'Unsinkable' Arthur John Priest Goliath Pocket Watch
A rare and large Regulateur gun metal pocket watch. The case approx. 70mm diameter, cartouche dial with green enamel Roman numerals, displayed in separate circles around a central steamer ship. The reverse of this pocket watch is engraved as follows: Presented to Arthur J. Priest in Gratitude of your action in preserving our son's life HMHS Britannia Nov 21st 1916, housed in a silver case, Chester dated 1916, mm Synyer & Beddoes, approx. 12 x 11 cms.
Occasionally, an object surfaces that connects directly to one of history's most extraordinary lives. This watch is understood to have belonged to Arthur John Priest (1887-1937). Priest was an English stoker one of the 'black gang' Priest shovelled coal into roaring steamship boilers deep within the lower decks. Nicknamed 'The Unsinkable Stoker', he survived an astonishing series of maritime disasters during the early 20th century. Most famously, Priest survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic in April 1912. Remarkably this was not his only brush with catastrophe, he also survived the sinking of the hospital ship HMHS Britannic during the First World War, as well as the loss of HMS Alcantara and SS Donegal. Priest was also aboard the RMS Olympic during a major collision. After sustaining a serious head injury during the sinking of the SS Donegal in 1917, Priest retired from maritime life. Figures like Priest are often thought to have shaped the archetype of the seasoned, disaster-ridden seafarer, immortalised in British culture - most famously in Only Fools and Horses, where tales of improbable survival became a defining comic motif.
Note: There is no specific evidence that Priest saved anyone during the sinking of His Majesty’s Hospital Ship Britannic (the Titanic’s sister ship). However, as it was a hospital ship, being able-bodied he may well have assisted passengers more vulnerable than himself. As a humble man, he was unlikely to have made a fuss about such an act, though the survivor’s parents may have been told and subsequently bestowed a small gift. The only evidence supporting the account is the inscription on the back of the case.
(af) (sl)
A rare and large Regulateur gun metal pocket watch. The case approx. 70mm diameter, cartouche dial with green enamel Roman numerals, displayed in separate circles around a central steamer ship. The reverse of this pocket watch is engraved as follows: Presented to Arthur J. Priest in Gratitude of your action in preserving our son's life HMHS Britannia Nov 21st 1916, housed in a silver case, Chester dated 1916, mm Synyer & Beddoes, approx. 12 x 11 cms.
Occasionally, an object surfaces that connects directly to one of history's most extraordinary lives. This watch is understood to have belonged to Arthur John Priest (1887-1937). Priest was an English stoker one of the 'black gang' Priest shovelled coal into roaring steamship boilers deep within the lower decks. Nicknamed 'The Unsinkable Stoker', he survived an astonishing series of maritime disasters during the early 20th century. Most famously, Priest survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic in April 1912. Remarkably this was not his only brush with catastrophe, he also survived the sinking of the hospital ship HMHS Britannic during the First World War, as well as the loss of HMS Alcantara and SS Donegal. Priest was also aboard the RMS Olympic during a major collision. After sustaining a serious head injury during the sinking of the SS Donegal in 1917, Priest retired from maritime life. Figures like Priest are often thought to have shaped the archetype of the seasoned, disaster-ridden seafarer, immortalised in British culture - most famously in Only Fools and Horses, where tales of improbable survival became a defining comic motif.
Note: There is no specific evidence that Priest saved anyone during the sinking of His Majesty’s Hospital Ship Britannic (the Titanic’s sister ship). However, as it was a hospital ship, being able-bodied he may well have assisted passengers more vulnerable than himself. As a humble man, he was unlikely to have made a fuss about such an act, though the survivor’s parents may have been told and subsequently bestowed a small gift. The only evidence supporting the account is the inscription on the back of the case.
(af) (sl)
