GORDON MICHIE
Past Substitute Provincial Grand Master, Provincial GL of Fife and Kinross, Grand Lodge of Scotland
PM, Lodge Earl Haig No. 1260, Grand Lodge of Scotland
PM, Lodge Hope of Kurrachee No. 337, Grand Lodge of Scotland
In the lead up to the 75th Anniversary of Lodge Earl Haig, No 1260, in 1996 I undertook to write the history of the Lodge and during my researches one thing stuck in my mind – that we did not have any Brother who had given the ultimate sacrifice in any of the conflicts and of course World War 2. Yes, we had many brethren throughout the years that had signed up and taken the King or Queen’s shilling. I myself served in the Royal Air Force between 1988 and 1995. I just assumed that our brethren were very lucky and had come through their service unscathed. In many ways I was glad that our Lodge did not have the need to have a memorial plaque to sit alongside the beautiful memorial in the west of Elgin’s Lodge at Leven commemorating their brethren that had given their all for peace.
I was therefore very surprised in the late summer of 2012 when our Secretary Bro Bob Christie forwarded to me an email from a Mr Mark Watson a retired Warrant Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces asking about his maternal grandfather.
This email from Mark did very much spark very many thoughts within my mind: we need to know more about Edwin Watson, we must commemorate the ultimate sacrifice he gave for us all and we must help his family fill in the blanks of his life.
Thankfully filling in the blanks was not going to be an onerous task as his grandson Mark had done the leg work and he was able to supply me with chapter and verse on his grandfather which I will recount in these pages and I trust that going forward our once forgotten Brother Edwin Watson and the memory of him will never be forgotten in the memories of the Brethren of Lodge Earl Haig.
After looking back the Roll book of the Lodge it became evident that Bro. Watson was a very new and young mason, so new that he had not yet received his 3rd degree. He was initiated on the 17th January 1944 and was passed to the 2nd degree on the 26th April 1944.
As he never received his 3rd degree and therefore never received his certification of being a member of the Craft all he had was his receipt that lay in the back of his log book. Although he was a member of the Craft for less than 6 months at the time of his last flight, I can only speculate that his admittance into the Craft must have been important to him and made an impact as he felt the importance of his receipt to keep it with his flying log book, which arguably was his most important document in his possession.
So what of the man and what had his grandson Mark uncovered about his grandfathers life? Prior to the war Edwin was a professional footballer and played as either a centre forward or inside left.
Edwin was born in Pittenweem in the picturesque East Neuk of the Kingdom of Fife on the 28th May 1914 and originally played for Crossgates Primrose and a variety of other local teams as you will read later in this article before joining Partick Thistle in season 1936/37. He scored six goals in 14 matches for Partick and then signed for Huddersfield Town in January 1938.
After a further year in the reserves Edwin left Huddersfield Town in April 1939 to join Bradford Park Avenue but played just once for them in the Second Division scoring in a 2-2 draw at Millwall on the 2nd September 1939. Unfortunately World War 2 was declared the following day and so the game, like all others played thus far that season, was declared void.
He played a further three times for Avenue in the temporary regional competitions set up during the 1939/1940. Edwin also played in a number of friendly matches.
Edwin’s footballing career took him a long way away from the fishing community of his birth and the mining communities of Levenmouth where he grow up and this promising career was only cut short by the onset of War.
Due to Edwin’s footballing career in the top flight of the English leagues prior to the start of the war this has afforded more information to be available to the family and some of his exploit during the war were recorded in a local paper. Unfortunately at the time of writing this we do not know which paper that this was published but the following is the article as published which had a head shot of Edwin and also a photo of him walking out onto the field and we can only assume it is Huddersfield Town’s ground.
Footballer Attacks U-Boat – Dash from Galley to Guns (unknown newspaper)
Homeward bound at the end of a long patrol, the crew of Sunderland “w” for William of an RAF Coastal Command Squadron were ready for a hot meal.
Over the galley stove Flight Sergeant Edwin Watson former Partick Thistle and East Fife Footballer was carrying out the domestic third leg of his triple job. He mixes cooking with engineering and air gunnery. Bacon was sizzling in the pan, eggs awaited cooking.
Suddenly the penetrating screech of the klaxon horn rising above the drone of the engines sounded “action stations”.
In a matter of seconds Watson had extinguished the fire under the stove, rushed through the bomb bay, and , after opening the bomb doors and checking the mechanism, manned one of the guns and sprayed the conning tower of the U-Boat to such good effect that that the few shots that were aimed at the Sunderland in the early part of the run in flew wide of their target.
The only casualty was an egg “I put it down in such a hurry” said Watson, “that it rolled onto the galley floor and to make matter worse I trod on it. Six years of big time football never gave me the thrill that U-Boat did” he remarked later “perhaps it was that I had to wait so long to see some action. You see I completed a tour in West African waters without spotting so much as a periscope wake, and I’ve knocked a few hours of this tour.”
