Lt. Commander John Leslie Watkinson (1921-1997)
John Lesie Watkinson was born in 1921 in Toxteth Park in Lancashire, England, the son of Capt. Arthur Stanley Watkinson and Majorie Leslie-Roberts. Being the son of an army officer, John was raised in a military as well as a household, as his grandfather William Henry Watkinson was a professor and engineer. At the time, his father was one too, as he was involved in designing early submarines. When John was 18 years of age, his father tragically passed away in the infamous Thetis submarine disaster in Liverpool Bay.
John's uncle, Major General Geoffrey Lionel Watkinson DSO, DL (1899-1971) was a British general during the second world war and General Montgomery's Cheif Engineeer as well as founder of the Royal Yacht Club. Geoffrey was the younger brother of Arthur Watkinson and great-uncle of Anna Longridge née Watkinson. Known as Ginger, he was a keen and accomplished sailor. He made quite a name for himself in the yachting world including winning the Round The Island, (Isle Of Wight) race, winning the Burham to Ramsgate race, finishing second in the first Fastnet Race - all in one year, 1926. In one Fasthet race on board Fulmar, he finished physically second without handicap being beaten only by the 60 ton Jolie Brise. It was after this race that all of the 25 crew dined together in the Royal Western Yacht Club at Plymouth and formed the Ocean Racing Club, now the Royal Ocean Racing Club. Geoffrey joined the army as a Gunner, later transferring to The Royal Engineers and spent several years in Germany and India where he combined his military career with many pursuits. He learnt to speak fluent Hindustani, play polo, sail in mountain lakes and ride a Harley Davidson through Kashmir. On returning to Chatham he became Secretary of the Royal Engineers Yacht Club and was instrumental in the regiment significantly upgrading their boat and sailing success. He had varied posts in the army ranging from Porton Down to attending the School of Oriental Studies in London to learn Turkish then spent six months in Istanbul before traveling through Iraq and Kurdistan disguised as a carpet sales man delivering critical diplomatic mail in a van. In 1929 he married Phyllis (Phil) Pauley in London and they had two sons, David in 1930 and Charles in 1934. Despite being abroad off and on for many years he managed to do half a dozen Fastnet Races, many other ocean races and had a very successful year in 1938 when he Skippered a friend's yacht and won the RORC points championship. After the war and leaving the army he moved to Bowden House, near Lacock in Wiltshire to be near Marlborough College where David and Charles went to school.
John's uncle, Major General Geoffrey Lionel Watkinson DSO, DL (1899-1971) was a British general during the second world war and General Montgomery's Cheif Engineeer as well as founder of the Royal Yacht Club. Geoffrey was the younger brother of Arthur Watkinson and great-uncle of Anna Longridge née Watkinson. Known as Ginger, he was a keen and accomplished sailor. He made quite a name for himself in the yachting world including winning the Round The Island, (Isle Of Wight) race, winning the Burham to Ramsgate race, finishing second in the first Fastnet Race - all in one year, 1926. In one Fasthet race on board Fulmar, he finished physically second without handicap being beaten only by the 60 ton Jolie Brise. It was after this race that all of the 25 crew dined together in the Royal Western Yacht Club at Plymouth and formed the Ocean Racing Club, now the Royal Ocean Racing Club. Geoffrey joined the army as a Gunner, later transferring to The Royal Engineers and spent several years in Germany and India where he combined his military career with many pursuits. He learnt to speak fluent Hindustani, play polo, sail in mountain lakes and ride a Harley Davidson through Kashmir. On returning to Chatham he became Secretary of the Royal Engineers Yacht Club and was instrumental in the regiment significantly upgrading their boat and sailing success. He had varied posts in the army ranging from Porton Down to attending the School of Oriental Studies in London to learn Turkish then spent six months in Istanbul before traveling through Iraq and Kurdistan disguised as a carpet sales man delivering critical diplomatic mail in a van. In 1929 he married Phyllis (Phil) Pauley in London and they had two sons, David in 1930 and Charles in 1934. Despite being abroad off and on for many years he managed to do half a dozen Fastnet Races, many other ocean races and had a very successful year in 1938 when he Skippered a friend's yacht and won the RORC points championship. After the war and leaving the army he moved to Bowden House, near Lacock in Wiltshire to be near Marlborough College where David and Charles went to school.
John attended Oundle before joining the Royal Navy. He left Dartmouth in 1939 when the war broke out. During the second world war, he was a submarine commander, conducting missions against German U-boats. He later served in artic missions in the North Sea to spy on the Soviet Union.
John led the Royal Tour of South Africa in 1947 in charge of the HMS Vanguard where he met Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth, then the Princess of Wales. He also recounts being with Lord Mountbatten. John later retired from the Royal Navy in 1958 after serving 20 years. After retiring in the 1960s, he bought a boatyard at Newton Ferrers in Devon, where he produced a series of small yachts, winning the boat show Earls Court. One of his boats included the Drascombe, which was sailed by David Pyle between 1969 and 1979 all the way from Emsworth, England, to Darwin, Australia. While living in Devon, John also spent the remainder of his hunting and sailing.
John married Leida Elfrieda Loonik from Estonia on 1 June 1942. Leida was a refugee from a well-known family Estonia who escaped moments before Stalin invaded the Baltics. Coming from a well educated family, she studied at Cambridge. Her brother, Alexander, was the fencing champion of Estonia. They had two children, Anna Tenacious, born on 2 January 1943, and John Hilary Koit, born on 28 January 1945. The marriage sadly dissolved in 1953. Leida later passed away from a lifelong kidney disease in 1960. John later remarried to Katherine Mary Crook in 1953. They had 3 children, Alexander James born in 1959, Edward John born in 1968, and Emma Kate born in 1973. John later passed away on 19 December 1997.
