Orders, Decorations and Medals

A great War M.M. and Bar group of four awarded to Petty Officer James Watson, Hood Battalion, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve

Military Medal, G.V.R., with Second award Bar (CZ-2323 A.B. J. Watson, Hood Bn: R.N.V.R.); 1914-15 Star (C.Z-2323 J. Watson, A.B. R.N.V.R.); British War and Victory Medals (C.Z. 2323 J. Watson, P.O. R.N.V.R.) nearly extremely fine (4) £2500-3000

M.M. London Gazette 23 February 1918.

Bar to M.M. London Gazette 14 May 1919.

James Watson was born in Glasgow on 26 April 1893, and joined the Royal Naval Division on 16 November 1914, posted to Howe Battalion the following month. He took part in the Gallipoli landings in April 1915 as a member of Collingwood Battalion, but was transferred to Hood Battalion on 8 June 1915, due to Collingwood’s high losses. By the beginning of September 1915 he was dangerously ill with dysentery and was subsequently invalided to England on board the hospital ship Glengorm Castle. He rejoined Hood Battalion in France on 2 May 1917, having qualified 1st Classs in Signalling at Blandford Camp the previous February. He received a gun shot wound in his right thigh on 18 May and returned to the Battalion on 12 July, being promoted to Petty Officer on 12 September 1918. According to his record card he was awarded the M.M. on 24 November 1917, and the Bar on 25 October 1918, although these dates do not necessarily refer to the actions themselves. He was demobilised at Paisley on 27 March 1919.

The group is accompanied by two photographs of the recipient taken in October 1914; an interesting album of 89 captioned photographs; and a rare paperback book Rymes of the R.N.D., Methuen & Co. Ltd, 1917. The photographs follow his progress out to Gallipoli, beginning with embarkation at Avonmouth on board H.M.T. Franconia, passing though Malta, the Suez Canal, Port Said and Cairo, to Skyros, where practise landings took place, and thence to Gallipoli via Imbros. The majority of the images are taken on or around the Gallipoli Peninsula and include shots of ships bombarding Cape Helles; H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth firing over the peninsular at Chanak; H.M.S. Hector observation balloon ship; shipping at Anzac April 27th; ‘W’ Beach and Cape Hells; Achi Baba; beach bathing; Gully Ravine; Aberdeen Gully; ‘V’ Beach and the S.S. River Clyde, and a view of Seddel Bahr castle and village taken from the River Clyde; the sea plane carrier Ark Royal and others of sea planes.