“By the time I reached the gun, Jerry was plainly visible, and, holding my fire until I got within range, I let him have it. The Flight Sergeant who was on the guns in the nose added to the confusion in the conning tower, and when we went over the submarine her guns were unmanned and sailors could be seen crouching as they tried to shield themselves from our cannon shells and bullets”
Flight Sergeant Watson’s home is at Methil. For six years until the war interrupted his career he played first class football for Partick Thistle, Huddersfield Town and Bradford. When War broke out he returned to Fife to work while playing for East Fife. He has a brother serving in the 8th Army.
Edwin Watson (inside left 5’9”, 11st) has had less experience of English play than any other finalist, but was preferred in the semi-final to better known performers. Adaptable, quick moving and an opportunist who can take a chance as readily as he creates one. Another Scot in the infancy of his career, and has known no outstanding honour yet, for he was Partick Thistle’s reserve leader when he was brought to Huddersfield on January 6 of this year.
The above newspaper articles give a good insight into the man who was Edwin Watson, the humorous streak that must also have been within him with the story of the egg rolling about the floor and him trodding on it. We are fortunate also to be able to build more of a picture of Edwin Watson the Flight Sergeant from a book that was written about the brave men of Coastal Command – Wavetops at my Wingtips – written by a crew mate of Edwin’s. Within the book there is a picture on page 237 of Flt Lt Longland and his Sunderland crew that included Flight Sergeant Watson taken shortly before their final mission onboard the ML 760 Sunderland “s”. Six days earlier they had flown together and had sunk U-955.
To mark the 75th Anniversary 201 Squadron commissioned an artist to paint a commemorative print and the attack and sinking of U-955 on the 6/7th June was chosen. The print is titled “Flare Attack”.
Flight Sergeant Watson’s Log Book makes interesting reading not only for the family and hopefully for those that take the time to read this article but it shows that Edwin saw action on another occasion when he fired off 4 to 500 rounds from the nose gun of his Sunderland. The records that are available confirm that on this occasion the U- Boat suffered minor damage to the diesel engine and that one sailor was killed.
From a situation in Lodge Earl Haig where we thought we had no Brethren that had given the ultimate sacrifice we find ourselves honoured to count amongst our numbers FS Edwin Watson , 1361241, of 201 Squadron Royal Air Force Reserve. A footballing, flyer from Fife!
As we believe that Freemasonry must have made an impact on Bro Edwin, due to the fact he carried with his receipt from his initiation, we are led to hope that the camaraderie found on the football pitch and within the Royal Air Force would have given Bro Watson that desire to find a home within Lodge Earl Haig and enjoy the camaraderie of his Brethren. This was not to be but as a Lodge we felt that we wanted to commemorate his service to his country and to remember for all times the sacrifice he gave. The words of the scroll that sit proudly with his medals are very fitting.
But rightly they remain with his family in Canada. So the Lodge had commissioned a memorial plaque that will be unveiled at the closest meeting to what would have been Bro Edwin Watson’s 99th birthday.
The words on our plaque read:
To the Glory of God and in Remembrance of a Brother of Lodge Earl Haig, 1260
Flight Sergeant Edwin Watson, 1361241
Killed in action 12th June 1944, aged 30
201 Squadron Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
“I bare you on eagle’s wings and brought you unto Myself.”
The memorial plaque was dedicated by Bro Revd Andrew E Paterson JP, Provincial Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Fife and Kinross and will be part of an annual memorial we will instigate within the Lodge at the closest meeting to Remembrance Day. Hanging proudly next to the memorial plaque is a copy of the picture “Flare Attack”
I will finish this article with words from the local paper:
Presumed Lost – Mrs Elizabeth Watson, 158 High Street Methil, has receieved notice from the Air Ministry that her husband Flight Sergeant Edwin Watson RAF, who was posted missing on June 12th last, must now be officially presumed lost. Edwin was the third son of the late Mr Edwin Watson and Mrs Margaret Watson, Kildare House, Methil. He leaves a wife and two children, the youngest born eight months after he was lost. A keen footballer, Edwin played for Markinch Vics, Dunnikier and Partick Thistle before going south to Huddersfield Town. At one time he created what was believed to be a record by playing Juvenile, Junior and Senior all in one week. Prior to joining the RAF Edwin was employed in the National Steel Foundry, Leven. And the many friends he made there and elsewhere will remember him for his cheery disposition. A younger brother, Alex, one of the “Desert Rats” is in hospital in Wales slowly recovering from serious leg wounds received in Germany on January 27th.
Brother Edwin, good and faithful servant, your Lodge is proud of you.
