and Judy for the future.
To listen to a BBC interview with Tony, please click here