1883 Silver Half Hunter RMS Tagus Smallpox Outbreak Pocket Watch

For sale is an Antique Working 800 Silver Marked Dimier Freres & Cie Half Hunter Pocket Watch With an Interesting inscription/ engraving to the back. 

  The back of the pocket watch is engraved “Presented to mrs Lee by the seaman of RMS Tagus for her kindness to the sick during the voyage May 2nd 1883.”    We believe that there was an outbreak of smallpox onboard HMS Tagus, in which mrs lee helped tend to the sick onboard and this act of kindness was recognised by the crew of HMS Tagus and awarded this beautiful pocket watch as a thank you.    This watch case & movement was made by Dimier Freres & Cie and has the movement number 142258.   About RMS Tagus:    The first RMS Tagus was built in 1871 and was scrapped in 1897. The second RMS Tagus was a passenger and cargo liner built in 1899 by Robert Napier and Sons Ltd of Glasgow for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. She operated on its routes from Southampton to the West Indies. During the Boer War she was employed as a troopship. From 1917-1920 she was again engaged in Government service, this time as a hospital ship. She was sold in 1920 to Hijos de Jose Taya, Barcelona, and renamed Prince de Viana. She was broken up in 1925.   This pocket watch is in good working order and keeps excellent time. There is one issue to the watches face where there is damage. However this does not take away from the historic value of this piece. There is still much research to be done on this wonderful piece.    This will be sent via royal mail special delivery and dispatched within two working days.