“Gerry” was born in Sidcup, the only child of Arthur Watson and his wife, Catherine Emily Pembroke whose father, a shipbroker, was a director of the Shaw Savill Line. In 1911, they were living at 3 The Paragon, Blackheath with four servants. Arthur was managing director of a coaling company.
He was educated at Charterhouse where he played cricket for the school in the 1917-18 season. He Matriculated in 1919. The College records give his address as 13 Smith Street London SW3. In February 1921, he went by ship to Marseilles with his parents. His father gave his occupation as “art expert”. They returned to England in April.
Gerry became a shipbroker and in 1923, married the nineteen-year-old Jean McFarlane. They had three sons.
The second, J.N.P. [Johnnie] 1927–2008 was Country Life's hunting correspondent for over twenty years. [His endeavours earned him a place in The Guinness Book of Records for hunting with a staggeringly large number of packs of foxhounds, staghounds and harehounds in Britain, Ireland, the US and continental Europe between 1968 and 1989 (the tally was 265, worldwide, by 1990]. He was the polo correspondent for The Times.
Gerry was a Lance Corporal in the Inns of Court Regiment when he was gazetted to be a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Corps of Signals on 9 February 1935. Later, he transferred to the Royal Sussex Regiment and was serving at the rank of Captain with the 4th Battalion when he was killed by a German shell at Anzegem, Belgium on 21 May 1940, during the retreat to Dunkirk.
He is buried in Anzegem Communal Cemetery Grave 10
He is commemorated on the Roll of Honour at Sandhurst.
At the time of his death, his family was living at Fox Hill, Petworth.
Probate was granted to his wife. He left £4,642-16-2