Antique & Militaria

WW1 1918 Mesopotamia British Serviceman’s War Souvenir Brass Pocket Fob Watch By E.R Khazam Bagdad Engraved ‘Amara (British Military Medical Hub Iraq) April 1918 Mesopotamia’ With Chain & Key. Sn 23371 - 23371

Amara, Iraq, was a critical medical hub and logistical base for British forces in April 1918, serving as a primary hospital centre for the Mesopotamian Campaign of World War I. While the famous Siege of Kut-al-Amara had ended two years earlier in April 1916, Amara remained a vital occupied town where thousands of soldiers were stationed or treated. Although the major fighting had moved north toward Mosul, Amara was a frequent stop for units like the 13th (Western) Division and various Indian Army brigades as they rotated through the region. Many soldiers who died of disease or wounds in these hospitals during early 1918 are now commemorated at the Amara War Cemetery, which contains over 4,600 burials. This is an Iraq made pocket fob watch no doubt a war souvenir perhaps bought by a British Serviceman receiving medical treatment or serving as Medical staff at Amara in 1918. The fob watch has been serviced & is working but not guaranteed. The watch is just under 2 ¼” diameter with lids closed. The face has hour and minute markings, ornate, delicate pierced copper, hour and minute hands. The face is signed by the maker or retailer ‘E.R Khazam Bagdad’. The case is brass and the inside of the hinged lids are plated & marked ‘Oris’ within roundel and have marks possibly Iraqi silver plate marks. The front of the case has tooled decoration, central stylised monogram within shield and ‘Amara April 1918 Mesopotamia’. The fob watch shackle is fitted with 10” white metal link chain and brass key marked ‘’Griffiths Windham St Bridgend’ & ‘Watchmaker & Jeweller’ together with number ‘6’. The key winds the watch. The price includes UK delivery. Sn 23371 (drawers office)

£295.00