A Second World War Rolex given to a British Army lieutenant who was captured during the Dunkirk evacuation is the highlight of an upcoming Fellows auction.
The watch will be sold alongside a defence medal, images of the lieutenant and two books.
The story of Charles Maurice Anthony Whitaker, known as Tony, details how he formed part of the Worcestershire Regiment and was commissioned into the Territorial Army in the 1930s.
Born in 1918, Mr Whitaker was captured inland during the British expeditionary force evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940, and was given a Rolex Oyster Perpetual wrist watch whilst spending time at Oflag VII-B, a prisoner of war camp in Bavaria.
Mr Whitaker, the father of Max Whitaker who will sell the watch at auction, sadly died in 1969. However, 80 years on from when he was first given the watch, the Rolex has resurfaced.
With an estimate of £2,800 – £3,600, it is Lot 171 in the Luxury Watch Sale, an auction taking place in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter on Monday 21st March
At Dunkirk, he was reported missing in May 1940, it later being reported that he was captured whilst holding a bridge for men retreating to the beaches.
It was from here that the second lieutenant was missing for a year, presumed dead by his family.
He was moved between several prisoner of war camps in Poland and Germany for the next five years – including Stalag Luft III and Oflag VII-B – where he was given the watch.
Whilst held captive at Stalag Luft III, Whitaker made friends with a flight lieutenant, Eric Williams, who penned the book ‘The Wooden Horse’. A signed copy is included with this lot.
It was at Oflag VII-B, a camp for officers in Bavaria, where Tony received the Rolex.
Rolex and Hans Wilsdorf sent these watches to officers as a morale boost, who paid for them later on returning to Great Britain. It is believed that British soldiers had to request a watch by letter.
At the closing stages of the war when leaving the camp, Whitaker was injured in a friendly fire incident 1945. He sustained a shrapnel wound in his leg and had to spend months after the war in hospital on the Isle of Wight.
Whitaker continued to wear the Rolex in later life and held down several jobs in businesses, including at a Gloucester engineering firm.
The Rolex is being sold by Whitaker’s son, Max, 72, who lives in Bath.
The watch has been in constant use since the war, worn by Tony himself, Max’s late mother and briefly by Max.
It still works and is going under the hammer alongside a signed copy of ‘The Wooden Horse’ by Eric Williams, a further book listing inmates from Oflag VII-B, a defence medal and two photos of Whitaker, including one with him wearing the Rolex.
It is not confirmed whether the defence medal was awarded to Whitaker or another individual.
Numbered 2595, the watch has a signed manual wind calibre 710 and sports a black dial with baton and quarterly Roman numeral hour markers. Fitted to an unsigned black leather strap, Fellows Auctioneers say it is in a great condition for its age.
Ahead of the sale, Max Whitaker, commented: “No one knew what happened to my dad after the Battle of Dunkirk until eventually he was listed as a prisoner of war a year later.
“He was a very social man, he loved racing and often visited Cheltenham. My dad rarely spoke to me about the war. When I was a child, he did tell me that he tried to escape the camps twice and was once recaptured outside the perimeter fence in a field of potatoes.”
Adding: “My dad still managed to hold down several jobs despite suffering nervous problems after the war. His Rolex watch has been in constant use since the war and I have worn it on occasion myself in the last ten years.”
Michael Jagiela, Senior Watch Specialist at Fellows Auctioneers, concluded: “It is an honour to offer a Rolex with such an extraordinary history in our upcoming Luxury Watch Auction.
“Tony Whitaker was held captive for years during the war, after he was captured heroically helping soldiers in the Battle of Dunkirk and we are extremely grateful to Max for selling his father’s watch with us. Military timepieces like this do not come around at auction often so I expect huge interest on this historic watch from around the globe.”
Find out more about the sale HERE.
