Eight: Captain C. C. Watson, Mercantile Marine, who was twice wrecked prior to the Great...

Eight: Captain C. C. Watson, Mercantile Marine, who was twice wrecked prior to the Great War, and served during the War in the troopship S.S. Beltana, conveying troops, stores, and munitions from Australia to the the U.K. British War and Mercantile Marine War Medals (Colin C. Watson) with flattened named card boxes of issue, in outer OHMS transmission envelope, addressed to ‘Mr. C. C.Watson, 4 Salisbur Road, Dover’; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star, 1 clasp, North Africa 1942-43; Pacific Star; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45, generally good very fine (8) £70-£90 --- Colin Campbell Watson was born in Dover in 1890 and joined the Mercantile Marine as a Deck Officer Apprentice on 20 October 1905. Whilst serving aboard the Barque Glencairn he survived being wrecked off the Patagonian Coast on 23 July 1907; the following year, whilst serving aboard the Barque Fifeshire he again survived being wrecked when she hit and grounded on an uncharted submerged reef near Tabitewa, Gilbert Islands, on 20 October 1908; on this latter occasion the crew were obliged to row to Tabitewa Island in two lifeboats, were they were kindly treated by the natives. Qualifying as First Mate on 26 July 1912, Watson served with the Mercantile Marine during the Great War in the S.S. Beltana from the outbreak of War until 27 August 1917, the ship being employed as a troopship from Australia to the U.K. Qualifying as a Master Mariner on 1 December 1917, he saw further service during the Second World War. He died in Dover on 31 March 1951. Sold with copied research.