WW1 British Army – SILVER PRESENTATION POCKET WATCH w/ HISTORY – VERY NICE!

You are bidding on a VERY NICE example of a WW1 British presentation pocket watch. This is a solid silver officer's piece awarded during wartime service in India, and was presented to R.S.M. Y.G Harfield of the 1/5 Battalion Hampshire Regiment!During the First World War, British regiments routinely commissioned private-purchase silver pocket watches for presentation to senior NCOs, officers, and long-serving warrant officers. These watches were typically made by reputable English or Swiss firms, retailed through military outfitters, and engraved by the regiment for acts of service, departure from a posting, or recognition by the Sergeants' Mess. Presentation watches were especially common among Territorial Force battalions serving abroad, including units deployed to India, Mesopotamia, and the Middle East. Such pieces are highly prized today for their craftsmanship, regimental engravings, and direct connection to the personal histories of the men who served.The 1/5th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment was a pre-war Territorial Force unit of the Wessex Division, mobilised in August 1914 and earmarked for overseas garrison duty. In October–November 1914 the battalion sailed for India, landing at Bombay on 9 November before moving to Allahabad. From 1915 onward it was broken up into detachments across India, providing drafts for other Hampshire battalions while rotating through a long tour of cantonments and out-stations, and later spending several months in Burma in 1918. In early 1919 the 1/5th Hampshires were employed on internal security duties in the Punjab during the period of unrest, and subsequently took part in the Third Afghan War on the North-West Frontier in May–June 1919, operating in extreme heat that reached about 125°F in tented camps. After nearly five years of continuous imperial service, the battalion finally left India in October 1919 and arrived back at Southampton on 8 November 1919.R.S.M. Y.G. Harfield can be identified with George Harfield, a career soldier of the Hampshire Regiment recorded in the Imperial War Museum's 'Lives of the First World War' database. Born in 1877, he served in the British Army under service number 5042, rising to become Temporary Regimental Serjeant Major and then Regimental Serjeant Major, 1st/5th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment, and is additionally listed as Acting Warrant Officer Class I and Transport Warrant Officer Class I with the same regiment.As RSM he would have been the senior warrant officer in the battalion, responsible for discipline, dress, drill and day-to-day administration on behalf of the commanding officer, and a central figure in both the Sergeants' Mess and the battalion's long wartime deployment in India and on the North-West Frontier. The engraving on this watch, naming R.S.M. Y.G. Harfield, 1/5th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment, India 1914–1918, aligns closely with that documented service record and reflects the type of high-quality presentation piece commonly awarded to long-serving senior NCOs by their Sergeants' Mess at the end of an overseas tour.Signed by Lund & Blockley, Bombay, this Swiss-made pocket watch features a SOLID .925 STERLING SILVER case, and is fully hallmarked, retaining its original WW1-era construction. A total of 21 jewels, it is manufactured to a high standard typical of wartime British officer's pieces, and remains a fine, well-preserved example of regimental presentation workmanship.Overall condition is VERY NICE, showing honest age with light surface wear, scattered small marks, and expected patina to the case from over a century of handling. No evidence of polishing, restoration, or modern cleaning is present.The case is correctly hallmarked with full British sterling marks and matching case numbers. The back bears the deeply engraved wartime presentation inscription, indicating:PRESENTED TOR.S.M. Y.G. HARFIELDBY THE MEMBERS OFTHE SERGEANTS' MESS1/5TH BN. HAMPSHIRE RGT.INDIA 1914–1918.Hinges are tight, lids open and close properly, and there are no repairs, splits, or structural issues.The dial is original enamel with Roman numerals, sub-seconds register, and original blued hands. Enamel remains clean with only minimal age-related marks and no major cracks or repairs.The crystal shows light surface scratches consistent with age but remains clear with no chips or major defects.The movement is the original high-grade mechanism with jeweled settings, gilt plates, and correct WW1 British layout. All components appear period and unaltered. 100% FUNCTIONAL, however, it has not been tested for accuracy, and the watch may require routine cleaning or adjustment due to age.A very desirable and completely original WW1 British officer's sterling silver presentation pocket watch, named, unit-marked, and fully wartime engraved – an EXCELLENT regimental piece with direct military provenance, PERFECT for any collection or display!