Great War North Sea Monitor Operations and Dover Patrol and long service group awarded to Stoker 1st Class G.W. Watson, Royal Navy. Watson, a silver smith from London, spent the war aboard the monitor General Wolfe during which period as part of the Dover Patrol, she bombarded the Belgium Coast, and operated in support of the Somme Offensive. He received his long service medal in July 1930.
Group of 4: 1914-1915 Star; (K.27185. G.W. WATSON. STO.2. R.N.); British War Medal and Victory Medal; (K.27185. G.W. WATSON. STO.1. R.N.); Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, GVR Adm. bust; (K.27185. G.W. WATSON. STO.1. H.M.S. PEMBROKE), mounted swing style as worn.
Condition: light contact wear and polishing, overall Very Fine.
George William Watson was born on 20 December 1890 in St. Lukes, London, and having worked as a silver smith, then owing to the Great War, he joined the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class (Chatham No.K.27185) with Pembroke II from 22 June 1915. Posted aboard the monitor General Wolfe from 27 October 1915, he then spent the war aboard her bombarding the Belgium coast, where amongst other things she supported the Somme Offensive and operated as part of the Dover Patrol. With the end of the war Watson who had been advanced to Stoker 1st Class on 21 August 1916, then found himself posted back to Pembroke II from 20 November 1918.
Opting to remain in the service, he spent the 1920’s aboard various destroyers and battleships, and was awarded the Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 16 July 1930. He was pensioned ashore in June 1937. Watson was recalled on the outbreak of the Second World War being posted to Pembroke II on 25 September 1939, however on his being deemed medically unfit, he was discharged from service on the same day.
