Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria to coincide with the OMRS Convention

Pair: Petty Officer T. Watson, Royal Navy

East and West Africa 1887-1900, 1 clasp, Witu 1890 (A.B., H.M.S. Redbreast); Royal Navy L.S.& G.C., V.R., narrow suspension (P.O. 2nd Cl., H.M.S. Vivid), impressed naming, second with some pitting, very fine and better (2) £200-220

Ex Douglas-Morris Collection, part II, 12.2.1997.

Thomas Watson was born on 1 June 1864 in Queenstown, County Cork, Ireland. He joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class aboard H.M.S. Revenge on 6 May 1880 and transferred to Impregnable on 21 May 1880 and to Implacable on 30 May 1880. Advanced to Boy 1st Class on 1 June 1880, he served in the following ships: Lion (July 1881), Impregnable (November 1881), and Euryalus (January 1882). He was advanced to Ordinary Seaman on 1 June 1882 and next joined Dryad (October 1882) where he was advanced to Able Seaman on 1 June 1883. He served in this rank in the following ships: Royal Adelaide (February 1884), Cambridge (October 1885), Audacious (November 1885), Cambridge (January 1889), Defiance (October 1889), Cambridge (December 1889), and Redbreast (February 1890). He landed from this ship in October 1890 for the Expedition to punish Sultan Fumo Bakari following the brutal murder of a number of German workers. Whilst in Redbreast he was advanced to Leading Seaman on 18 July 1891 and to Petty Officer 2nd Class on 1 October 1891. He served in this rank in Vivid (April 1892), Triumph (June 1892) and Warspite (August 1893). On 18 November 1894 he was promoted to Acting Bosun (Warrant Officer) and joined Crescent (March 1895), Collingwood (November 1897), and Ramilles (January 1900). He was invalided ashore from Ramilles on 14 May 1903, and admitted to Plymouth Hospital on 3 June 1903, suffering from pleurisy. Readmitted to Haulbowline Hospital in November 1903 and was pensioned ashore on 12 December 1903. He died on 21 January 1908. Although he received only a ‘fair’ character rating in 1884 when serving aboard Royal Adelaide, he was still awarded his L.S. & G.C. Medal in 1892 whilst serving aboard HMS Vivid I.