BORN BELFAST 1897. SON OF ELLEN JANE WARD. HE LIVED IN WAKEFIELD AND HULL. KNOWN AS ‘JERRY’ WATSON. HE WAS EMPLOYED BY MESSRS. BLUNDELL & SPENCE LTD, BEVERLEY ROAD, HULL.
HE WAS AN OUTSTANDING AMATEUR RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER, WHO PLAYED FOR THE WORKS TEAM, WITH ‘WILF’ COLLEY. JERRY WATSON WAS DESCRIBED AS “A ‘CENTER THREE QUARTER’ OF GREAT PROMISE, BEING TRICKY AND SHARP ON HIS FEET”. HE WAS A RESERVE IN THE YORKSHIRE VERSUS LANCASHIRE SOLDIER’S MATCH AND ALTHOUGH HE DID NOT PLAY, HE WAS AWARDED HIS COUNTY JERSEY. THEIR LAST MATCH PLAYED FOR BLUNDELL’S, WAS AGAINST SISSONS, IN THE 1913 ANNUAL CHARITY CUP. BOTH JERRY AND WILF, PLAYED BRILLIANTLY AND WATSON SCORED TWO TRIES. HE WAS REPORTED KILLED IN ACTION, ON THE 18TH OCTOBER, 1914. HIS DEATH CAST A “DARK GLOOM” AT BLUNDEL’S AND WITHIN LOCAL RUGBY FOOTBALL CIRCLES. (HDM 14/05/1915). HIS DEATH AND PHOTOGRAPH WERE PRINTED IN THE HULL DAILY MAIL ON THE 14TH MAY 1915. * HIS WAR PENSION WAS LEFT TO MRS ELLEN JANE WARD, OF 24 WEST STREET, HEMSWOOD, WAKEFIELD. HE IS COMMEMORATED ON THE PLOEGSTEERT MEMORIAL, HAINAUT, BELGIUM.
A LETTER FROM PRIVATE, JOE TAYLOR TO HIS WIFE, REPORTING JERRY WATSON’S DEATH, WAS PRINTED IN THE HULL TIMES, ON 15TH MAY 1915.
JERRY’S GREAT TEAMMATE WILF COLLEY WAS KILLED IN ACTION, LATER, AT YPRES, ON THE 3RD MAY 1915, AGED 21.
