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Auction: 12002 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria
Lot: 436

The Extraordinary Great War ´Otranto Barrage´, ´Little Ships´ V.C. Group of Five to Chief Skipper J. Watt, Royal Naval Reserve, Captain of H.M. Drifter Gowanlea, Who, to the Cheers of His Entire Crew, Sailed His 87 Foot Wooden Vessel Into History Against the Austro-Hungarian Cruiser Novara a) Victoria Cross, reverse of suspension bar engraved ´Skipper Joseph Watt. R.N.R.´, reverse of Cross engraved ´15. May. 1917.´ b) Coronation 1937 c) Serbia, Kingdom, Gold Medal for Good and Zealous Service, bronze d) Italy, Kingdom, Al Valore Militare, silver, reverse officially engraved ´J. Watt. Basso Adriatico 15 Maggio 1917.´ e) France, Republic, Croix de Guerre, bronze, reverse dated ´1914-1917´, edge bruise to fourth, very fine or better, with the following related items: - Gold Pocket Watch, by Thomas Russell and Son, Liverpool, gold (9 Carat, Hallmarks for Chester 1916), the case inscribed ´Presented to Skipper Joseph Watt R.N.R. V.C. by Mr. George Walker, Fraserburgh, 5th. Dec. 1917´, hairline crack to dial, otherwise in working order - Commission appointing Mr. Joseph Watt a Skipper in the Royal Naval Reserve, dated 22.3.1915 - Commission appointing Mr. Joseph Watt, V.C., a Chief Skipper in the Royal Naval Reserve, dated 8.10.1917 - Bestowal document for the Serbian Medal for Good and Zealous Service, named to Joseph Watt, and dated 23.6.1916 - Bestowal document for the Italian Al Valore Militare Medal, named to Skipper Joseph Watt, and dated 1.7.1917 - Invitation named to J. Watt Esq., V.C. to a Dinner hosted by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales for Recipients of the Victoria Cross, at the House of Lords, 9.11.1921 - Seven photographs of the recipient, including one of him with H.R.H. The Duke of Kent - Letter to Mr. J. Watt, the recipient´s son, inviting him to the Centenary Celebrations of the Institution of the Victoria Cross, 17.5.1956 - Various newspaper cuttings, poems, and other ephemera relating to the Gowanlea (lot) Estimate £ 120,000-160,000 V.C. London Gazette 29.8.1917 Skipper Joseph Watt, R.N.R., 1206 W.S.A. ´For most conspicuous gallantry when the Allied Drifter line in the Straits of Otranto was attacked by Austrian light cruisers on the morning of the 15th May, 1917. When hailed by an Austrian cruiser at about 100 yards range and ordered to stop and abandon his drifter the "Gowanlea," Skipper Watt ordered full speed ahead and called upon his crew to give three cheers and fight to the finish. The cruiser was then engaged, but after one round had been fired, a shot from the enemy disabled the breech of the drifter´s gun. The gun´s crew, however, stuck to the gun, endeavouring to make it work, being under heavy fire all the time. After the cruiser had passed on Skipper Watt took the "Gowanlea" alongside the badly damaged drifter "Floandi" and assisted to remove the dead and wounded.´ Serbia, Gold Medal for Good and Zealous Service London Gazette 1.3.1917 Skipper Joseph Watt, R.N.R., 1206 W.S.A. ´For distinguished services rendered during the war.´ Italy, Al Valore Militare, silver London Gazette 17.11.1917 Ch. Skpr. Joseph Watt, V.C., R.N.R., 1206 W.S.A. ´For distinguished services rendered during the war.´ The recommendation (in Italian) states: ´Once he was within 100 metres of the enemy ship, which ordered him to stop and to disembark the crew, he ordered his men to shout ´Three Cheers´, and opened fire with their only small calibre gun. He kept closing at the maximum speed and kept firing even though the enemy returned his fire. He not only survived, but he managed to save his boat and crew not only from destruction, but also from being captured by the enemy.´ France, Croix de Guerre London Gazette 4.5.1920 Ch. Skpr. Joseph Watt, V.C., R.N.R., W.S.A. 1206 ´For distinguished services rendered during the War.´ Chief Skipper Joseph Watt, V.C., was born in Gardenstown, a small fishing village near Banff on the shore of the Moray Firth, on the 25th June 1887, the son of a local fisherman, and was educated at the local village school. At the age of ten his father was tragically drowned whilst fishing for haddock some 23 miles off the Scottish coast, and soon after his mother remarried, moving the family along the coast to Broadsea. However, despite the family tragedy his future occupation was never in doubt- fishing was a way of life in the community in which he grew up. Upon leaving school he served his apprenticeship in in the White Daisy, and soon proved to be a capable seaman; however, and in common with most fishermen from this period, he never learnt how to swim. In 1907 he left home and moved to Fraserburgh, where a couple of years later he invested in part-ownership of the Dundee-built steam drifter Annie. For the next five years he spent most of his time at sea, earning a reputation among his fellow driftermen for being ´a daring seaman, who never shrank from facing the wild North Sea in its most stormy moods´. On the outbreak of the Great War, Watt volunteered for the Patrol Service, and was commissioned a Skipper in the Royal Naval Reserve, 11.1.1915. After a few months spent patrolling the North Sea he was posted to Italy, and before leaving for the Mediterranean he married Jessie Ann Noble, a local Broadsea girl. Service in the Gowanlea On arriving in Italy Watt was appointed to the command of H.M. Drifter Gowanlea, an 87-foot wooden vessel that had been completed the very