Exceptional Naval and Polar Awards from the Collection of RC Witte 1014
(Part Lot)
An exceptional campaign service group of nine awarded to Chief Petty Officer E. H. Watkins, Royal Navy, whose action-packed career included his ship being mined in the Baltic in 1919 and service off Somaliland in 1920: so, too, extended service in the destroyer H.M.S. Electra from her rescue of survivors from the S.S. Athenia in September 1939 up until her own demise in the Java Sea in February 1942 - the interim witnessing her part in the Battle of Narvik, the Bismarck action (when she picked up the Hood’s three survivors), the first Arctic convoy of the War, and the battle of Kuantan in December 1941, when she rescued some 570 souls from the Repulse: Watkins was mentioned in despatches and became a P.O.W.
BRITISHWAR AND VICTORY MEDALS (J. 50389 E. H. Watkins, A.B., R.N.); AFRICA GENERAL SERVICE 1902-56, 1 clasp, Somaliland 1920 (J. 50389 E. H. Watkins, A.B., H.M.S. Clio); 1939-45 STAR; ATLANTIC STAR; PACIFIC STAR, clasp, Burma; DEFENCE ANDWAR MEDALS 1939-45, M.I.D. oak leaf; ROYAL NAVY L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., coinage bust (J. 50389 E. H. Watkins, L.S., H.M.S. Sussex), the 1939-45 War awards in their named card forwarding box, together with his Bosun’s whistle, a presentation silver watch fob, named and dated 1923, Lord Beresford Masonic Lodge award, silver and enamel, named and dated 1947, and a fine quality rolled-gold presentation cigarette case, the lid inscribed, ‘Presented by Donaldson Atlantic Line Ltd., Owners T.S.S. “Athenia”, Sunk by German Submarine, 3rd September 1939’, the first three with contact marks and polished, thus fine, the remainder very fine and better (Lot)
£800-1000
Ernest Hector Watkins, who was born in Fulham, London, in August 1900, entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in February 1916 and witnessed active service in the armed merchant cruiser Orvieto from February 1918 until the end of the War; so, too, out in the Baltic in April-September 1919, in which latter month his ship, the destroyer Verulum, was mined and sunk off Seskaer Island in the Gulf of Finland - about half of her complement died, Watkins and the survivors being picked up by the Walpole.
Next employed as an Able Seaman in the Clio, he served off Somaliland in 1920, to which Medal & clasp he added his L.S. & G.C. in November 1933, and, by September 1939, he was serving as a Petty Officer in the destroyer Electra, under Commander S. A. “Sammy” Buss, R.N.
And few had a quicker introduction to the future intent of Hitler’s U-boat packs, Electra being early on the scene of the S.S. Athenia’s demise west of Donegal on the first day of hostilities - of her 1100 passengers, at least 300 of them U.S. citizens, 93 were lost - 69 of these women and 16 of them children.
In the following year, Electra was present in operations off Norway, including the battle of Narvik, and she would go on to serve as an escort in the first ever Arctic convoy, but meanwhile command devolved to Commander C. W. May, R.N. And, as it transpired, Electra was to become involved in further significant events and rescues - not least the Bismarck action of May 1941, when she picked-up the Hood’s survivors and escorted the damaged Prince of Wales back to port. Watkins was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 1 July 1941).
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