# Battle Of Britain Wristwatch



## Gardenmike1223 (Dec 4, 2010)

Here is one which will hopefully get the brain fluids flowing....

For about 25 years I have been researching the life of a Battle of Britain fighter pilot who came from my village in Derbyshire and taught at my old school - some years before I was born, I might add.

He was William 'Burley' Higgins who went from the RAF Volunteer Reserve in late 1939 and subsequently joined 32 Squadron at Biggin Hill in June 1940. He was involved in a few successful combats during that summer flying Hawker Hurricane fighters but his luck ran out on Saturday the 14th September when he was shot down down and killed over the Isle of Sheppey. His aircraft crashed into an orchard at Bredgar in Kent.

The combat was witnessed by a Mr Kirkpatrick of Faversham who motored over, found the aircraft and managed to pull the Sergeant Pilots body out. Mr Kirkpatrick wrote to Mrs Higgins stating what he had seen/done and mentioned that her sons effects included an Ingersoll wristwatch.

Burley Higgins sister has helped me a great deal with the research and confirms that his effects made it home but the items were handed to an uncle who she thinks gave them away...

I've thought long and hard about what model of Ingersoll it could have been and would like your collective thoughts on:

were Ingersolls issued to aircrew at the beginning of the war;

could it have been a standard watch, such as a Radiolite, that he took from his teaching job into the RAF; or

if he purchased it for use as a pilot, what model might he have bought?

Your assistance would be very much appreciated.

Mike


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Welcome and great story... 

Ingersoll were not part of the 'WWW' group of I think 12 companies that produced the standard watches that were issued in WW2 ...

Google Vertex WWW , IWC WWW to name just a couple..Thats not to say others wernt issued though, but I dont recall seeing a issued Ingersol, so it was probably his own watch ... if he wanted a watch specifically to use as a pilot he could have got issued one so I doubt he bought it especially to use when flying.... These are just opinions of course, anything is possible!


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## Gardenmike1223 (Dec 4, 2010)

Many thanks Jason.

It looks as though it might have been a relatively 'standard' Ingersoll then.

I now have to put myself into the mind of a 1930's schoolteacher to guess

what it might have been. He was very much into motorbikes - owned a Brough at one point - and was often

seen around the village with his spaniel, Tiger, riding on the tank. (Dog allegedly named after 'Tiger' Stevenson

a well known cinder track racer from that period!)

Whatever Ingersoll it was I can't imagine it being a bog standard model..

Thanks again,

Mike


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## aroma (Dec 11, 2009)

All the WWWs came from around 1945 - too late really for WW2. Prior to that the Air Ministry used the 6B/159s of which there were a few makes - Omega, JLC, Ebel and others. However, I have also heard that Rotary supplied watches to the armed forces in the early years of WW2 and I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Ingersol did as well.

I'm always interested in the history aspect of vintage watches so let me know what you find out.

Cheers

Andrew


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## Chascomm (Sep 9, 2005)

I don't think I've ever seen a pre-1948 British Ingersoll wristwatch. I guess it's fairly unlikely that he would have been wearing a pocket-watch (although I presume the Hurricane was fitted with a panel-clock so a watch might not be necessary).

Given what little I do know about Ingersoll watches of the period, I think it would be an unjewelled, essentially disposable watch; extremely hardy, but probably not accurate enough to be worth issuing to aircrews. Which makes me think that is was not an issued watch, but a personal watch.


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## Gardenmike1223 (Dec 4, 2010)

Thanks for your thoughts Chascomm,

Sgt Pilot Higgins joined the pre-war RAF Volunteer Reserve in the summer of 1937 and learned to fly at Tollerton Airfield near Nottingham.

Ingersoll introduced the Elite model wristwatch in early 1937 which retailed at Â£1-12 shillings - the Radiolite dial model was a bit less at Â£1-5s.

Take your point regarding the cheap and cheerful nature of some Ingersolls but the above amounts were not a minor outlay when a teachers salary

was a mere Â£15 per month.

Another option is that the watch had been bought as a 21st birthday present for him in 1934 as was the norm in those days. Funnily enough, my parents

bought me an Ingersoll open face pocket watch for my 21st back in '73.... (Ahhhh.. those disco days in a slick pair of flares and flower power

waistcoat complete with flash watch and chain.)

I need to dig a bit deeper on what equipment junior airmen in the RAF VR were required to provide but it would be nice to think that he

splashed out on the Elite. The issue that points me towards it being his private property is that it ended up back with his family after his death.

If it was RAF issue they probably would have recovered it with his other service kit.

Thanks again.

mike


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