week that the War had begun. With its crew of nine, and armed with a solitary six-pounder gun, the Gowanlea was part of a fleet of steam drifters based in the heel of Italy. The crew, mainly Fraserburgh men, were a close-knit team, and included Fred Lamb, the boat´s Gunner, a cooper in civilian life known for his ´Herculean strength´ who could regularly turn out 100 barrels per week; and William Noble, the boat´s engineer. Like most ships they also had a mascot- a monkey that had been presented to them by the Italian sailors (unfortunately the monkey was not a success and was soon set free, to be replaced by a small terrier dog that was much more popular with the crew). Their task, as part of the Otranto Barrage, was to prevent enemy submarines operating out of Cattaro, 140 miles to the north, entering the Mediterranean via the straits separating Italy from Albania. The 120 drifters maintained a net barrier day and night, and were supported by a combined Allied fleet of motor-launches, destroyers, cruisers, and aircraft. For the most part it was a fairly monotonous routine. However, in January 1916 the wearisome pattern of patrol work was interrupted by the need to help evacuate the remnants of the Serbian Army from Albania. Based out of Brindisi, Watt and his crew assisted in the evacuation of the Serbs from Valona to Corfu by helping to guard the transporters from enemy U-boats, and in recognition of his work he was awarded the Serbian Gold Medal for Good and Zealous Service- the first formal recognition of his bravery. Returning to Otranto, the Gowanlea resumed her barrage duties. Though successes against the U-boats during the rest of the year were few, they were sufficient to provoke the Austro-Hungarian Navy into occasional retaliatory hit-and-run raids, and on the 22nd December, 1916, four enemy destroyers and a light cruiser attacked the barrage. The drifters were taken completely by surprise. The Gowanlea was immediately hit by an enemy shell which blew away the boat´s funnel. Watt gave the order to prepare to abandon ship, and as the lifeboat was being lowered, with their only compass aboard it, a second shell hit and sent the lifeboat down. A third shell hit the boat at the waterline, before the enemy were driven off by the timely arrival of six French destroyers. But the Gowanlea was a wreck, and several members of her crew lay dying amongst the debris. Without their compass they were lost, but after steaming around Watt sighted another patrol vessel and ordered more speed. The crew were below, fighting for their lives, and trying to patch up the shell hole. Eventually they caught up with the other drifter and were led back to the safety of port. By spring, her repairs completed, the Gowanlea was back on the patrol line. Nothing had changed as far as the barrage was concerned, but after weeks of little excitement April suddenly saw a marked rise in the number of submarine sightings. Although none was destroyed, a number were forced to turn back, and this spurred the Austrian Navy into action. Attack in the Straits of Otranto On the night of the 14th-15th May, 1917, the Austro-Hungarian Navy launched a major attack on the Otranto Barrage, determined once and for all to break the barrier to allow their U-boats access to the Mediterranean and the Allied shipping lanes. Under the Command of Captain Miklós Horthy (the future Regent of Hungary), a force of nine ships, including the light cruisers Novara, Saida, and Helgoland, sailed from their base at Cattaro. They separated quickly in order to attack the entire Allied flotilla with their vastly superior guns. The attack on the Barrage began at 3:15am. At the time 47 drifters were stretched across the straits in seven groups. The Gowanlea was on the far western side of Barrage, and, slipping her nets as soon as firing was heard, made for the Italian coast. However, within minutes she ran into the Novara. When the two vessels were within 100 yards the Novara signalled to the Gowanlea by dipping her flags and blowing hard on her siren to abandon ship. The offer was flatly refused. Calling for full steam ahead, Watt roused the fighting spirit of his entire crew by shouting: ´Three cheers lads and lets fight to the finish!´ As the Gowanlea made straight for the enemy ship, the drifter´s gun team, comprising Deckhands Fred Lamb and Edward Godbald, immediately opened fire with their six-pounder gun, with menacing accuracy. The enemy response was swift, as they soon brought their nine 3.9-inch guns to bear on the Gowanlea. Two heavy blows inflicted terrible damage. One of them carried away the port railings and smashed the boat´s bulwarks and the other plunged through the deck, disabled the gun, and detonated a box of ammunition that severely wounded Lamb, blowing him away from the gun, shattering his right leg and foot, and peppering his face and eyes with shell splinters. Two further shells landed on the boat, before the Gowanlea was able to limp away, her decks and cabin riddled with shrapnel, though still under her own steam, due to the supreme efforts of their engineer William Noble. The whole raid was over in little more than an hour, during which 14 of the 47 drifters were sunk and several more damaged. As the cruisers withdrew they left behind a scene of carnage with shell-scarred drifters picking their way through a sea strewn with debris in search of survivors. In spite of her own damage, the Gowanlea joined in the rescue effort, and managed to rescue the wounded from the drifter Floandi before making for port. One sad casualty from the Gowanlea was their mascot. The poor terrier never recovered from the shock of the raid and died three days later. For their great gallantry in the Straits of Otranto, Watt was awarded the Victoria Cross for his ´most conspicuous gallantry´, and was additionally awarded the Italian Al Valore Militare and the French Croix de Guerre. Gunner Fred Lamb was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal and the Al Valore Militare, the official citation for his C.G.M. stating: ´though severely wounded in the leg by the explosion of a box of ammunition on H.M. Drifter "Gowanlea," he stuck to his gun endeavouring to make it work.