With HMS Neptune At Jutland.

British War Medal 1914 - 1920.
Victory Medal.
283818 P. C. Watts, Chief Stoker, Royal Navy.

Percy Charles Watts was born on 29th September 1877 at Overton, Hampshire, and appears on the 1881 Census as the youngest of six children born to Nathaniel Watts, a shepherd, and his wife Matilda. The family were resident at 13 Station Road, Overton, at this time. Percy seems to have followed his father's occupation of shepherd at first but on 29th October 1896 he joined the Royal Navy, signing up for an initial period of twelve years.
His Service Record describes him as almost 5' 8" tall with brown hair, hazel eyes and a fair complexion. Initialy rated as a Stoker 2nd Class, Percy was advanced to Stoker in November 1897 and subsequently served on HMS Resolution, a Royal Sovereign class Battleship launched in 1892. The 1901 Census records him as a 23 year old on this ship. He stayed with Resolution until July 1901, during which time the ship participated in the annual fleet manouevres in the Atlantic. A selection of pictures of HMS Resolution as well as an interesting description of the work done by the stokers is available here.

"The stoker on board a ship of war had a very busy time in the 1890s, he worked in a hot stokehold shovelling coal into a fiery furnace or trimming coal from some pocket or coal box situated under the armoured deck. He would also do a turn as an oiler in the hot atmosphere of the engine room or become half smothered in dirt while sweeping the sooty boiler tubes, cleaning out the accumulation at the backs of the furnaces which glowed with heat; scaling boilers; cleansing the bilges, or wiping up slush by the bucketful. After being mustered and reported clean, he could then turn in, sleep or go on deck for a breath of fresh air."

In September 1901, Percy transferred to HMS Fox and it was with this vessel that he earned entitlement to the Africa General Service Medal with clasp "Somaliland 1902 - 04". In 1906, Percy was rated as Leading Stoker while serving with HMS Vulcan, a torpedo boat depot ship, and in 1908 he was married in Portsmouth.

There now followed a lengthy period of service, from January 1911 through to 1919, aboard HMS Neptune. These years saw Percy advanced to Stoker P.O., Acting Chief Stoker and finally Chief Stoker. He was also present at the Battle of Jutland in 1916, when HMS Neptune fired 48 12" shells, scoring several hits on the German battlecruiser Lützow. More information about HMS Neptune's role in the battle can be found here and here.
The death of Percy Charles Watts was registered in Portsmouth in the last quarter of 1961, by which time he would have been well over 80 years old.