Silver pocket watch returns to county (From Evesham Journal)

Silver pocket watch returns to county

8:20am Tuesday 29th September 2009

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A SILVER pocket watch awarded to a Worcestershire schoolboy in 1910 for seven years unbroken school attendance, has been returned to the original donor almost 100 years later.

The silver pocket watch was presented to schoolboy James Palmer by Worcestershire County Council in 1910. The inscription reads: 'Presented to James Palmer by Worcestershire County Council for 7 years unbroken school attendance 1903-1910.'

And last week it came back to Worcestershire when its present owner, Derek Wareham, from Bransgore in Hampshire, came to County Hall to present it to the County Council's Chairman, Councillor John Cairns.

The watch had been bequeathed to Mr Wareham by James Palmer's widow, Mrs Ivy Palmer when she died in 1991. Hampshire-born Mr Wareham explained: "I used to do some odd jobs for Mrs Palmer after I'd retired and she left me the watch in her will. It has no special significance for my family, so it seemed the best idea to bring it back home to Worcestershire."

Worcestershire County Council Chairman, Cllr John Cairns, said: "I'm absolutely delighted and can't thank Mr Wareham enough for presenting this to the county. It will be fascinating to see if we find out its history and hopefully give the story a happy ending."

County Archives Manager, Robin Whittaker said: "What's unusual is the fact it's a watch. We have various medals in the archives that have been presented for good school attendance, but I've never seen a watch before and it would be interesting to find out why.

“There aren't many clues to go on - we don’t know the name of the school or whereabouts in Worcestershire James Palmer lived - but we'll certainly have a good go at unravelling its history. We'd love to hear from anyone who can throw some light on the watch or James Palmer's family."

Readers with any information can contact Robin Whittaker on 01905 766353 or by email rwhittaker@worcestershire.gov.uk • Do you know the history of the watch or where its owner James Palmer went to school? If so get in touch with the Journal on 01386 444050.

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