´ The Gowanlea´s Engineer, William Noble, and the Deckhand Edward Godbald were both awarded D.S.M. In total one Victoria Cross, two Distinguished Service Orders; six Distinguished Service Crosses; five Conspicuous Gallantry Medals; eighteen Distinguished Service Medals; and 31 Mentioned in Despatches were awarded for the action, together with a number of foreign awards. In London the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir John Jellicoe delivered a speech in which he told of the Gowanlea´s action, and proudly stated: ´The enemy has been up against the grit of the British sailor. It is this spirit which will win the war and I hope win it quickly, but while you applaud this moment, the spirit of the British sailor, never forget the duty of gratitude this country owes him.´ Back in Scotland to commemorate the gallantry of the crew of the Gowanlea, the Fraserburgh poet W.R. Melvin composed ´H.M. Drifter "Gowanlea"´, which was later praised by the First Sea Lord as being ´a fine poem´. Four Hundred years have sped since first, Britannia ruled the wave, And history´s page is crowded with, Deeds glorious and brave; But none outshine the story fine, Of Austrian cruisers three, That were faced and fought by a fishing boat, The drifter Gowanlea. ´Neath the purple Adriatic night, Our Scotch minesweepers lay, When a Squadron of the foe swooped down, Like a vulture on its prey. "Surrender"! cried the Austrian chief; "Surrender!, No not me; So there, that´s flat"! bawled Skipper Watt, Of the drifter Gowanlea! Then his crew gave three defiant cheers, As they made their pop-gun squirt; Way ´twas like ten men in armour Against one man in his shirt! The foe´s broadside flamed across the tide, But the drifter- what cared she? With her six pound shot she answered hot, Did the tiny Gowanlea! The wheelhouse smashed and her nose sore bashed And the bulwarks all afire, But the flag still flew, and no thought but do Or die was the crew´s desire. A ball came slap through the skipper´s cap, "I still keep my head", laughed he, "And if down we go, then the world will know We died game on the Gowanlea"! An bold Fred Lamb served his gun as calm, As if no darned foe was nigh. Till a shell cam along with a death-like song And mangled his leg and thigh. "That´s one spar gone", said Fred with a groan, But I´ve still got my fists you see"! And he fought his gun till the foe did run From the drifter Gowanlea! Who were those heroes of the main Who won such high renown? A cooper and a fisherman From a quiet Buchan town. Spirit of Nelson and of Drake! Spirit of Victory! Ye are not dead while we´ve Joe and Fred And the drifter Gowanlea! Later Life After spending six weeks in hospital in Malta, Watt was advanced to Chief Skipper, given a period of leave, and allowed to return home. The Fraserburgh town council had planned a hero´s welcome, but Watt had had enough publicity, and he travelled home secretly, arriving back one evening in November 1917. The following day, attired in his fisherman´s clothes, he went to relax down at the harbour. Although well known for his friendliness and happy disposition he was very reticent and never talked about his great gallantry, leading one journalist to describe him as ´a painfully modest man´. His shyness owed something to his natural reserve, but also to the fact that he felt that his gallantry had been greatly embellished by the press, desperate for a war hero. His one concession to local opinion was to accept a gold watch, given to him by Mr. George Walker, the owner of the Gowanlea. His Victoria Cross was presented to him by H.M. King George V at Buckingham Palace on the 6th April 1918. Following the end of the War, his drifter Annie having been sunk clearing mines a few weeks after the Armistice, he bought another vessel, the drifter Benachie, named after Aberdeenshire´s highest mountain, and went back to fishing for herring. During the Second World War he commanded a drifter serving the Home Fleet, with a crew that included his son, invalided home in 1940 after being wounded whilst serving in the Gordon Highlanders. Between the Wars he was visited on the Benachie by H.R.H. The Duke of Kent, where, unaccustomed to the occasion, the broad smiling skipper forgot to remove his cap. His Victoria Cross, so bravely earned, was kept in a small drawer on his boat, amidst the accumulated junk of a sailor´s life. Joseph Watt died at home in Fraserburgh from cancer of the gullet on the 13th February 1955, and was buried alongside his wife in Kirktown Cemetery. His loss was felt all over the North-east fishing communities with deep regret. In addition to his unique Victoria Cross for the Otranto Barrage, Joseph Watt was also entitled to a 1914-15 Star trio; however, there is no record of him every applying for, or receiving, his Great War campaign medals.

Sold for
£170,000