Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A rare Great War Palestine operations D.C.M. and Bar group of six awarded to Corporal W. B. Watson, Royal Scots Fusiliers, late Lanarkshire Yeomanry, in which latter corps he saw action on the Gallipoli peninsula

Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R., with Second Award Bar (295478 Pte. W. B. Watson, 12/R.S. Fus. - T.F.); 1914-15 Star (122 Pte. W. B. Watson, Lanark Yeo.); British War and Victory Medals (122 Cpl. W. B. Watson, Lanark Yeo.); Territorial Force Efficiency Medal, G.V.R. (295478 Cpl. W. B. Watson, 12/R. Sc. Fus.); Belgium, Croix de Guerre, with bronze palm, together with an old set of uniform ribands, contact marks and somewhat polished, nearly very fine or better (6) £2500-3000

D.C.M. London Gazette 18 February 1918:

‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in charge of stretcher bearers. He repeatedly went out into the open to attend to casualties under heavy machine-gun fire. He showed great courage and self-sacrifice.’

Bar to D.C.M. London Gazette 11 April 1918:

‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion. When in charge of the Battalion stretcher bearers, he worked incessantly under extremely heavy fire, and it was due to his energy and great devotion to duty that many of the wounded men were collected and safely evacuated. He displayed conspicuous gallantry, coolness and courage.’

Belgian Croix de Guerre London Gazette 4 September 1918.

William B. Watson, a native of Lesmahagow in south Lanarkshire, enlisted in the 1/1 Lanarkshire Yeomanry shortly after the outbreak of hostilities, and in that capacity was landed in Gallipoli on 11 October 1915. Evacuated form the peninsula in January 1916, his unit went on to serve in the Egyptian Expeditionary Force and, in January 1917, was amalgamated with the Ayrshire Yeomanry to form the 12th (Ayr & Lanark) Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers.

And it was for his subsequent gallantry in charge of the Battalion’s stretcher bearers during the Palestine operations in 1917 that he was awarded his D.C.M. and Bar. As part of 229th Brigade, 74th (Yeomanry) Division, the 12th saw action in the 2nd and 3rd battles of Gaza, including the capture of Beersheba and Sharia. Later still, after participating in the capture and defence of Jerusalem, and the battle of Tell Asur, the Battalion was embarked for France in May 1918.

The announcement for Watson’s second D.C.M. appeared as a first award in the London Gazette on 11 April 1918, an error that was duly corrected in a later statement on 26 June.

Demobilised in January 1919, he was awarded his T.F.E.M in AO 178 on 1 May of the same year; sold with a file of research.