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Pocket watch help needed
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kkt
·Well, I followed a blind alley to its end. Broad arrow indicates a British military watch, Kin also known as Kintown in Okinawa is home to an American Marine base where sometimes some Royal Marines have also trained. So I searched for Phelan, Royal Marines, and found a record of John Phelan who enlisted in 1913 as a boy at the tender age of 14. Killed in action May 31, 1916, when HMS Invincible was sunk at Jutland. Still, it's a blind alley as far as this watch as the first initial is not D and this watch is newer than 1916, and what would an enlisted boy be doing with a watch this nice?, and no reason to think he might have been in Okinawa. Kudos to the British National Archives for putting service records on the web.
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VetPsychWars
·Luminous dial where the old radium paint was removed. Not the original hands. Make a nice piece for restoration and relume by one of the experts. Also possibly sold as surplus after the Great War.
Tom
Tom
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JwRosenthal
·Looks to be a screw back, try using a rubber dish glove to give you some grip and hold the case firmly in the other hand, should loosed the back.
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JwRosenthal
·Well, I followed a blind alley to its end. Broad arrow indicates a British military watch, Kin also known as Kintown in Okinawa is home to an American Marine base where sometimes some Royal Marines have also trained. So I searched for Phelan, Royal Marines, and found a record of John Phelan who enlisted in 1913 as a boy at the tender age of 14. Killed in action May 31, 1916, when HMS Invincible was sunk at Jutland. Still, it's a blind alley as far as this watch as the first initial is not D and this watch is newer than 1916, and what would an enlisted boy be doing with a watch this nice?, and no reason to think he might have been in Okinawa. Kudos to the British National Archives for putting service records on the web.
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Alpha
·Nice coin edge bezel and I would suggest it is probably a snap on case back, start off carefully with a single edge razor blade working round and if you see movement move on to a fine case knife.
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peterkirk01
·Many thanks. The gentleman who owned this watch died in 1946. He served in the second world war but very little else is known about him
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Alpha
·Taken the liberty of posting an enquiry over on MWR 👍
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peterkirk01
·Thank you.
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Alpha
·A link to the conversation so far, I appreciate we do not really like links but on this occasion the simplest way - https://www.mwrforum.net/forums/showthread.php?87608-Pocket-Watch-markings
Appears I may have been wrong regarding the caseback 🤦
Appears I may have been wrong regarding the caseback 🤦
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Alpha
·The above link has now been updated with some interesting information.
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peterkirk01
·Thanks for all your help. Very interesting replies. Another update from grandson. Daniel Phelan enlisted in 1913 into the King's own regiment Yorkshire light infantry and fought in the Somme. He served in India after ww1. He joined the newly formed Irish Free State army in the mid 20's and served as a captain. Army sent him to a sanatorium in Switzerland for his TB.
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