The “Great War Victory Cup”, Tientsin Race Club, 1919

Posted: October 2nd, 2024 | No Comments »

I recently posted some pictures of the Tientsin (Tianjin) Race Club from the Spring season, 1921. So this cup, that recently came up for auction, was of some interest having been awarded a year or two prior…

An early 20th Century silver three-handled trophy cup manufactured by Gorham Manufacturing Co, of Birmingham c.1910. The inscription ‘THE / GREAT WAR “VICTORY” CUP / WON BY / MR. A. H. WATTS ON “PENDINAS” / TIENTSIN CHAMPIONS / SPRING 1919’.

I believe the British Watts family had been resident in Tientsin for a generation or two running Watts & Co. (later, or earlier, called Watts & Buck Co.) – exchange and share brokers, auctioneers and estate agents. AH worked, at least for a time, for the Chinese Engineering and Mining Company. I think AH’s father was James Watts (Private J. Watts, a member of the Tientsin Volunteer Force) who is mentioned in regard to Tientsin during the Boxer Uprising:

“The successful defence (of Tientsin) was in a large measure due to the presence in the town of a Russian force of some one thousand seven hundred men, which had been prevented from following Admiral Seymour in his gallant attempt to rescue the Legations by the fact that the railway was cut. The most brilliant individual achievement, and the one which resulted in the relief of the city was that of Mr. James Watts. All communications with Tientsin had been destroyed, and when ammunition was running low and the defenders were talking of surrender, he volunteered to lead a troop of Cossacks through the enemy’s lines with despatches to the foreign admirals at Taku. He successfully accomplished his dangerous mission on June 19, 1900, and relief was immediately sent to the besieged. His name in connection with this act of heroism will ever be remembered gratefully in Tientsin. In recognition of his signal services the British Government, after some delay, conferred upon Mr. Watts a Companionship of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, and, in the meantime, the German Emperor signified his intention of conferring a decoration on the gallant Englishman—a spontaneous mark of appreciation, which Mr. Watts values highly.”

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